Grocery Workers Approve Strike

Ralphs, Vons and Albertsons workers across Southern California rejected the chains' latest contract proposals with more than 90 percent of the vote, setting the stage for a possible strike, union officials announced Saturday.

While union leaders say the stores are trying to take away workers' health-care benefits, the stores deny this claim.

In 2003-04, there was a 141-day strike.

"We don't want another strike, but we need to protect our health benefits for ourselves and our families," said Mario Frias, a Ralphs employee.

A federal mediator has asked for the vote totals and expects more negotiating sessions in the future, said Mickey Kasparian, president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 135.

Negotiators have agreed to get back to the table on Monday without striking yet.

"If we don't get a deal, we'll take this fight to the streets," the union leader said.

The grocery chains' officials have said that their proposal would limit employees' costs and raise company contributions to a health-care fund. The proposal also would maintain the current prescription drug co-payments, the annual deductible and out-of-pocket maximums in the PPO plan.

The companies also have proposed to continue offering an HMO option, with no change to medication co-payments.

Kasparian said the proposal is inadequate.

"Like most supermarket workers, I work part time and make around $24,000 a year," said Victoria Frantz, an Albertsons employee. "I can't afford to pay thousands more so I can bring my kids to a doctor."

The grocery workers' union has more than 60,000 members in Southern California. Union members turned down a previous contract offer in April, and at the same time gave union leaders the authority to call a strike if they had deemed one necessary. Grocery workers did not strike at that time.

City News Service contributed to this report.