A labor contract for Southern California’s grocery store workers expired at midnight Monday, and with negotiations stalled, a strike could be on the horizon.
Representatives with United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 770 say negotiations with Southern California’s major supermarkets broke down over the weekend without a new contract. After picketing stores in Baldwin Hills and Tustin last week, next step for workers would be to vote on whether to go on strike, which could happen as soon as later this week.
“When we began negotiations with Ralphs and Albertsons/Vons/Pavilions in January, we came prepared with comprehensive proposals and a clear path toward negotiating a contract that reflects your value and the sacrifices you have made,” the union said in a series of tweets to its members. “We are disheartened to inform you that Ralphs and Albertsons/Vons/Pavilions squandered the unique opportunity to propose a contract with better wages and benefits in a time of immense profit. They have failed.”
