Albertsons, Pavilions, Vons, and Kroger workers set to strike

Strikes only happen when companies push workers past the point of no return. 

No worker wants to give up a paycheck in order to get the raise and benefits they feel they deserve. In many cases, even when management and labor negotiate a favorable deal, the money lost during a strike remains lost forever.

Workers, however, have very little leverage with management when it comes to negotiating fair wages. In many cases, bosses consider workers replaceable and don't take worker demands seriously.

In many part of American history, workers could not strike without fear of being replaced. Now, with retail jobs plentiful enough that both Walmart and Target pay their workers over $15 per hour, labor has more leverage.

Replacing tens of thousands of people in this market won't be easy, so a strike could cripple the business and do long-term damage. Hopefully, reality forces both sides to come to the table before a work stoppage takes place.

Nearly 45,000 Albertsons, Pavilions, Vons, and Kroger (Ralphs) workers have voted overwhelmingly in favor of a strike.  

They have not walked off the job yet, but the threat to their employers has become very real.

Supermarket workers want better treatment

UFCW Local 324 represents the impacted workers, and the union has a simple description of its goals.

"The mission of UFCW Local 324 is to improve the lives of working families and to bring economic justice to the workplace. The UFCW is one union with one voice. We are committed to changing the places where we work and the communities where we live so that all workers have the opportunity to reach the American Dream," it shared on its website. 

The union traces its history back to 1936.

"The United Food and Commercial Workers union stands as the by-product of mergers between many other trades and professions whose members saw value in uniting in solidarity against an increasingly powerful array of corporate retailers," it added.

Now, the union is ready to mobilize its workers to strike. It shared an update on its website.

"These past two weeks, nearly 45,000 grocery workers across Southern California came together and overwhelmingly voted YES to authorize an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) Strike against Ralphs, Albertsons, Vons, and Pavilions for breaking the law by surveilling, interrogating, threatening, and retaliating against union members," it shared. "This vote is a powerful message to Kroger and Albertsons: We are fed up with their union-busting tactics and unlawful behavior that disrespects workers, silences our voices, and stalls progress at the bargaining table."

Here's what Albertsons, Pavilions, Vons, and Kroger workers want

While those are serious charges, the core of the dispute between the workers and management is wages and working conditions. 

“For four months, we’ve negotiated with Kroger and Albertsons, offering solutions to the staff shortage crisis that hurts store operations, working conditions, and customer service. The companies have dismissed our proposals and claimed that our concerns were ‘anecdotal’, downplaying the real challenges we and our customers face daily," the union shared in an update to members.

UFCW Local 324 believes it has acted in good faith and that management has not.

“We’re at the breaking point. We are disrespected, overworked, and undervalued by Kroger and Albertsons. We’re tired of asking these corporations to invest in their workers and customers, only to see no results. We’re tired of asking the companies to respect our labor rights and seeing our co-workers intimidated," it added.

Kroger, which owns Ralphs, shared a statement with KTLA.

“Our current offer reflects that commitment, including market-leading wage increases for associates over the life of the agreement, and continued investment in industry-leading healthcare and a pension…These are benefits that many non-union competitors do not offer,” a portion of the statement reads.

The union has not set a strike date.

Negotiations are expected to resume on June 25.