As deadline looms, grocers get ready for possible strike.

With a week remaining before their contract with unionized employees expires, Southern California's major grocery store chains are preparing to call in replacement workers in the event of a strike.

The three chains--Albertsons Inc., Ralphs and Vons--are running ads in the Sunday editions of daily newspapers from San Diego to San Luis Obispo, offering temporary employment for all store positions.

The chains also have posted in-store notices indicating they are accepting applications in case of a labor dispute.

Executives at Albertsons have directed local store managers to find available hotel rooms to temporarily house non-unionized store managers and assistant managers now working outside Southern California who might be asked to perform union work.

"While we remain committed to staying at the bargaining table until a fair and equitable settlement is reached, we are working to ensure that we are prepared in the case of a labor dispute" said Stacia Levenfeld, a spokeswoman for Albertsons. "It's an effort to provide as seamless customer service as possible."

Union officials say there has been virtually no progress in talks on a new contract that began in mid August--later than in past bargaining cycles. As of late last week, the two sides hadn't even agreed on the length of a new deal to replace the four-year contract that expires on Oct. 5.

Employers are demanding 51 take-backs in their proposal, according top officials of the United Food and Commercial Workers. This includes more flexibility on work rules and requiring employees to pay for some of their health and pension benefits for the first time since the 1950s.

Management also wants to create a two-tier pay system, according to union officials, that would give new employees lower pay and pension benefits than existing employees.

"The company would have an enormous incentive to get rid of workers with seniority," said Roxana Tynan, director of accountable development for the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy, an advocacy group for the working poor that supports the IFCW. "The union is going to fight hard to try and resist that."

UFCW workers want to maintain "all existing benefits and receive a 50-cents per hour increase for each year of the yet-to-be-determined length of the contract.

Union workers currently make maximums of $7.40 per hour for bagging groceries and $19.18 for cutting meat. Those who retire after 40 years make $32,200 annually in pension plus a one-time payment of up to $40,000.

Union solidarity

The United Food and Commercial Workers has already received a strike sanction from Teamsters members who deliver supplies to the stores, giving drivers the option of not crossing picket lines.

Once the existing contract expires, union officials will take management's best offer to its members, who will cast votes Oct. 8-10. A rejection of the management offer would simultaneously authorize leaders to call a strike.

"We're not going to recommend ratification of any agreement with these kinds of cuts," said Kathy Finn, Local 770's director of collective bargaining research and education. "We're going to be in a strike situation if the employers keep these kinds of proposals on the table."

Even in a sluggish economy, replacing 80,000 workers in such a short time frame would not be easy. Most new hires would have little experience with skilled tasks, such as meat cutting and operating computerized cash registers.

Besides lining up Teamsters' support, the UFCW has alerted locals outside of Southern California to head off any possible crossing of local picket lines. They also plan to urge shoppers to stay away from their three main adversaries in the talks: Albertsons, Safeway Inc. unit Vons and Ralphs, a unit of Kroger Co.

"It's going to be very difficult for employers to keep most of the stores open," said Rick Icaza, president of Local 770, which represents 30,000 workers in L.A. County. "And there will be turmoil at the stores that are open."

With a strike sanction in place, the 10,000 food industry drivers, warehouse employees and office staffs who are members of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Joint Council 42 have the right to refuse to cross the picket line without job reprisals--a stipulation in their contract with the food chains.

That could spell problems for the stores because Teamsters members will seek support from the grocery clerks when the next Teamsters contract comes up for renewal in two years. "Unions must stick together," said Jim Santangelo, president of Joint Council 42. "If (the UFCW) loses, we're next."

Refusing to cross a picket line doesn't mean Teamster employees can stop working. They could still load food from warehouses and drive the goods into store parking lots, stopping short of helping to unload the food.

For that reason, the chains are also taking applications from people with Class-A drivers' licenses. "The preparation we are making is to have someone who can back the truck into the store," said Levenfeld.

If a strike occurs, the UFCW would also urge shoppers to patronize smaller and independent chains such as Compton-based Arden Group's Gelson's Markets, Colton-based Stater Bros. Holdings Co. stores. While these workers are also unionized--Stater Bros. has signed a "me-too" agreement promising to abide by the terms of any new contract--they aren't involved in the bargaining.

Officials at Stater Bros. and Gelson's declined comment.

With non-union Wal-Mart Stores Inc. planning to open 40 super centers with full grocery operations in California in the next three to four years, the chains claim they need the take-backs. "We must stay competitive with the changing economic landscape of the food industry," said Terry O'Neil, spokesman for Ralphs.

The cuts being sought by management would require union members to pay premiums of $10 and $25 per week, respectively, for single and family health insurance. In addition, there would be a $20 co-pay per office visit for the first 12 visits each year and $40 for each one after that during the same year.

Workers currently get free coverage and pay only $10 lot a Preferred Provider Organization office visit or no charge for a Health Maintenance Organization office visit.

The seven locals in the Southern California bargaining group haven't been on strike since they walked off the job for five days in 1978. Back then, an inflation rate of 7.7 percent--which jumped to 13.5 percent two years later--was the bargaining chip the employers used.

But the UFCW negotiated a 20 percent pay hike over three years, bringing the average base pay to $8.88, when the minimum wage was $3.10 per hour.

Those were different times, however.

The chains have since gotten much bigger through new development and acquisitions. They're competing in a world that's dominated by cheaply made goods from Asia, with lower inflation and growing competition from the likes of Wal-Mart and Costco Wholesale Corp. Baggers in California aren't making much more than the current minimum wage of $6.75.

Nevertheless, union advocates don't think there are enough capable replacement workers available to keep customers happy. "There is simply no plan that will enable the stores to continue with business as usual if they force people on strike," said Tynan.

Under Pressure

Grocery workers are resisting proposed give-backs
and seeking a pay increase.

Position              Starling Hourly Wage   Max Hourly Wage

Meat cutter                 $11.43               $19.18
Cashier                       9.78                17.90
Food stocker                  9.78                17.90
Produce clerk                 9.78                17.90
Meat clerk                    7.61                12.17
Deli clerk                    7.55                12.17
Bakery clerk                  7.55                12.17
Merchandise stocker           7.55                12.17
Food bagger                   6.75                 7.40