Grocers reject binding arbitration to end strike-lockout

AP ^ | February 4, 2004 | Alex Veiga

[ladyesk]

LOS ANGELES – Supermarket operators involved in a 4-month-old strike-lockout with Southern California grocery clerks rejected an offer from the workers' union Wednesday to have its members return to work immediately if the markets would agree to binding arbitration.

In a joint statement issued shortly after union officials announced their offer, Albertsons Inc., Kroger Co. and Safeway Inc. rejected the union's proposal, calling it an effort to "shift the focus" away from the union's "inability" to negotiate a settlement.

"Labor disputes are resolved by face-to-face negotiations with people familiar with the issues," the companies' statement said. "Only the parties to this labor dispute, engaged in active negotiation, can arrive at a reasonable solution that is mutually acceptable to both sides."

There was no immediate reaction from the United Food and Commercial Workers leadership, which gathered earlier with political and religious leaders at a news conference to discuss their offer.

Then, union leaders warned their walkout would continue if the companies did not agree to the their proposal.

"If for some reason, the employers refuse to go into binding arbitration, we will continue to strike," said Rick Icaza, president of the UFCW Local 770.

Under the terms outlined by the union, the companies and the union would have selected an independent arbitrator to find a compromise to the labor issues separating them, particularly the scope and cost of pensions and health benefits for current and future hires.

The union wanted the arbitrator to ultimately decide the outcome of the dispute and for the decision to be binding for both sides.

"We believe strongly enough in the merits supporting our bargain proposals that we are willing to put their fate in the hands of an objective, neutral party," said Greg Conger, president of the UFCW Local 324.

During arbitration, the roughly 70,000 grocery clerks would work under the terms of their last contract, which expired on Oct. 5. And the chains would have had to fire the thousands of replacement workers hired since the dispute began on Oct. 11.

"The time has come, in the best interest of your employees, our members, the community and your companies to end this dispute honorably and fairly," the union said in its proposal to the union Wednesday morning. "We believe our proposal to you provides the basis for achieving such a result."

In the companies' reply, about three hours later, they noted that the director of the U.S. Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services has been involved in the dispute for weeks and another "outsider" not familiar with the issues of the case was not needed.

The strike has idled grocery clerks from San Diego to San Luis Obispo and left many struggling under the financial strain. The companies, who have lost tens of millions of dollars in sales, have been able to keep stores open with replacement workers.

Several religious leaders, including the Rev. Jesse Jackson, and community leaders, including Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn, called on the supermarkets to accept the union's proposal.

The union has scheduled a rally Thursday on Wall Street in New York City involving grocery workers and their supporters, said Greg Denier, spokesman for the UFCW in Washington.

"The single message is no peace, no profits," he said.

[CounterCounterCulture]

Bust the union goons.

Go pound sand, Jesse Hi-Jackson.

[luvbach1]

The union is teetering at the brink. Soon, unless it yields, it will fall because its members will have returned to their jobs, or will have acquired new jobs. The grocers refuse binding arbitration because, by definition, that would require compromise. From the beginning they have maintained that they can not afford, from a competitive standpoint (read Walmart), more than their initial offer; in fact, even that was offered very reluctantly. Many are unaware that the employees walked out, and were locked out, when they balked at contributing to the cost of their health care, which heretofore, unlike virtually all other working people, was free.

[Semper911]

HA! The union blinked first, and now it's on the ropes!

The key to their big offer of binding arbitration is the little clause that says the grocery stores have to fire the replacement workers. That is what motivated the union's "offer".

The replacement workers are keeping the stores humming along, and that is the union's biggest threat and worst fear.

Send these union thugs packing!

[Pompah]

Unions have come full circle. Unions do not serve their members,( The Rank and File ) They will take your dues and
spend the money as it pleases them. Rank & File has no say.

I spent 22 years in a union because I had to in order to keep my job and raise my Family.

If this grocers union get busted before this crap is over
I will shed no tears. The poor Joe's and Jane's out there
freezing on those picket lines should walk out on their unions and go back to work while they still can

[stylin_geek]

And, most grocery workers don't even have to work full time to get paid benefits. I had a daughter employed at a grocery store, she worked less than 20 hours a week, was paid close to $8.00 per hour, had better health benefits than I had, and I was a full time Union welder at the time.

[Frohickey]

"The single message is no peace, no profits," he said.

Huh? Are they planning on rioting?

[ladyesk]

I heard that the unions are (or were for a time) publicizing the names and social security numbers of members who quit the union and went back to work. That can cause all kinds of problems for someone.
These unions are a disgrace.

[GeronL]

Then, union leaders warned their walkout would continue if the companies did not agree to the their proposal.

from my vantage in Texas, and on FR, this 'strike' sounds like a really big joke. Go ahead and continue your 'walk-out' and just keep on walking.

