Free Republic

A tentative deal has been struck in the negotiations between representatives from three supermarket chains and the union representing 62,000 Southland grocery store workers, the president of the workers union confirmed. ... Details of the agreement have not yet been made public. Any tentative agreement struck at the negotiation table will still have to be voted on by union members before it is approved. The agreement will be presented to union members for ratification later this week. Albertsons, Ralphs and Vons issued the following joint statement: "We are pleased to have reached a tentative settlement agreement with the union that...

California grocer labor talks ongoing, deadline passes Sunday September 18, 2011 10:49pm PDT (Reuters) - Albertsons, Ralphs and Vons remained in talks with the union representing 62,000 Southern California supermarket workers as the deadline for canceling their labor contract passed on Sunday evening. The United Food and Commercial Workers union on Thursday issued a required 72-hour notice of its plan to cancel its extended contract, a move that opened the door for workers to strike if an acceptable deal could not be reached. "Albertsons, Ralphs and Vons are still at the table with the union. Progress is being made,...

No breakthroughs were reported as round-the-clock negotiations approached a 7:10 p.m. strike deadline set by the union representing 62,000 grocery store clerks in Southern California. Albertsons, Ralphs and Vons officials continued to meet with the workers' representatives at an undisclosed location, while union stewards spent the day passing out picket signs. No grocery chain official would comment, but a union spokesman said no progress had been made today. Clerks at a pair of Ralphs and Vons supermarkets in Santa Monica today said both chains had not reduced their deliveries of fresh baked goods, produce, milk and meat to the stores....

Talks continued Saturday but employees could walk off job Sunday night Mike Knapp wasn’t sympathetic when he heard the news that grocery workers in Southern California might walk off the job in coming days. “Go ahead and strike, lots of people need a job,” he wrote Friday in comments on SignOnSanDiego.com. “I will see all of you as I cross the picket line.” He’s among many people who are criticizing the United Food and Commercial Workers for considering a strike on Albertsons, Vons and Ralphs at a time when county unemployment is at 10.2 percent, a record number of people...

Charging that management is “stonewalling,” union grocery workers in Southern California have issued a 72-hour notice cancelling their contract extension, paving the way for a strike. Eight months of negotiations between seven United Food and Commercial Workers locals representing 62,000 workers and management of supermarket chains owned by Kroger, Safeway and Supervalu have been hampered by disagreements over health care contributions. The union has charged that management’s proposal would “bankrupt health plans and eliminate entirely health care access” for employees. ... “We returned to the bargaining table ready to compromise and make a deal that keeps our employers profitable but...

The union representing Southland grocery workers issued a 72-hour notice Thursday night canceling the grocery contract extension, paving the way for a strike. "We returned to the bargaining table ready to compromise and make a deal that keeps our employers profitable but protects the jobs of our members," said a statement from the United Food and Commercial Workers, which represents workers at Ralphs, Vons and Albertsons. "Instead, we got more of the same stonewalling from management. They are unwilling to compromise and are more concerned about hoarding their billions in profits than reaching a fair deal for their employees. We...

In what seems to be a mixed message to consumers looking to stretch their food dollars, Ralphs is lowering prices on thousands of groceries starting Wednesday – but is also capping double coupons at $1. The latter money-saving program, where a $1 off coupon gets you $2 off one item, has been a mainstay perk at Ralphs for years. Now, the supermarket chain – Orange County's second largest – said it will only double coupons up to $1 off. So, a 75-cent coupon, will get you an additional 25 cents off. The change – announced Tuesday in promotional fliers –...

<p>KCAL 9 Breaking News just announced that Ralph's Grocery Store has pleaded guilty to illegal hiring of thousands of strike workers with phony identifications during the strike...</p> <p>More...</p>

KABC's Doug McIntyre is all over the support of illegal alien day in Los Angeles. He is urging listeners to send in their Ralphs cards, and he will send the bundle in for cancellation. ========================================================================= Ralph's Supports "Awareness Day" "I have heard that many of you are concerned about the ongoing national debate regarding potential changes in our country's immigration laws and policies. We also believe that law-abiding and hard-working immigrants deserve fair treatment and an opportunity to enjoy the American Dream. We support plans that give immigrants and their families opportunities for citizenship, including legislation that does all of...

Northern California's food fight is coming to a store near you. It's already hit Mary Thomatos, a loyal Albertsons customer until the chain closed its J Street store near her east Sacramento home last summer. Now the future of the other 25 Albertsons in the Sacramento region is in doubt after their parent company was sold last month. With Ralphs Supermarkets closing eight area stores soon, the grocery landscape is shifting so rapidly that by summer many consumers may no longer recognize their neighborhood store. Such change, those in the industry say, is something most of us should get used...

