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Grocery Workers Leave
Negotiations After Employers Proposal
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Mike Shimpock
8 May
2007
Representatives for the Southern California Grocery Workers broke off
negotiations today after Ralphs, Vons and Albertsons negotiators made
unacceptable demands that would lead to further erosion of health
benefits and wages for employees.
The markets are asking employees to pay more for benefits while the
corporations pay less, said Mike Shimpock, spokesperson for the
Southern California Grocery Workers Union. The employers are
demanding their employees sacrifice even further only to increase the
markets already record profits. If they want to further punish our
members, we have nothing left to talk about.
It is unacceptable that these three companies, that are giving raises
and bonuses in the millions to their CEOs and upper management, would
seek to take away even more from their employees, which haven't had a
raise since 2002, he continued.
Ralphs, Vons, and Albertsons are experiencing record stock prices and
annual profits into the billions, and yet are proposing contract
language that would so dramatically reduce their contribution to their
employees benefits it could bankrupt the entire employee health care
system.
After the 2003 lockout and strike, the employers imposed a contract on
grocery workers that created a two-tier wage and benefit system, one
that required new workers to wait up to a year and a half for benefits
and to work for near minimum wage.
Since that contract was imposed, nearly 40,000 grocery workers have
been forced to work without health care benefits, and nearly 20,000
children of grocery workers have also been denied benefits, according
to a recent UC Berkeley study.
We will not stand by as the employers try to deny health care and fair
wages to even more of their employees just to boost their already
outrageous CEO salaries and profits. It is unfair, unacceptable and
an insult to their employees, customers and the communities in which
the stores operate. Shimpock said
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