Free Republic

Wal-Mart getting boost from Lockyer By David Stirling No one has reported seeing Attorney General Bill Lockyer as a greeter at Wal-Mart stores. But from sightings of him on picket lines in front of Southern California supermarkets and partisan speeches at union strike rallies, he is advancing Wal-Mart's business dominance far more than its advertising can do. Over 120 days have passed since supermarket chains Albertsons, Ralphs (Kroger Co.), Vons and Pavilions (Safeway) informed their 70,000-member United Food and Commercial Workers-represented work force that -- due to pressures of Wal-Mart competition -- the company-paid portion of employee health care benefits...

LOS ANGELES – Supermarket operators involved in a 4-month-old strike-lockout with Southern California grocery clerks rejected an offer from the workers' union Wednesday to have its members return to work immediately if the markets would agree to binding arbitration. In a joint statement issued shortly after union officials announced their offer, Albertsons Inc., Kroger Co. and Safeway Inc. rejected the union's proposal, calling it an effort to "shift the focus" away from the union's "inability" to negotiate a settlement. "Labor disputes are resolved by face-to-face negotiations with people familiar with the issues," the companies' statement said. "Only the parties to...

AFL-CIO to control national strategy of Calif. grocery clerks strike Associated Press LOS ANGELES - The AFL-CIO has assigned two of its leaders to control national strategy in the strike by grocery clerks at hundreds of California supermarkets. Richard Trumka, secretary-treasurer of the umbrella organization of 64 international unions, will work with Ron Judd to put pressure on the grocery chains by attempting to sway their shareholders, staging demonstrations and making phone calls to executives. About 70,000 grocery clerks from Kroger Co.'s Ralphs, Safeway Inc.'s Vons and Albertsons Inc. have been locked out or on strike since Oct. 11 over...

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....