Grocery Store Talks Continue

Contract negotiators for 62,000 grocery workers in Southern California and the operators of Ralphs, Vons and Albertsons remained at the bargaining table Sunday night as the extended contract covering workers expired and a threatened strike loomed.

Mike Shimpock, spokesman for the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 770, said negotiators likely will continue bargaining for at least several hours. Workers at Kroger Co.'s Ralphs, Safeway Inc.'s Vons and Albertsons grocery store gave 72-hour notice Thursday of their cancellation of the contract extension, paving the way for a strike if a deal could not be reached by 7:10 p.m. Sunday.

"As long as there's progress being made we'll stay at the table," Shimpock said. "Our top priority is to get a negotiated agreement. We don't want to go on strike and really we shouldn't have to because these companies make enough money."

Albersons released a statement on behalf of the three major supermarket chains Sunday night saying that progress was being made, but an agreement has not been reached.

"Even though the 72-hour notice period has expired, nothing has changed," the statement said. "The terms of our most recent contract -- including wages and benefits -- remain in place, and our stores are open to serve customers as they usually are. We are still hopeful that a contract will be reached soon."

Vons, Ralphs and Albertsons grocery store workers in Southern California went on strike for 141 days in 2003-04 after contract negotiations stalled primarly over health care issues.

Health care benefits again have been the sticking point between negotiators. Union officials said the health care proposal by the supermarket chains would bankrupt benefits by the end of 2012, potentially eliminating all health care benefits for grocery workers. Vons in a statement released earlier Sunday said about half of its employees make no weekly contribution to their health benefits and the others pay $7 a month for individual coverage and $15 for full family coverage. The company has proposed that all employees pay $9 for individual and $24 for family coverage, the Vons statement said.

Albertsons said in a statement over the weekend that it learned from the 2003-04 labor dispute that it doesn't make good business sense to operate all of its stores during a strike. The company said it believed up to 100 stores could close for some or all of a strike. Ralphs said it would initially close all of its stores if a strike is called.

Both sides in June announced a tentative agreement on pension benefits and employers' contributions that fund those benefits. Grocery wrokers have been working under the terms of a contract that was extended after it expired in March.