Religious Leaders to Make Appeal(CA Grocery Strike)

Los Angeles Daily News ^ | 1/27/04 | Nicholas Grudin

[Mark]

Religious leaders to make appeal

By Nicholas Grudin Staff Writer

A host of priests, rabbis, pastors and bishops will join union leaders and striking grocery clerks today on a "justice pilgrimage" to the home of Safeway Inc. boss Steve Burd. It is there that they hope to appeal to the chief executive's spiritual side.

"We know that Steve Burd is a serious Christian and a compassionate man," said the Rev. Alexia Salvatierra, executive director of Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice. "He hasn't really realized the suffering that he's causing. We feel like we need to call on him as a brother to be conscious."

About 20 clergy organized by the group argue that the strike and lockout that has kept 70,000 Ralphs, Vons and Albertsons workers unemployed for nearly four months is fundamentally unethical.

The labor dispute, which began Oct. 11, centers around a company contract proposal that would reduce health care coverage and impose a compensation plan offering significantly reduced benefits to new employees.

The religious rallies will be held from Sherman Oaks to San Jose today and Wednesday, ending in Burd's hometown, Pleasanton, where the clergy will protest in front of his house.

"In Jewish tradition, there are certain standards that are imposed in terms of religious law in terms of the relationship between employer and employee. There are responsibilities on both sides," said Rabbi Linda Bertenthal, associate director of the Pacific Southwest Counsel of the Union for Reform Judaism.

"The companies' proposal seems to be deliberately endangering the health of their employees, and that's fundamentally unethical."

The pilgrimage starts at 9 a.m. today in a Sherman Oaks Vons, 14845 Ventura Blvd.

Nicholas Grudin, (661) 257-5255 nicholas.grudin@dailynews.com

[Mark]

Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice

Isn't that special.

[mewzilla]

Is Safeway a private or public company?

[.38sw]

"The companies' proposal seems to be deliberately endangering the health of their employees

??? So the new employees would not be allowed to buy health insurance with their own money? Their employers are obligated to buy it for them?

[MineralMan]

"We know that Steve Burd is a serious Christian and a compassionate man," said the Rev. Alexia Salvatierra"

And where, I wonder, did he read about unions in the New Testament? What did Jesus say about labor unions? Feh!

[Mark]

I'm pretty sure they are public.

[ZGuy]

we need to call on him as a brother to be conscious

Fine. Go to his door, tell him to "be conscious", then leave. But if he isn't conscious now, how is he going to hear what you're saying?

[Mark]

You mean there is no book of UNIONS in the New Testament?

[lady lawyer]

They are CLUE-less

[Digger]

"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves money from the public treasure. From that moment on the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most money from the public treasury, with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy followed by a dictatorship". Alexander Tyler.

This gets old repeating but sooo true. The irony is that they demand it not even from government.

[MineralMan]

"You mean there is no book of UNIONS in the New Testament?
"

Maybe it's part of the Apocrypha or something. [grin] Jesus did speak regarding the treatment of slaves and servants. Generally, the concept of loving one's neighbor as onesself is pretty clear, but that doesn't necessarily mean paying for one's neighbor's health insurance.

Too often, Christian ministers get involved in places where they have no competence, it seems to me.

[ZGuy]

Be careful lumping real Christian ministers in with these people.
Same planet, different worlds.

[ambrose]

Nothing to stop them from passing the hat around at church/temple for the strikers.

[AppyPappy]

Since they can't go on his property, someone could stand there and read Scripture to them.

"Woe to you scribes and pharisees, HYPOCRITES....."

[cksharks]

How in the hell did he cause any pain and suffering he didnt go on strike these thugs did.

[MineralMan]

"Be careful lumping real Christian ministers in with these people.
Same planet, different worlds."

Dude, I don't discriminate. I let people tell me what their religion is. If they call themselves Christians, then I judge them according to the tenets of their own faith. Same with any other religious folk.

You may wish to say who is and who is not a real Christian. I'm not competent to do that, so I let people tell me their faith.

[Redcloak]

The strike is over. The strikers just don't realize it yet.

[CounterCounterCulture]

Great, the fake Christians and pretend Jews speak out. Puke.

[Amerigomag]

The devil is in the detail.

[InsensitiveConservative]

How comforting for the union members to know that the big union plan is down to stalking this man and praying on his front lawn.

I hope he turns the sprinklers on high.

[kittymyrib]

These are the same old leftists in clerical garb. Note that both "ministers" quoted are women. They don't follow the Bible's teaching that ministers are to be "the husband of one wife" or that "the women should be silent in the church," so why should we take anything they say as authoritative? As Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to me 'Lord, Lord' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven." Matt. 7:21.