LOCKOUT AGREED TO VONS, RALPHS, ALBERTSON'S TO AID EACH OTHER IN STRIKE.Byline: JULIA M. SCOTT Staff Writer Vons, Ralphs and Albertson's agreed Wednesday to lock out employees if grocery unions strike any one of the chains, raising the stakes in ongoing contract negotiations. The chains also pledged "financial assistance" to each other during any strike as part of their response to a strike authorization The right or permission to use a system resource; the process of granting access. See access control. vote Albertson's workers took March 25. That vote gives union leaders the power to call for a strike, though a second vote among members is likely. "The three companies have no choice but to respond with their own measures," said Adena Tessler, a spokeswoman hired by the chains. "The companies believe that this agreement is a necessary defensive measure designed to restore balance to the negotiation process." Both sides have been negotiating since a three-year contract, scheduled to expire expire /ex·pire/ (ek-spi´er) 1. to exhale. 2. to die. ex·pire v. 1. To breathe one's last breath; die. 2. To exhale. March 6, was extended until April 9. After that, it will automatically be renewed daily until either party cancels it. Three years ago, talks broke down, leading to a 139-day strike that was one of the longest in the nation. The strike cost the chains an estimated $2 billion and resulted in a two-tier contract that is the main point of contention today. That structure gives richer benefits to veteran employees than new hires. The unions represent almost 70,000 grocery clerks at hundreds of stores across Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, . A spokesman for the union contested the chains' reason for the pact, calling it "potentially illegal" and comparing it to the deal three years ago that led to five felony felony (fĕl`ənē), any grave crime, in contrast to a misdemeanor, that is so declared in statute or was so considered in common law. convictions against Ralphs Grocery Co. Ralphs admitted in January 2006 that it illegally rehired hundreds of employees locked out during the strike that began in 2003. The company paid $70 million in fines and restitution In the context of Criminal Law, state programs under which an offender is required, as a condition of his or her sentence, to repay money or donate services to the victim or society; with respect to maritime law, the restoration of articles lost by jettison, done when the and was put on probation probation, method by which the punishment of a convicted offender is conditionally suspended. The offender must remain in the community and under the supervision of a probation officer, who is usually a court-appointed official. for three years. It still faces charges of illicit Not permitted or allowed; prohibited; unlawful; as an illicit trade; illicit intercourse. ILLICIT. What is unlawful what is forbidden by the law. Vide Unlawful. 2. profit-sharing. "They're escalating the negotiations in a very foolish and risky manner," said union spokesman Mike Shimpock. "They are willing to take the nuclear option on this simply because they don't want to compromise on a reasonable contract with us." Tessler said the pact is PACT I - An early system on the IBM 701. Version PACT IA was for the IBM 704. [Listed in CACM 2(5):16 (May 1959)]. legally "distinctly different" from a pact the chains agreed to three years ago, even though it contains some of the same elements. She declined to share details of how the companies would assist each other financially in the case of the strike. julia.scott(at)dailynews.com (818) 713-3735 |
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