Valley supermarket workers rally, strike threat intensifies

Valley supermarket workers are amping up their threats of a strike after months of stalled negotiations with three of the major grocery store chains.

Workers gathered outside the Ralphs store at Sunrise and Ramon in Palm Springs Thursday afternoon, their latest move in the intensifying fight for better pay, pensions and benefits.

In June, grocery store workers from Ralphs, Vons and Albertsons rejected a contract proposal from their corporations and voted in favor of authorizing a strike. Their contract expired in March.

“This is for survival; this is our life,” said Susan Paul, a Ralphs employee.

Joe Duffle, president of the union, United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), said members have received about a 1-percent wage increase over the last 15 years. “That’s not acceptable,” he said. “A strike is always possible if they don’t get serious.”

It’s been 16 years since the largest and longest grocery workers strike, which lasted four months and cost the industry $1.5 billion.

“I was out there for 144 days,” said Janet Moore, a Ralphs employee. “It’s going to be a hardship on the company, it’s going to be a hardship on the employees, it’s going to be a hardship on the customer.”

Workers said striking is a last resort, but that is what they’re headed toward.

“I don’t want to strike but if I have to, I will because we have to stand up from what we believe,” Paul said.

A corporate representative for Ralphs said rallies like this one are a “typical union tacitc during negotiations.” He said they are still trying to reach an agreement.

The next round of negotiations is set for next week.

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