CLUE LA (Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice) has been participating strongly in efforts to bring the management from several Southern California grocery chains back to the negotiation table with local workers and their unions. The grocery workers at Ralphs, Vons, and Albertsons (owned by Kroger Co., Safeway Inc., and Supervalu Inc. respectively) have been working without a contract for five months. Kroger, Safeway, and Supervalu are negotiating collectively as a group.
Much is at stake in the conflict, including a potential strike by workers as they struggle to negotiate terms of their contract. The deepest point of conflict concerns health care premiums. According to several news stories, Kroger and Safeway are calling for workers to contribute as much as $10,000 - $11,000 per year to their health care coverage, which is 50% of total annual wages for many workers.
CLUE LA has been participating in delegations at particular Ralphs, Vons, and Albertsons stores around Southern California, working to bring management back to the negotiating table. Local government leaders have participated as well. Though the national economy is struggling, CLUE LA argues by use of analytical studies that profits at these grocery chains have actually increased. They advocate that management take this into account as contracts are renegotiated and argue that it is unjust for these chains to require such a change in premiums while profits are increasing.
Here are some news stories which discuss this conflict:
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