November, 2003

Collective Bargaining, Kroger, Press Releases, Retail Food, Southern California Bargaining, UFCW Industries

Southern California Supermarket Workers Extend Picket Line to Northern California Safeway/Vons Stores

Nov 12, 2003
(San Francisco)—Seventy-thousand members of seven United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) local unions on strike against Safeway/Vons in Southern California—and locked out by Albertsons and Kroger/Ralphs—will extend picket lines today to Northern California Safeway/Vons stores. The striking supermarket workers will ask customers not to shop Safeway/Vons until the giant supermarket ends its demands for the elimination of health care benefits at work.
WHO:  Striking supermarket workers from Southern California
What:   Extend picket lines to Northern California Safeway/Vons storesWhen:  Noon, November 11, 2003

Where: Safeway/Vons, 2020 Market Street—Corner of Market and Church—San Francisco, California

Economic Justice, Health Care, Kroger, Organizing, Press Releases, Retail Food, Safeway, UFCW Industries, UFCW Values

Supermarket Strike Spreads as Picket Lines Begin Move to Northern California Safeway Stores

Nov 07, 2003

November The street fight for affordable health care is about to get bigger as striking Southern California supermarket workers bring their picket lines to Northern California Safeway stores. In advance of the picket lines, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) today launched an air campaign with a multi-station radio ad campaign with one spot that targets Safeway CEO Steve Burd’s stock sales immediately prior to the onset of the strike. According to the ad, Burd dumped about $20 million worth of stock before the strike. Safeway stock prices have plummeted since the dispute began. Other ads feature a working mom and a child of a striking worker asking shoppers not to patronize Safeway.

Picket lines will go up at selected Northern California Safeway stores in the next several days and will continue indefinitely. UFCW members working in those stores will continue on the job according to their contracts, but pickets will ask customers to honor the line and to shop elsewhere. The Northern California action is the first step in the nationalization of the supermarket strike. UFCW International President Doug Dority announced last week that he would authorize the extension of picket lines across the country. Following the Dority announcement, newspaper ads featuring strikers and the health care issue appeared in Washington, Baltimore, Denver, Seattle and Northern California. A separate ad on CEO Steve Burd’s management record ran in the Wall Street Journal.

UFCW members are bargaining with Safeway, Kroger and Albertson’s in Arizona, Indiana, Oregon and Tennessee and are preparing for possible walk-outs.

-30-

Copies of the radio commericals are attached:

COMMERCIAL #1

As working moms, we have to make sure our kids have the health care they need when they need it. As Safeway employees, we sacrificed wage increases so our kids could have good medical coverage. Now, this giant corporation wants to slash our health care—not because the company isn’t making a profit—it just wants more. I’m Lucy Medler a 20 year Safeway-Von’s employee and a working mom. I’m asking you from my family to yours, please don’t shop Safeway.

A message from the working men and women of the UFCW – we’re holding the line for health care for all working families.

COMMERCIAL #2

First, Safeway’s CEO Steve Burd sold about $20 million worth of company stock. Then, he forced me and 70,000 other workers onto the streets to save our families’ health benefits. We’re out of work— shoppers have been inconvenienced— and Safeway stock prices have taken a nose dive— but— Steve Burd is looking out for himself. It’s time to turn the tables— I’m Kathy Shafer a 28-year Safeway Vons employee. Send Steve Burd a message–please don’t shop Safeway when you see our picket lines.

A message from the working men and women of the UFCW – we’re holding the line for health care for all working families.

COMMERCIAL #3

It’s just me and my mom at home now. We do great on our own but we need to be able to go to the doctor or buy medicine when we’re sick. My mom’s company Safeway makes money year after year but I guess it’s just not enough. Now they want to take my health care away. My name is James and Safeway forced my mom to strike for me. Please help us keep health care. Don’t shop at Safeway while we’re on strike.

A message from the working men and women of the UFCW – we’re holding the line for health care for all working families.

Collective Bargaining, Economic Justice, Health Care, Packing and Processing, Press Releases, Retail Food, UFCW Industries, UFCW Values

Contract with Schnucks, Dierbergs, Shop

Nov 03, 2003

UFCW Local 655 Press Release

View the Statement by UFCW Local 655 President Robert Kelley (pdf)

Go to the St. Louis Strike Page for past updates.

Press Contact–
Ed Finkelstein, spokesperson
314-535-4900/Cell: 314-708-3082

By a secret ballot vote of 4,174 to 945, members of United Food & Commercial Workers Local 655 today accepted a 47-month contract proposal made by the three major local food chains, Schnucks, Dierbergs and Shop ‘n Save, Local 655 President Robert Kelley announced following the ballot counting this morning at America’s Center in downtown St. Louis. The vote immediately ends a 24- day strike, and subsequent lock-out, the union’s first-ever strike in the food industry.

“We are forever grateful to the public and the rest of the labor movement for their outstanding, if not heroic, support of our members during this very trying time for everyone,” Kelley said. “We realize that this was a hardship, not only for our members, but for the public as well. That our customers stood with us will never be forgotten by anyone in this union.”

The union’s negotiating committee did not make a recommendation as to whether or not to accept or reject the proposal, leaving it entirely up to the union’s membership.

“While our members were not totally satisfied with every aspect of this re-negotiated agreement, in the end our members felt it was acceptable because we achieved many of our major goals in what turned out to be an active give-and-take during negotiations, which is what compromise is all about,” Kelley said.

Kelley praised federal mediator Roger Hendrix for his efforts at bringing both sides back to the bargaining table. While the union had been willing to talk from the first day of the strike, the companies steadfastly held to a “no talk” strategy until the mediator intervened late last week. A great deal of community pressure had been building to get both sides back to the bargaining table.

The new contract covers more than 10,000 Local 655 members working at 97 stores throughout the St. Louis area: 57 Schnucks Markets, 19 Dierbergs Markets and 21 Shop ‘n Save stores.

Local 655 is the largest union in the State of Missouri. It represents over 15,000 members working in the 46 counties throughout the eastern half of Missouri. Local 655′s members are employed in food stores (its largest single division), health care, shoe manufacturing, packinghouses, and a number of miscellaneous plants. The union negotiates more than 100 contracts.

Stores in Southern Illinois are represented by UFCW Local 881 based in Chicago who will negotiate their own contracts later this year when their contracts expire.