An estimated 7,000 grocery workers at Raley's and Nob Hill Foods grocery stores in Northern and Central California walked out on strike today after 15 months of contract negotiations ended in acrimony.
Locally, there is a Nob Hill Foods at 809 Bay Ave in Capitola. Just outside of town, there are other Nob Hill locations in Scotts Valley and Watsonville.
Today's strike follows the implementation today by Raley's of its "last, best and final" contract proposals, according to the United Food and Commercial Workers 8-Golden State and Local 5. The union accused Raley's of bargaining "in bad faith."
The union also filed unfair labor practices complaints on Thursday, including allegations that Raley's managers have been interrogating and intimidating union members, union officials said.
"We look forward to returning to the bargaining table when Raley's management has adopted a more constructive attitude," a statement from UCFW Presidents Jacques Loveall and Ron Lind said today. "Our goal from the beginning is to negotiate a fair agreement serving the needs of both Raley's and its union employees."
Raley's officials rejected the allegations.
"We're very frustrated that it's come to this, this has been going on for 15 months," said spokesperson John Segale. "We submitted our last and final offer four weeks ago and we never heard from the union, they never let their employees vote on that."
"So we had no choice but to implement our wage package this morning," Segale said.
Segale said Raley's urgently needs to cut costs in a "fiercely competitive" market. He said the Sacramento-based chain, which includes Raley's, Nob Hill Foods and Bel Air stores, has closed five stores in the past year and seen the opening or expansion of 240 non-union stores in its markets since 2008.
The conditions imposed today apply only to wages, Segale said. The store moved to freeze pay increases for two years and eliminate the premiums paid for employees working Sundays, night and holidays, but retained the one week of paid vacation and four paid holidays employees currently receive, he said.
Workers will be picketing stores and asking shoppers to take their business to competing grocery stores, union officials said today.
Raley's and Nob Hill Foods have more than two dozen stores located in the Bay Area and more in Monterey and Santa Cruz counties.
Are you a Nob Hill shopper? Do you support the employees? Would you cross the picket line? Tell us in the comments!
I am a faithful shopper there and was a little pissed that they asked me to shop elsewhere. Now I'm even more pissed to hear what the dispute is REALLY about. I mean, c'mon..... your an employee of a grocery store. Not a teacher, fireman, or something that our culture really relies on you for.
And Jane - it's very disturbing to hear you speak of "grocery workers" like they are some lowly members of society. If it weren't for them, you wouldn't have a grocery store to shop in. They have just as much rights to fair wages and benefits as any doctor, dish washer, teacher or septic truck driver. We're all just human trying to make a living.
I apologize for what came across as disrespect. I love shopping at that store, and mainly because of the great service they provide.
it is not all about healthcare. it is also about wage cuts, and termination of the retirement package.
First the union strike has everything to do with health care. Has almost nothing to do with employees wanting more money. In fact the union has agreed to allow small decrease in money earned by employes loss of sunday pay, loss of some holidays and other reductions in pay to benefit nob hill. Nob hill wants to make some drastic reductions in the health care they provide. to all members. Their the ones who have been bargaining in bad faith for the past 15 months hiding books, In fact the strike did not even happen until a federal mediator left the table because of the actions of nob hill's dirty tactics I work for safeway so I belong to the same union lucky's, safeway nob hill. Luckys who is probably doing the worst out of all the union grocery stores came to a agreement with the union just a few months ago. Safeway just wrapped up there negotiations with the union. we vote on it sometime this month. The Safeway and luckys contracts are similar in regards to health care. Nob hill is only being asked similar requests by the union mostly pleas to keep the health care the same.