By Onell R. Soto
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

October 22, 2003


K.C. ALFRED / Union-Tribune
Picketers are reflected in the window at the Ralphs on Montezuma Road where a customer had the aisle to herself.
CHULA VISTA – Two locked-out supermarket union members are facing charges in the beating of a replacement worker with a baseball bat last week.

Simon Jose Thompson, 33, and Charles Matthew Olvera, 27, both of Chula Vista, remained in jail yesterday on suspicion of assault and conspiracy, California Highway Patrol spokesman Mark Gregg said.


A prosecutor said a formal decision on charges is expected today.

The 27-year-old replacement worker had just left the Ralphs supermarket on East Palomar Street in Chula Vista early Friday morning when his car was followed by the two pickets "apparently attempting to run it off the road," Gregg said.

The two used their car to block his vehicle at the Main Street on-ramp to northbound Interstate 805, and everyone got out of their cars, he said.

One of the men then struck the replacement worker in the face and chest with a baseball bat. The other man punched the replacement worker, Gregg said. The two men also knocked out the back windows of the replacement worker's car.

Gregg did not identify the injured worker. The man told officers he didn't need medical help, but later went to a hospital on his own and was told that surgeons will have to rebuild his face for it to heal correctly, Gregg said.

The two union members were arrested Friday afternoon after an investigation by CHP investigators, he said.

Calls to Ralphs and union officials were not returned.

The incident is the first in which labor violence has led to felony charges locally since union members struck Vons and were locked out by management at Ralphs and Albertson's supermarkets Oct. 11, said a spokesman for the District Attorney's Office.

Elsewhere, reported arrests include a 17-year-old Riverside girl accused of shooting a pellet gun at pickets, and a locked-out worker in Fullerton accused of hitting a truck with his picket sign, threatening the driver, and then closing a truck door on the driver's hand.

This violence is a bad mistake on the part of the two union members, but let us not forget the structural violence that Kroeger seeks to impose on the workers. Destroying the union, forcing their workers to live on poverty wages and denying them adequate health care is a structural violence that must overshadow the unfortunate acts of a few angry workers trying to protect thie jobs from scabs.

An injury to one is an injury to all. Support the strike. Support the union. Adequate health care for all.

Thanks for your insight Parmenides. I agree.

I also would like to add that it is only non-violence can win over the violence of the current system. Yes, it is a class war, but its not the strikers that fired the first shot.

here's a link to a story very much related to the violence of the current system.

http://www.forbes.com/home_europe/newswire/2003/10/23/rtr1121008.html

Apologizing for terrorism.

"This violence is a bad mistake on the part of the two union members, but let us not forget the structural violence that Kroeger seeks to impose on the workers. Destroying the union, forcing their workers to live on poverty wages and denying them adequate health care is a structural violence that must overshadow the unfortunate acts of a few angry workers trying to protect thie jobs from scabs.

An injury to one is an injury to all. Support the strike. Support the union. Adequate health care for all.
"

First of all, no one is getting paid anywhere near "slave wages". These people make a fine living given what they have to do and the amazing health insurance they get.

Yeah, that's right. The health plan thes estrikers get is VERY comprehensive. They are striking NOT for adequate health care but for the entitlement of getting it for virtually free. As the price of coverage like this goes up, they expect to let management continually foot the increases.

And finally, as inane as the "structural violence" tripe is, the bottom line is that it was another WORKER who was attcked. NOT a member of management.

Fuck these strikers. The Grocers should grow some balls and fire them outright. Anyone with a pulse could quickly replace them. We're talking unskilled labor of the lowest wrung. These are people who couldn't handle working at a toll booth.

Please..in this sagging econonmy, do you really believe that a grocery store worker makes enough to sustain his or herself and pay for a pallid health insurance coverage that is less that the weak standard of say Kaiser or Blue Cross.

Give me a break. You sound like an agent of the grocery store corporations themselves. This has nothing to do with "slave wages" shit for brains, its about these greedy companies, that waste food for the sake of profits, providing adequate benefits for the people who facilitate your lazy ass in the market to begin with.