[GeronL]

The free market shows that these 'strikers' have nothing to support their side with. They were easily replaced, game over in a free market. Now if they were nuclear engineers they are not so easily replaced and they would have more pull... of course they would get paid more too.

[socal_parrot]

I heard a Union head the other day say that other Union members all across the country were going to boycott stores owned by the effected companies to drive them to the bargaining table. Haven't head a thing about the massive support they're getting.

The only way the strike has effected me is the absence of a few items that are quite frankly non-essential. This union is on the way to the dust heap of history.

[ladyesk]

This union is on the way to the dust heap of history....

Let's hope so.

[Justa]

The strikes =are= a big joke. I was down in LA County the past two weeks and shopped exclusively at the Strik-Marts. They were clean, well-maintained and had excellent prices. There was always a gaggle of union loons outside but they were usually a sorry bunch. From what I saw the strike is failing bigtime in part because local competitors are gouging their union-supporting patrons. Food-4-Less was packed with low-income folks but was charging outrageous prices, like $5 for a gallon of milk when Alberson's (strike mart) was charging $3.89. Heck, I even bought a bottle of Kendal Jackson chardonnay for $10 and brought it back on the plane.

[Bernard Marx]

from my vantage in Texas, and on FR, this 'strike' sounds like a really big joke.

I've been saying that since the day they went out. I just got back from my local Vons and the natives are restless. The pickets are leering at customers threateningly and showing signs of increasing desperation. The young thing who checked me out, a "scab" replacement worker, was the fastest checker I've ever seen. Polite, too, unlike the union checkers who spend their time gossiping, ignoring customers, and mouthing the store-required "thank you's" and "did you find everything you need" with practiced bordeom and an obvious sarastic "screw you" attitude.

The shelves were well stocked and numerous items were on special. Meat items were a little sparse and there weren't any deals like usual (I can often pick up nice boneless New York strip steaks in packages of 4 or 5 for less than $3 each -- great for stocking the freezer!) I noticed a union checker who'd come back to work. Maybe it's just the people I associate with but there's growing resentment toward the union by customers. I think this thing is getting down to crunch time.

[GeronL]

I've actually worked at grocery stores, non-union ones of course. I did apply at a union store and while in the break room the employee's told me about how easy it was and how little time they actually spent working... the butcher, I think they call him '8 fingers behind his back' went through making the joke "you my new helper?" showing his hand with 3 fingers...

I did not want to work there and end up being the guy who does other peoples' jobs for them.

While working at a Food Lion (later pulled out of N Texas- to many competitors) I was in the back working and was called to the front... I actually decided to run and when I went around the corner I pulled a muscle in my foot.

Ouch. I still worked of course, I guess at a Union store I'd demand my paid trip to a doctor or something with pay,.. *shrug*... the muscle was alright in a couple days.

[KevinDavis]

I expect more strikes to happen this summer.

[Bernard Marx]

I expect more strikes to happen this summer.

It always happens when a Republican incumbent runs against a liberal Dim. Have to rally that labor vote and show the dimwitted public those "rich Republicans" are screwing the working class! Despite the phoniness of the California strike, I'm amazed how many grocery customers sympathize with the union against "greedy big business" and won't cross the picket lines.

[Blue Collar Christian]

"Now if they were nuclear engineers(or flight controllers)they are not so easily replaced..."

But they can still be replaced. Unions are evil, socialist, mob run, democrat promoting(socialist again), cankers on America's butt.

[GeronL]

Yes, but the more skilled the worker and the more rare his skills, assuming its needed... the more your paid. The market should set pay rates. Many of these strikers are not worth the minimum wage.

[Bernard Marx]

I worked at grocery stores back in the days when unions were very badly needed. I worked split shifts at one of Albertson's first stores, in at 7 a.m. to stock produce, left at 11 a.m. then back at 3 p.m. to work the heavy shopping time until 9 p.m. -- unless the floor needed mopping. Then I was there until 10 or ll p.m. -- no pay for time after 9 p.m. but you did the work if you wanted to keep your job. Those were truly the bad old days.

I was a scrawny 16-year-old who had to wrangle 100-pound sacks of sugar from the top of a stack at least 10 feet high and pack them to customers' cars -- sometimes a couple of blocks from the store. No shopping carts either. There was no air conditioning and very little heat in winter (at least in the rear areas where us peons worked). We never heard of such things as "coffee breaks," and barely had a chance to go to the bathroom. I permanently ruined my back and feet for no thanks and (almost) no pay. When I hear these local union Candy A$$es complain I want to spit in their faces. Paid medical insurance? That would have been a novel concept to us.