Calling himself a "grocer" first and foremost, Dave Dillon believes that customers want more from their grocery shopping experiences than just the lowest price. So, that's what Dillon, the chief executive officer and chairman of The Kroger Co., and officials at his company work to give them.Kroger officials believe the strategy will help the company stay competitive during what's proven to be difficult times for traditional grocery companies."Everybody is price sensitive," said Dillon, a Hutchinson native. "But ... also, everybody is driven by other factors - not just price." Shoppers also want a better variety of products, better customer service...

The word in Michael Jackson circles is that the beleaguered pop star has found a white knight: billionaire Ron Burkle. Jackson has gone to the tycoon hoping that Burkle, who is reportedly worth $2.3 billion, can stave off the former King of Pop's much-needed sale of his portion of Sony/ATV Music Publishing. Jackson is currently at risk of defaulting on over $270 million in loans from Bank of America. Burkle owns the largest supermarket chain in America, thanks to his acquisition of Kroger Stores. He is also the largest supplier of produce to McDonald's. His Yucaipa Companies also owns the...

<p>Whatever the merits of the legal case California Attorney General Bill Lockyer is pursuing against the grocery stores involved in an ongoing labor dispute, his behavior has suggested that he is a partisan actor rather than a fair-minded advocate of justice. That's not good for the appearance of impartiality that is the foundation of California's legal system.</p>

The Ralphs supermarket chain has been secretly asking, and in some cases coercing, locked-out clerks to come back to work since the beginning of the 82-day grocery dispute, according to a lawsuit filed yesterday by the grocery workers union. Saying they have proof, including a paycheck issued to a 4-month-old baby, United Food and Commercial Workes union officials allege that Ralphs is rehiring union members under false names and Social Security numbers. The alleged activities by Ralphs violate several state and federal laws, including at least four sections of the California Labor Code, according to the lawsuit filed in Los...

Conservative Talk Show host Joe Crummey is taking calls concerning the latest news about the grocery store lock-out and strike. Union officials were in Los Angeles yesterday to discuss current negotiations. Joe Crummey believes the grocery store strikers are being misled by their Union. He suggests that workers re-read their contract. Page 12 of their contract says that workers get $4.04 (company paid insurance benefit per hour) for every hour they work. Mentions also that civil disobedience has now been suggested by a sympathetic union supporter.

Markets to close stores on Thanksgiving due to labor dispute ALEX VEIGA Associated Press LOS ANGELES - Doors will be closed Thanksgiving Day at nearly 860 Southern California supermarkets because of the labor dispute between three supermarket operators and some 70,000 striking or locked-out grocery clerks.The chains' stores - Albertsons, Vons, Pavilions and Ralphs - traditionally have opened for business for at least a few hours on Thanksgiving Day. They decided last week, however, not to open during the holiday. The stores will reopen Friday. (snip) The union turned up the pressure on the chains Monday by extending its picket...

Teamsters Join Calif. Supermarket Strike By JEREMIAH MARQUEZ, Associated Press Writer EL MONTE, Calif. - The Teamsters union said Monday its members will stop delivering groceries to three Southern California supermarket chains where grocery clerks have been on strike or been locked out for more than a month. The move effectively shuts off supplies to Vons, Ralphs and Albertsons stores during the critical Thanksgiving shopping week. The action, taken after the striking clerks moved to expand their picket lines to regional distribution centers, was called a "silver bullet" by Jim Santangelo, president of Teamsters Joint Council 42 in El Monte....

POSTED: 7:06 a.m. PST November 10, 2003 UPDATED: 10:08 a.m. PST November 10, 2003 LOS ANGELES -- Several men, some brandishing bats, confronted picketers outside a strike-bound Albertsons market in Laguna Niguel, Calif., sending a 21-year-old man to the hospital, authorities said Monday. Orange County Sheriff's Department spokesman Jim Amormino said five males showed up outside the market at 30241 Golden Lantern St. about 10:20 p.m. Sunday and taunted the strikers, challenging them to fight. Three of them carried bats and began beating a 21-year-old striker, Amormino said, adding that the assailants fled when a security guard fired shots in...

<p>Negotiators for supermarket chains will meet with representatives of grocery clerks today in talks arranged by federal mediators in an attempt to avert a possible strike that could begin as early as Saturday.</p> <p>More than 70,000 supermarket workers across Southern California have been voting this week on whether to authorize a strike against Ralphs, Albertsons, Vons and Vons' Pavilion[s] markets. The results of that voting will be announced this morning. Union leaders and company negotiators will then begin talks this afternoon at offices of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. It will be the first meeting between the sides since a labor contract covering the workers expired Monday.</p>