Don’t cross the picket lines

I should have posted about this last week. For those of who who hadn’t noticed, there’s picketing going on in front of most big grocery stores here in Southern California. Since Saturday, all unionized grocery store workers have been on strike :

A four-year-old contract between the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, the AFL-CIO affiliate that represents about 1.4 million workers, and the region’s three dominant supermarket chains expired on Oct. 5.

The labor dispute, which hinges on health-care costs, comes as unionized grocery workers across the United States have contracts up for a difficult renegotiation as their employers look to cut costs to offset weaker sales growth.

Union workers in Southern California on Friday voted 97 percent in favor of rejecting a contract offer from the grocery chains and authorizing a strike.

The union charges that the chains, using the competitive threat of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. as a stalking horse, are trying to shift hundreds of millions of dollars in health-care costs to workers.
. . .
Grocery store baggers covered by the UFCW start at $6 per hour while the most experienced workers who oversee departments make about $17.90, Andreder said. The average wage is between $12 and $14 per hour, she said.

Wal-Mart, besides being the world’s largest company, has expanded to become the biggest player in the fiercely competitive $680 billion U.S. grocery industry it joined only a decade ago. Wal-Mart is a nonunion shop.

Now if we had labor laws that allowed Wal-Mart’s employees to unionize without the threat of being fired, this would all be a moot point. Instead, we have a situation where the grocery stores are taking the position of “They treat their employees like shit, why can’t we?”

Of course this is the same line of reasoning that makes it acceptable in the business community to outsource labor to countries whose human rights standards are much lower than our own. “American businesses can’t stay ‘competitive’ if they’re forced to live up to tougher standards.” Yeah, but as a society, we’ve determined that there are a number of things that take moral precedence over securing profits. Think of it this way : If CEO’s had been running the country for the past 150 years, slavery would still be legal, your children would be working in factories, there wouldn’t be any regulations ensuring the purity of our food, and we’d all be a lot poorer.

You may think I’m exaggerating here, but I’m serious. Sure, this particular strike is only about a few bucks a week, but it’s all part of a much larger effort to destroy the last 100 years worth of gains by the labor movement. Conservatives and the media like to portray union workers as greedy opportunists who are blackmailing management (as if asking for $5 a week is somehow more greedy than a CEO’s $100 million “golden parachute”).

If you aren’t forced to work more than 40 hours a week, then you owe it to the labor movement. If you get heath care through your employer, then you owe it to the labor movement. If you get a lunch break, make more than minimum wage, or get time off for weddings, funerals etc., then you owe it to the labor movement. Every progressive change that has benefited worker’s rights in the past century was a direct result of an active labor movement who, at times, has been forced to strike in order to force business leaders to make the kinds of changes that our laws don’t require.

Even if you don’t agree with the current grocery store strike, I think we all owe it to the labor movement to no cross the picket lines. So if you live in Southern California, don’t go to Vons, Ralphs, or Albertsons until the strike is over. Until then, I suggest going to Trader Joe’s instead.

[Update : In comments (as well as his site), Kevin Thurman points out that there are quite a few other stores that aren't trying to bust the unions. For a complete list of alternate grocery stores to support during this strike, click here. You should also check out Kevin's site for a little background into why this strike is happening now. ]


posted by greg on October 13, 2003 @ 11:56 am

7 comments

  1. There is also Stater Brothers in the Inland Empire (Union Shop that signed a deal earlier) and Food4Less.

    Comment by Kevin Thurman — October 13, 2003 @ 1:37 pm

  2. It’s probably unnecesary to say it again, but don’t shop at Walmart, either.

    Comment by JoeW — October 13, 2003 @ 2:03 pm

  3. Um….Food4Less is operated by Kroger Co. (the same company that operates Ralphs). They operate the following:

    Kroger, Ralphs, Dillons, Smith’s, King Soopers, Fry’s, QFC, City Market, Hilander, Owen’s, Jay C, Cala Foods/Bell Markets, Kessel Food Markets, Pay Less, Baker’s, Gerbes,
    Food 4 Less, Foods Co.

