A lot of you don’t know how bad a prolonged grocery strike can get. For the year before we moved out there, Southern California saw a particularly nasty strike. It was marked with some violence and long-lasting resentment. The after effects continue to this day. So read this with a sense of reality.
Union workers at five grocery store chains voted overwhelmingly Tuesday night to authorize a strike at more than 160 supermarkets in Northeast Ohio.
The grocery workers’ action gives immediate power to order a walkout to Thomas Robertson, president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 880, but stops short of an actual strike.
More bargaining is scheduled.
Still, the vote after a 20-minute meeting at the International Exposition Center Tuesday gives Robertson the backing to move: 93.3 percent of just under 4,000 members who voted approved a strike authorization, Local 880 spokesman Mark Rock said. They were expected to be backed by the Teamsters, who would refuse to cross picket lines, a senior union official said.
It’s uncertain how an actual strike might unfold, but based on the last grocery strike — in November 1987 — all members of the bargaining group closed their stores even though only three chains were targeted.
This time, consumers would have more non-union alternatives, such as Wal-Mart Supercenters and Marc’s Deeper Discount Stores. In fact the added competition from such stores is squeezing profits at unionized stores.
In the San Diego area, Costco was the biggest beneficiary of the strike. They’re non-union, but management takes very good care of their employees. You will not see any store closures around these parts during a strike this time. The chains can’t afford to permanently lose customers to Walmart and Marc’s. I think Heinens will be the least affected, being that their customers tend to be more loyal. As for the chances of a strike being diverted, if these comments hold true it doesn’t look good.
Cliff Hoy, a 38-year member of Local 880 who is a grocery clerk at Heinen’s in Rocky River, said he understood the grocery chains were pushing to reduce vacation time, eliminate medical coverage for retirees, eliminate time-and-a-half pay rates on Sunday and require employees to work until age 57 instead of age 55 in order to collect a full pension. This could not be immediately confirmed.
“They’ve met 29 times now and nothing’s gone good for us,” said Hoy, 54, who intends to retire when he turns 55 in April. “They just don’t want to bend on anything.”
Increasing healthcare costs are driving the need for cuts. It is a situation that is spiraling out of control. Imagine if public transportation and other city employees chose to strike at the same time? It’s a nightmare scenario, but one that could quite possibly come to fruition if health care costs are not kept in check. Just keep this in mind when you vote next November. The current party in power has done nothing for over a decade to solve this problem. And don’t you dare blame Clinton, as we wanted to do something but was repeatedly blocked by Republicans. Universal healthcare will start to look more and more attractive to those who would rather die than walk into a Marc’s or a Walmart.
Just keep in in mind.