Local 227 Secretary/Treasurer Gary K. Best visited the picket lines in California taking money and the message of solidarity to the striking and locked out workers.
More than 70,000 UFCW members in Southern California took a stand against corporate greed. Forced to fight by supermarket giants demanding wholesale cuts in health benefits that would leave current workers unable to pay for their care—and effectively leave future employees without any health care coverage at all--workers from seven locals voted over 90% to reject the offer by three of the largest supermarket operators in the country, Von's (Safeway-owned), Ralph's (Kroger-owned) and Albertson's and set up picket lines October 11, 2003.
The job action was limited Von's in order to reduce any inconvenience to customers but the other chains responded by locking workers out of their jobs.
Even though operating profits for Kroger, Safeway, and Albertson's over the past decade have risen ten times faster than their contributions to worker health care in Southern California, the companies insist on what amounts to a 50 percent cut in medical benefits that would shift almost a billion dollars in health care costs onto employees over the term of the proposed contract.
"I'm fine with paying my fair share for health care coverage," says Angelica Medina who works at Albertson's. "But they are demanding to reduce our benefits while making us pay more. I'm really upset because they know how hard we work, and that we need to support our families."
The striking and locked out members belong to San Diego Local 135, Buena Park Local 324, Hollywood Local 770, Camarillo Local 1036, Bloomington Local 1167, Claremont Local 1428, and Santa Monica Local 1442.
Local 227 President Marv Russow said, “these workers were on strike for all workers—union and non-union—here and across the country knowing if these three super-profitable, supermarket chains can cut benefits, then every worker is at risk”.