Safeway, Fry's join to defend against strike

Safeway said Tuesday it has entered into an agreement with Fry's Food Stores to coordinate "defensive measures" if unionized workers go on strike Friday night against one of the companies but not the other.

Grocery workers to rally against strike

The grocery companies did not say if the measures would involve a lockout of union workers at the one company that was not struck, but United Food and Commercial Workers spokeswoman Ellen Anreder said that was what happened during a grocery worker strike in California in 2003-04.

"That these two companies who are normally bitter adversaries would have a blood pact now is ironic to me," Anreder said.

The agreement "provides for a lawful mutual aid pact that would operate to defend against 'whipsaw' tactics if Local 99 (of the UFCW) initiates a strike against one of the employers," Safeway said in a statement.

The announcement was the latest development as the companies approach a deadline of 6 p.m. Friday to reach agreements on new contracts with the UFCW or face a walkout by union members.

No talks are taking place.

The union represents about 25,000 hourly workers at the two grocery chains, including clerks, stockers, meat cutters, produce workers and baggers. Also the union represents 388 workers at Smith's groceries in northern Arizona.

Health insurance is the main sticking point. The groceries want workers to start contributing $5 to $15 a week to help cover premium costs, which currently are totally paid by the companies.

The UFCW wants the companies to continue to cover the entire cost, saying the cost of health care has been offset over many years by grocery workers' relatively low wages.

The workers, who typically are paid $7.20 to $12.05 per hour, will receive $100 per week in strike pay if they walk out, the union said.

The extent to which employees will support a strike right before the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays was thrown into question Monday when Fry's workers demonstrated in front of UFCW headquarters in Phoenix, saying they didn't want to walk out.

Also the companies are seeking replacement workers to fill in for employees who do strike.

The majority of UFCW workers at the companies voted to authorize a strike during a meeting Sept. 21 at Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix, according to the union.

The UFCW's Anreder downplayed the possibility that members would defy the leadership and continue to work if the strike goes forward.

"I have gone to the stores, and there is no question that the members are standing behind their union," she said. "We answer to the 24,500 workers who have authorized the strike, not the handful coached by the companies to create trouble."

She added that it will be difficult for the companies to maintain stores up to the standards customers expect with hastily trained replacement workers.

"It's a lot harder than it looks," she said. "You're dealing with perishable merchandise ... It's a finely tuned machine run by professionals."

Local 99 leaders and staff will meet with the union's Negotiations Advisory Committee and leaders of the UFCW International Union Wednesday night in Phoenix to prepare for the potential strike, she said.

The union will train picket captains, assemble picket signs and make other preparations for what the union said could be "a historic showdown."