{"article":{"id":98676,"heading":"SF Solidarity With So Cal Grocery Workers","author":"Z","created":"2003-12-26 02:51:31","modified":"2005-08-15 01:50:27","last_modified":"Mon, 15 Aug 2005 08:50:27","article":"<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body><p>Southern California grocery store workers have been on strike for affordable health insurance at Safeway\/Pak-n-Save since October 11th, 2003 and locked out at Altertson's and Ralph's. 70,000 people are without paychecks this holiday season. <br>  <br> Strikers from Southern California are extending their strike picket lines to Safeway stores in Northern California. The strikers are not, at this time, asking Northern California workers to honor the picket line but they are asking customers to honor their picket lines and not shop at Safeway.  <br><br> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.indybay.org\/archives\/archive_by_id.php?category_id=12&amp;id=1595\">http:\/\/www.indybay.org\/archives\/archive_by_id.php?category_id=12&amp;id=1595<\/a><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","contact":"","link":"","address":"","phone":"","parent_id":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","summary":"On Saturday, several hundred people braved the San Francisco rain to protest in front of the Safeway in support of the striking UFCW workers.","numcomment":4,"fileurl":"\/uploads\/2003\/12\/6_crowd5.jpg","filesize":"44.0 kibibytes","article_url":"\/news\/2003\/12\/98676.php","image":{"original":"\/uploads\/2003\/12\/6_crowd5.jpg","small":"\/uploads\/2003\/12\/6_crowd5.jpgthumb.jpg"}},"attachments":[{"id":98677,"heading":"San Francisco Solidarity With So Cal Workers","article":"","author":"Z","parent_id":98676,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","created":"2003-12-26 02:51:31","modified":"2005-08-15 01:50:27","fileurl":"\/usr\/local\/www-domains\/la.indymedia.org\/public\/uploads\/2003\/12\/7_signs1.jpg","image":{"original":"\/usr\/local\/www-domains\/la.indymedia.org\/public\/uploads\/2003\/12\/7_signs1.jpg"}},{"id":98678,"heading":"San Francisco Solidarity With So Cal Workers","article":"","author":"Z","parent_id":98676,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","created":"2003-12-26 02:51:31","modified":"2005-08-15 01:50:27","fileurl":"\/usr\/local\/www-domains\/la.indymedia.org\/public\/uploads\/2003\/12\/4_health_care_or_greed_copy.jpg","image":{"original":"\/usr\/local\/www-domains\/la.indymedia.org\/public\/uploads\/2003\/12\/4_health_care_or_greed_copy.jpg"}},{"id":98679,"heading":"San Francisco Solidarity With So Cal Workers","article":"","author":"Z","parent_id":98676,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","created":"2003-12-26 02:51:31","modified":"2005-08-15 01:50:27","fileurl":"\/usr\/local\/www-domains\/la.indymedia.org\/public\/uploads\/2003\/12\/1_marching1.jpg","image":{"original":"\/usr\/local\/www-domains\/la.indymedia.org\/public\/uploads\/2003\/12\/1_marching1.jpg"}}],"comments":[{"id":98680,"heading":"update from UFCW","article":"HOLD THE LINE FOR AMERICA\u2019S HEALTH CARE: Corporate Greed vs. Human \r\nNeed\u2014The Southern California Supermarket Strike\/Lockout \r\n\r\nQUICK FACTS FROM THE UFCW \r\nFOR WORKERS AND CONSUMERS IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA \r\n\r\n1. Workers at Vons (Safeway), Ralph\u2019s (Kroger), Albertson\u2019s turned out in \r\nunprecedented numbers (over 80%) and voted overwhelming ( over 95%) to fight \r\nemployers\u2019 demands to effectively eliminate health benefits. On October 11, 2003, workers \r\nstruck Vons across Southern California. Albertson\u2019s and Ralph\u2019s locked out their workers. \r\n\r\n2. The employers\u2019 proposal will take away any meaningful health care benefits for all new hires, fail to adequately fund existing benefits for current workers, and create a funding crisis that will lead to the elimination of existing benefits. Employers\u2019 statements about $5 to $15 a week co-pays are just a ruse. Ask the bosses and demand a straight answer: \r\n\u201cIf workers paid a $5 to $15 would they be able to keep their existing benefits with no cuts?\u201d \r\nAsk the bosses and demand a straight answer: \u201cWould new hires get any real benefits for their families by the end of the contract under the company proposal?\u201d \r\n\r\n3. Strikers from Southern California are extending their strike picket lines to Safeway stores in Northern California\u2014 these strikers may legally take their strike picket lines to any Safeway operation. The strikers are not, at this time, asking workers to honor the picket line. The strikers are asking customers to honor their picket lines and not shop at Safeway. \r\n\r\n4. Workers in the Northern California stores are part of the same International Union\u2014 the UFCW\u2014 as the strikers. The Northern California workers will face the same employer demands next year in their contract negotiations. The strikers are fighting for all Safeway workers, and ultimately all workers who face corporate demands to cut and gut benefits. \r\n\r\n5. Workers make an average of $12.50 an hour with a 30 hour week\u2014 about $19,000 a year. \r\n\r\n6. The supermarket giants are not responding to competitive pressure from Wal-Mart. The three chains have 60% of the market in Southern California. Even with its planned expansion, Wal-Mart will have 1% of the market. \r\n\r\n7.Safeway is the strike target because the company and its CEO Steve Burd have led the attack on workers and their health benefits. Burd told the financial community that forcing Southern California workers on strike was an \u201cinvestment in the future.\u201d \r\n\r\n8. Safeway, Ralph\u2019s and Albertson\u2019s are Fortune 50 corporations. Their profits have gone up 91% since 1998. If these corporate giants can eliminate health care, every worker is at risk. \r\n\r\nhttp:\/\/www.ufcw.org\/workplace_connections\/retail\/strike_updates\/southern_california\/","author":"update from UFCW","parent_id":98676,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-12-26 03:10:53","modified":"2013-11-11 00:28:11","fileurl":""},{"id":98772,"heading":"Keep marching","article":"Keep marching past the store and go directly to the free Gubment free cheese line. (Be sure to ask...paper or plastic?&quot;","author":"Scabbie","parent_id":98676,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-12-27 20:49:03","modified":"2003-12-27 20:49:03","fileurl":""},{"id":98803,"heading":"you shouldn't be typing","article":"Scabbie, if this strike were done the way strikes *used* to be done, you wouldn't be typing that.","author":"more rational","parent_id":98676,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-12-28 06:45:56","modified":"2003-12-28 06:45:56","fileurl":""}]}