Get a human conscious, but I forget that loser spooks like you who have nothing better to do than do surveillance
on the IMC are lacking in humanity to begin with.

They should have done better in school, then they wouldn't have to make a career out of work that is better suited for young people just getting their first job.

Please do some research before you post and make a jackass out of yourself. They main reason that people have sought out these jobs at these big grocery chains has always been BECAUSE of the health benefits. It's not because they were getting wages so far above average. The wages were fine but the health plan of these workers has always been considered one of the most premium in the workplace.

Now they are upset becaus ethey are going to have to chip in more themselves for this same great coverage. Hundreds and Hundreds less a month then they'd pay on their own but still too much they say.

Bullshit. Why are they entitled to the Cadillac of health insurance for next to nothing?aht is so unique and special about what they do? Nothing.

So fresca, you want sick low paid workers grinding up your hamburger do you? Or hovering over the apples you are buying? As hard to believe as you may find it, there is a whole world of biology going on beneath your plastic shrink-wrapped perishables. Ptomaine makes the neo-nazi thinking processes more aggressive in the defense of twisted logic, I suppose.

Or is it just that you think only the most criminal of the capitalist class deserve free health care (as they currently recieve)?

teacher cannot even grade correctly...ho hum...so much for scab intelligence. Time to revoke your credential.

F--

Forgot a minus.

These workers have health care, they just don't want to pay a little extra.

Besides, what grocery store would stay in business with sick workers contaminating food? Sound like under your scenerio, the grocery stores are taking quite a chance at losing business. Why would they willingly do that?

You people have no concept of running a business.

What's up with you? Why do you continue to make an ass of yourself claiming that they have no health care? I know your a baseball fan so you're not stupid so are you just intentionally lying?

These grocery workers have an AMAZING health plan. Check it out. It's a VERY comprehensive plan.

The issue is how much are they willing to chip in for it. Up til now it's been next to nothing. They're striking because they might have to move a couple of steps away from nothing, but still way cheap for the type of plan it is.

So give the crazy talk a rest.

Freca, you last viperine coment?

Fresca take your blinders off! This is all part of a trend to disembowel unions, destroy living wage agreements, dismantle health care, and create a permanent underclass in America.

And it is happening all around the nation (a la right wing nuts giving in to craven corporate overlords) and the world (a la World Bank /IMF/permanent world war). The rich do not care about you, your health or your safety. The republicrats are more than willing to allow them to consolidate theit control. Once more, it comes down to people resisting these outrages, as the strikers are doing right now.

I am just glad I live in union town...Los Angeles!

Human Need Over Corporate Greed.

"Fresca take your blinders off! This is all part of a trend to disembowel unions, destroy living wage agreements, dismantle health care, and create a permanent underclass in America."

Ok they're off. Here's what I see.

First of all, I'm not and never have flatly defended the workings, philosophies and machinations of huge corporations. There's plenty of abuses and outright "outrages" as you say there and I'm sure we'd be in agreement about alot of them. So I agree that there is a fight there.

But this strike is NOT about fighting that fight. This particular strike is not the "people" standing up against corporate greed. And the Transit mechanic strike most assuredly is not, while we're on the subject.

The grocery workers are simply not accepting the fact that health care has gone up tremendously (that's the REAL issue) since their last contract and they are going to have to chip in.

All this talk of profits rising 91% is irrelevant and meaningless. These corporations MUST increase profits. That's why they exist. The profits don't just go to some "monopoly game tycoon", they go primarily to stockholders, many of which are employees of the company. There 's this idea around here that all the money goes to a few fatcats in some penthouse in Manhattan and they light their cigars with thousand dollar bills.

The whole notion that the groceries are somehow beholden to become non-profits and exist solely to serve their employees (and raise their prices exponentially) is just plain silly and bad math.

