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Thousands Of Grocery Store Workers Vote Whether To Strike

Grocery store workers from the three giant supermarket chains — Ralph’s, Albertson’s and Vons — came to Rancho Las Palmas Resort in droves to vote on whether to strike.

“Emotionally, it’s hard,” said Ralph’s employee Jacqueline Marks. “But, you know, you got to keep at it.”

The workers’ gripe: They’re not earning enough money as their insurance premiums go up. They said nearly half of their take home pay would be spent on the premiums.

“I don’t mind contributing myself, but I’m not granted anymore hours,” said Janos Olarnik, of Albertson’s. “There’s no pay raise to speak of.”

A majority of store workers are part-timers who do not work beyond 24 hours a week. For Olarnik, 24 hours a week aren’t enough to support his eight kids.

“If you have to make a decision on whether to pay a bill or have to worry whether or not you can afford to take your children to the doctor, nobody wants to do that,” he said.

If workers decide to strike, it could be a costly decision. During the last strike in 2003, workers became dependent on their savings for nearly five months.

The supermarket chains lost $1.5 billion.

But, workers are prepared for the worst again. “If you don’t stand for what you believe in and what you want, you won’t have anything,” said Marks.

The store chains insisted their latest proposal is fair. They released the following statement:

“The employers’ goal throughout these negotiations is to provide their employees with a solid compensation package, including affordable health care, and to also produce an agreement that will enable the companies to compete in Southern California in a difficul economy with aggressive, low-cost competition.”

The vote continues on Saturday when workers in Blythe cast their ballots. According to a union reprentative, the final results will be available on Monday.

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