    Comment by melaniec — October 13, 2003 @ 2:49 pm

  4. i know this is an old post, so i really hope some people see this.

    i went to both ralph’s last night in costa mesa to pickett with the lock-outs and pass out kucinich’s, “soul of the worker,” speech (http://www.kucinich.us/speeches/speech9.htm).

    so there i am on the pickett line with two seniors from newport high!!! that’s right, as in newport beach.

    wow.

    i started talking to them about the importance of what they were doing and they got it. they both said they hadn’t learned about struggles like this in school but now they want to know more. i was glad to suggest zinn.

    anyway, an suv pulls up and winds down it’s windows and says to the kids, “what do you want me to do, not eat?” and the kid and the guy got into pretty good and after it was all over i offered the kid sound advice for dealing with assholes.

    the best advice i gave all of them though was this: you will win this, you and all your fellow ralph’s employees. this will be a victory for you. mark my words. and it will feel really good. don’t forget that. when you go to stanford or wherever and become whatever it is you will become do not forget these people. and no matter what, don’t ever become that asshole hassling strikers from his suv.

    it was a really beautiful night.

    don’t just honor the stikers by boycotting. get out of your car and join them for an hour. you’ll be happy you did.

    Comment by josh — October 14, 2003 @ 4:34 pm

  5. I am so disgusted at this whole thing with the lockout.. It has gone on way to long.. We are entitled to work in pur store and have the benifits we had before.. I have a blind child with a heart condition which is the only reson i work at Ralph’s. If you think it is because it is fun it isn’t.. I “We” put up with so much crap from opur boss on a daily basis.. I work my ass off only to hear “Do More”
    To Makle matters worse I have had no income since Oct 9th. How will I Live? Do you think My Jerk Off boss is living. Sure he is with his expensive cars and house. He trys to make us work 4 different people’s job in 1 Day. I hate my Job and I am sorry this is going on.. The union Does npt care for us or we would be working and not those fucken SCABS! CORperate GREED! How dare they make us go throught this.. I have been so worried about taking care of my daughter that I have made myself ILL. PLeaseeeee do not cross the picket Line!

    Comment by Sad and Depressed Ralph's Employee — November 16, 2003 @ 6:38 am

  6. This Lockout has been the worst I have ever seen in the grocery business.. I have noticed that the Union is as much to blame.. They have lied to me not once not twice but three times in this whole thing. I am not sure what is happening and why they pulled the picketers from Ralph’s. Explain why you would go on T.V and say “Support the Strike shop at Ralph’s. Makes no sense to me why let people shop there when we don’t have a job.. Alot of people are suffering Including Me and My Daughter… It has been a living nightmare since this started… I am getting turned away from all resources and My rent has not been paid along with other bills.I want my Job Back and Support what we are fighting for.. I am willing to pay more but Please Mr. Corporate head Do not take away from our Insurance.. My Daughter is Blind and One of the reason’s I started working for your Company was because of the benefits.. We only want what we are worth and yes we do work hard.. We are under alot of pressure at Work… Please Support Our strike.
    Comany greed Versus Human need

    Comment by Love my Ralph"s — November 23, 2003 @ 3:59 am

  7. I’m sorry about the current situation but I’m also confused. Confused because I’ve had jobs in the past that I hated. Bosses that were mean, work conditions that were less than desirable so guess what I did…..I quit! I remember working at a place where the owners weren’t listening to what we the workers were asking for, I mean WE made the company, if it wasn’t for our hard work the company would really suffer, IF it stayed alive. So oneday most of the workers met outside of work hours and agreed to go in to work the next day and quit. Leave the owners hanging! The next day they did, the company while still open is definitely struggling. What these guys didn’t do was hang out in front of their employers offices and keep clients from coming in. That would’ve been not only extremely immature but also a waste of time. Who would want to keep an employee whose behavior was so unacceptable? Not happy with your current work conditions? Quit! Nobody said that was the only job that you could work at. YOU were the one who chose to work their. YOU were the one who didn’t learn a skill higher in demand. Go back to college, earn a degree, learn a skill, get a job earning more money and having more stability. YOU ARE A CHECKOUT CLERK! YOU BAG GROCERIES! YOU SCOOP MY POTATO SALAD AND PUT IT IN THAT PLASTIC CONTAINER! YOU’RE NOT SPLITTING THE ATOM! YOU’RE NOT FORCASTING A COMPANIES PROFITS! Why do you expect so much for doing so little?

    Comment by Confused — January 11, 2004 @ 11:34 pm

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