Kroger Workers in 3 States Voting on Strike

Kroger Co., still feeling the effects of a lengthy labor dispute in California, faces a possible walkout as 8,500 supermarket employees in three other states began voting on a contract offer that the union recommends they reject.

Union leaders also asked members for a strike authorization. The contract, which expires at 7 p.m. PDT Friday, affects cashiers, grocery baggers and clerks in meat, produce and delicatessen departments at 70 Kroger stores in southwest Ohio, northern Kentucky and southeast Indiana.

Observers and union and company officials agree that a strike would hurt both sides. Business lost in a 4 1/2 -month strike and lockout in Southern and Central California contributed to the Cincinnati-based supermarket operator's second-quarter earnings drop this year of almost $50 million from last year.