The unions have never been known for their far-sightedness. That's not thoir job. They exist to get the most they can for thier members TODAY. Fine. The groceries however have to look at the longterm, and the longterm is this. Mega-stores like Walmart are definetly coming to SoCal. Walmart and warehouse stores, all of which are truly "cheap labor" and non-union make up 40% of the grocery market and are increasin that percentage at a very rapid pace. When the first Walmart opens in So CAl in 2004 and the floodgates open, these big three grocers are going to be hit very hard.

Now believe me when I say that the fact that some of upper management might not get their Christmas bonuses is not my concern. But if this strike forces the grocers to incur even more overhead in the form of increasing healthcare they will never compete.

So what will happen? They'll close some locations, lay off alot of full time workers, restructure to use minimum wage kids wherever possible, among other tactics. Then where will the "people" be.

This is all going to happen. These union members are going to organize themselves right out of a job.

It's happening in my field. In the entertainment industry the unions have inflated the cost and terms of labor to such a ridiculous level that more and more productions, as I'm sure you're aware, are going elsewhere. My union, or the one that keeps trying to get me to join which I won't, is a flat out scam.

Anyway, that's a different story. Don't get me started on those bastards.

So here's my point. Yes corporate greed exists. Alot of it. But shortsighted unions are also part of the problem. Unions themselves are not the protectors of the working man as they once were. They are profit making machines just like the corporations. If the strikers want a job with healthcare in the future they better understand that.

Finally, a sensible article out of you. Sort of.

The unions, today, are the best tool for getting better wages. Corporations obviously are not. Stockholders aren't either. For now, it's the unions, who have a mere 10% of the workforce organized.

The problem is not that health care is getting more expensive, or that Wal-Mart are greedy assholes. The problem is that unions aren't aggressively organizing Wal-Mart, and enlisting the energy of sympathizers to take direct action against Wal-Mart, Target, and other anit-union companies. But, the unions don't want to appear "militant" and so aren't aggressive at pushing politics to the membership. They reach for the low-hanging fruit, and push middle-class attitudes that scapegoat the poor. You end up with conservative unions like the Hollywood trade unions which are full of folks like Ronald Reagan.

If the cost of insurance is passed on to the employer, the employer, in theory, will apply pressure to the insurance company to control costs. (Of course, this won't happen if the insurance companies collude with the employers to pass on costs to the workers.)

As for the corporation hiring kids: the union has allowed the supermarket workforce to be over 70% part-time workers. At least they got good benefits! They should be pushing the government to say that "full time" is now 30 hours a week, so that more of these part-timers are considered full-time workers.

You're right that business understands long-term thinking. Hollywood unions send work away to Canada (where they subsidize the industry, as well as the individuals working in it), not only because its cheaper, but because it creates unemployment in Hollywood. If you can put the squeeze on a skilled worker for a year or two, they'll eventually cave in and work for less. It's not like people have so many skills that they're going to be good at everything. Besides, skilled labor pays more than semi-skilled, so, they will come back to work. (Corporations are starting to send high-tech work to India and Ireland for the same reason. They need to lower wages, and exporting work to poor countries, or countries that have more social welfare, is the most convenient way.)

The job of the union is to make sure the profit margin of companies is low. Profits = revenues - expenses. Expenses include wages. Labor does the work, and deserves the money they earn for the company. They should not need to be stockholders to gain from company profits indirectly (after the CEO takes his millions), as they should be treated like owners from the get-go. As for investors: if this were a speculative venture, they'd have a right to expect fabulous profits or terrible losses. This is a *supermarket*. There are thousands of them, all pretty similar, so it's a predicatble business. Investors really should only expect to keep pace with inflation, or lose or make a little.

There have been Wal Marts out here for several years, by the way. I've been to a few. They plan to build one nearby here too. They are just going to make a big push into LA.

Also, the supermarkets are already using a lot of cheap labor. The idea that they're making 17.90 and working a full 40 is a load of bullshit. That's the ceiling wage. Most of the staff are part time, and I think most are making closer to $7 an hour.

