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The UFCW has a list of unionized supermarkets whose workers are not on strike

Today. Right now.

Let the store owners know that you support the grocery workers who make the store what it is – a nice place to buy your food.

Von’s, Pavillions

Albertson’s

Ralph's

Let them know that you will not cross a picket line – no matter how many coupons they sent to your home offering free food and discounts. Let them know that if they try to break the union – that you will NEVER shop at their grocery stores again.

We are lucky to have a number of choices for places to shop – including local farmers markets, Jon’s, Trader Joe’s, Food 4 Less - Why buy food that must taste like blood?

See this list of unionized stores that are not on strike.

A single letter is worth fifty opinions – or so they say.

Albertson's
Lawrence Johnston, CEO, makes 12.22 million a year. That works out to $6100 an hour (12.2 million / 2000 hours)

Safeway, Von's
Pavilions
Steven Burd, CEO, Took a "pay cut" then exercised millions in stock options

Burd made $2,209,000 in salary last year. He has announced that he would take 41 percent pay cut, but did not think we'd notice that he'd sneak in about $11 million in new stock options.

Insider transactions for 2003 show multiple option exercises of 50,000 shares of Safeway at $6 a share then immediately selling at market price of about $23-24, netting about $900,000 each time.

Kroger
Joseph Pichler, CEO, 3.93 million salary. Owns 1.2 million shares. Disposed of about 270,000 shares this year in "non open market" transactions, and exercised options of 80,000 shares at 4.60 (the stock is 19 today). Deep Audit, our resident forensic accountant tells us these shares might have been a gift to someone.

Grocery Strike:
ICUJP Supports Southern California
Vons, Albertsons and Ralphs
Grocery Workers On Strike
for Economic Justice & Health Care

The longest-running grocery strike in US history is over after Californian workers approved a new contract with major supermarket chains.

Almost 900 stores were affected by the strike and lock-out, which hit Kroger, Albertsons and Safeway, costing them more than $1bn in lost sales.

Workers were striking over attempts by the chains to slash health benefits.

Increased competition, the stores said, meant the benefits could not survive without contributions from workers.

But under the terms of a deal struck at the weekend, union members will not have to make any contributions toward their health care plans in the first two years.

Now they will only pay from $5 to $15 in the third year of heath care reserves to not cover the costs.

Two-tier wages
On the other hand new employees will receive lower benefits and wages under a new two-tier wage system.

They will have to pay around $9 a week to secure a basic health care plan, while making less than the average wage of $12 to $14 an hour earned by staff who have already joined.

Supermarkets will contribute 35% toward staff pensions for new workers and 65% for veteran employees, down from their previous contribution of 100% to company pension plans.

Grocery workers were said to be disappointed by the terms of the new deal, but most were resigned to going back to the shopping malls after the walk-out which has been dragging on since 11 October.

"We've been out here five months and I think that's the best we can do. You've got to take what you have to," union member George Yic said in an interview with KABC-TV in the US.

UFCW Local 770 says:

"Solidarity Sunday (March 14) is happening for sure.  All Rallies and events scheduled after 2/28/04 are subject to change or cancellation until further notice.  Please check back."

For more information about the Strike, please check:

http://www.ufcw770.org/upcoming_events.htm
http://www.SaveOurHealthCare.org
http://www.ufcw770.org/strikepage.htm
http://www.actionla.org/

"The MTA employee and the supermarket employee are examples of what was supposed to be the bedrock of society – working people playing by all the rules and enjoying the benefits..."

                                        Kent Wong
                                        director of UCLA's
                                       Center for Labor Research and Education

                                         Reid Parker, who fixes bus air-conditioners,
                                        quoted in Steve Lopez,
                                        October 15, 2003 –  Los Angeles Times

"...As chairman, president and chief executive of Safeway Inc., the world's 11th-largest grocery chain, Steven Burd is the nexus of a wide network of subordinates and suppliers, as well as friends in corporate suites. And that is why he will play a critical role in President Bush's effort to raise the largest amount of money ever spent on a presidential campaign – not by giving a lot of money himself, but by finding a lot of people to give relatively little.

In the jargon of political fundraising, Burd is a bundler.

At two Bush fundraising events in California last month, Burd filled 10 tables with Safeway suppliers, including rice farmers, strawberry growers and a cheese manufacturer, plus representatives of Breyers ice cream, Sunkist produce and Del Monte canned goods who paid $2,000 to hear Bush talk.

Each donor wrote a four-digit "solicitor tracking code" assigned to Burd on his check so that the Safeway CEO will receive credit from Bush campaign officials and they can keep a running tally of his efforts.

The possible rewards, depending on how much money he can bring in, include cocktails with campaign architect Karl Rove, dinner with Commerce Secretary Donald L. Evans and photo opportunities and sessions with the president..."