Southern California Picket Lines Cross Country to Washington, DC Area Safeway Stores
Nov. 24--Hundreds of Southern California, West Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky, workers set up lines in front of Safeway grocery stores in the Washington, DC area this weekend urging customers to use their holiday dollars elsewhere in support of the workers’ fight for affordable health care.
At a 300 strong rally announcing the pickets, local labor, religious and community leaders joined the workers in calling for solidarity from the Washington area community. 
Speakers at the rally included:
- AFL-CIO President John Sweeney
- UFCW Executive VP Mark Perrone
- UFCW Local 400 President Jimmy Lowthers
- Metro Council President Jos Williams
- DC Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton
- DC Ward 4 City Council member Adrian Fenty
- Rev. Graylan Hagler
Locals with major participation included the Laborers, SEIU, ASFCME, HERE, Machinists, UNITE, IBEW, Teamsters, Operating Engineers and OPEIU.
More than 70,000 striking/locked out Safeway/Vons, Kroger/Ralphs and Albertsons in Southern California and the 4,000 Kroger workers in West Virginia, Ohio and Kentucky, have been on strike for more than six weeks, holding the line for affordable health care at work against the Safeway-led charge to destroy health benefits for workers and their families.
Saturday's rally in DC launched the Washington, DC, area Safeway campaign, as the strikers take their fight across the country. From the San Francisco Bay to the Chesapeake, shoppers are being asked not to shop at Safeway.
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