Leaders of the grocery workers union in Southern California called on thousands of its members to walk off their jobs late Saturday, launching the region's first supermarket strike in 25 years.
The order came after a day of jangled nerves and intense but ultimately fruitless efforts by union and supermarket representatives to avert a strike. Despite the intervention of a federal mediator, negotiators called it quits Saturday night after nine hours of talks at an Anaheim hotel, with the two sides still far apart on issues of health benefits and wages for new hires.
FOR THE RECORD
Los Angeles Times Saturday December 06, 2003 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 41 words Type of Material: Correction
Supermarket strike -- In its coverage of the supermarket strike and lockout that began Oct. 11, The Times has said repeatedly that the labor dispute affected 859 union grocery stores in Southern and Central California. In fact, 852 stores are affected.
"We gave it every effort possible," said Greg Conger, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 134 in Orange County, one of seven UFCW locals whose contract with three major supermarket chains expired last Sunday.
The union chose Safeway Inc., which owns Vons and Pavilions stores, as its main strike target. Shortly after 10 p.m., picket lines went up at some Vons in the region, forcing managers to abruptly close stores. The companies that operate Albertsons and Ralphs markets, which are covered by the same master contract, had said they would lock out their union workers in a show of solidarity.
"Right now, we're open and we're serving customers," Ralphs spokesman Terry O'Neil said after the UFCW announced the strike. He added, however, that it was a "definite possibility" that management would lock out union workers.
Representatives for Vons and Albertsons could not be reached for comment.
In all, 859 Vons, Ralphs, Pavilions and Albertsons supermarkets are affected by the strike. The UFCW represents about 70,000 workers at those stores, from the Mexican border to Mono County, and from the coast east to the Nevada and Arizona state lines.
"I'm kind of excited and worried," said Andrew Garcia, 25, a produce worker at the Vons at 3rd Street and Vermont Avenue in Los Angeles. Garcia, a five-year Vons employee, picketed outside the store Saturday night with about 15 other union members. "I don't know what's going to happen," he said.
The three chains that own those markets -- Safeway; Kroger Co., which owns Ralphs; and Albertsons Inc. -- had said they would operate normally by staffing stores with managers, temporary replacement workers and employees brought in from other locations. But on Saturday night, managers at some 24-hour stores said they had no choice but to close.
