Crain's NY: Supermarket Union Readies Strike Vote
Supermarket union readies strike vote
Members of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1500 could walk off their jobs at 150 New York area Pathmark, Stop & Shop and King Kullen locations before the July 4 holiday.
Published: June 23, 2010 - 1:16 pm
With a contract deadline looming Saturday, and little progress being made in negotiations between the supermarket workers union and three major New York-area operators, 16,000 grocery workers will begin casting votes Wednesday night to authorize a strike.
The workers—members of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1500 who are employed at 150 local Pathmark, Stop & Shop and King Kullen supermarkets—could walk off their jobs anytime after Saturday, when their current contract expires, though it's likely any strike would begin closer to the July 4 holiday to maximize impact.
A federal mediator was brought in this week in an attempt to jumpstart the talks, which union officials say have thus far gone nowhere.
“The companies are using the new health care legislation to demand cuts in employee health benefits without anyone understanding its implications, and despite most of the bill not kicking in until 2014,” said Pat Purcell, assistant to the president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1500. He said any effect health care reform has on the workers' benefit fund should be dealt with by the fund's labor and management trustees, and not in negotiations. “We're spending more time having Meet the Press debates than we are negotiating a contract,” he said.