What the supermarkets want is to replicate Wal-Mart, where the store tells you how to use county health services in lieu of insurance.

well strikers and people who are willing to work and live life one day at a time, this is a very touching subject that has gotten way out of control. the strikers are upset that benifits will change and are willing to lose thier job in the process. This is one of those times were people need to think, I understand the importance of support but can you in your honest opinion would you really want to support a person that yells and curses at another for wanting to make a honest days wage? and would you want to support a union that is o.k. with this? The problem with this is that it shows how a particular person really is, my question is where were all these union workers when taxes were raised and how come they were not standing in front of the unemployment to help people get jobs and support them in search of a weekley paycheck? It all points back to ones own personal needs, now ask yourself were is all this going to lead to and why? this is a twisted point of view on everybody and there is no right answer one has to ask this question and to be honest with ones own choice if a person is willing to judge another then he/she has to expect the same. Hey life is not fair nor is it easy but we all have to deal with it . Just remember the meek shall inherit the earth and the humble will always seek knowledge the forgiving will succeed and be blessed. A fool who is angry gains nothing and will always have an excuse for unhappiness,and will allways welcome the exceptance for failure.

I hear you all and yet I hear nothing. Do strikers not understand that the idea of the strike is to gain the public's support to help fight their cause. Even if I agreed with your cause (and I don't) threatening elderly people that are simply walking into the store is NOT acceptable! My sister who has developmental disabilities needed a couple of items from Vons. It was close, so we went. I had my small dog with me and we sat in the car while she went in. As she neared the store, the group of strikers surrounded her. They began yelling at her and she was just standing there with her hands up like she was being held up. She was so confused. I immediately yelled at them to get away from her. She was about to cry. They saw my small dog that is literally about 9 lbs. and one yelled out that she was going to come over and drop kick me and my stupid dog. I was shocked and angered. i said nothing more for fear I would sound as ignorant as they did at that point. I couldn't believe that they had just threatened myslef and my pet with physical harm. Since that time, I have seen them actually picket in the Smart & Final parking lot which is not owned by Safeway. They were doing so because the Vons truck was coming in that way which has always been the path it takes to the back. I will continue to get involved and fight against their strike. We as citizens are entitled to live safely in our community free from intimidation and fear. When they intimidate us and threaten us for shopping at a public store, they are infringing on our rights. They should abide by their own union rules which state that they are not to be in groups, but constantly moving and separate. They are not to engage in arguments with customers. They cannot block entrances. I have personally seen them back up traffic on a very busy street because they stopped a Ralph's truck out in the middle of the public street. this backed up traffic into a major intersection. These strikers are all in the Lakewood area. You want my support? Do you think if the teachers union went on strike that you would be able to harass and threaten students that crossed the picket line? It's the same thing strikers. You haven't helpedme out with situations involving my employement, but you expect me to help you. Think again all of you. You threaten us, intimidate 80 yr old individuals and act like thugs controlling where we shop. To all of you that have experienced or seen this behavior, know that you can contact a police office to assist you with a citizen's arrest if a striker threatens you with bodily harm. Oh they can say horrible things to you, but they cannot threaten you or your property with harm. That will get them a swift ride to the police station. More citizens should know this. The union rep said they can sue us for filing a false citizen's arrest. Well you idiot, do you think the police are going to come out and assist you with it if it's not legit? Many bad strikers have caused the majority of the general public to turn against you. You made your bed, now you know what you have to do.

Yesterday my husband and I went into the local Vons to use the Wells Fargo ATM machine. There are exactly two Wells Fargo banks/ATMs in our small town in Riverside County. One is inside an Albertsons, the other inside a Vons.
As we approached the entrance to the store, with our six- and two-year-old daughters, a female striker literally screamed at me "THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!" Any empathy I might have felt for her was gone at that point. I realize many strikers at this point are beginning to feel a little desperate. But that is no reason to scream at people. She really frightened my small kids.
Strikers, realize your issues are with the grocery store companies, not the customers. Show some class, some dignity - and for God's sake don't be loud and belligerant in front of children.