The wrong time for UFCW Local 770 to Strike

October 11, 2003 was a day in history that I will always remember; it was the day my daughter was born.  It was also the day that UFCW local 770 went on strike.  I will always remember it because we joked that the birth of my daughter brought famine to Los Angeles. 

2003 was an amazing time.  Housing prices had just begun to soar, the economy was in great shape, companies were offering amazing benefits and unemployment was at 6.0%. New Flash: it’s not 2003.

I am not saying that the grocery workers don’t deserve better, heck we all do.  I would however, be very surprised if the union receives any consumer support relative to what they received in 2003.  I had a newborn baby, and the strike lasted through the major fall and winter holidays.  I can remember getting up early to make it over to Stater Brothers to shop before the crowds, as they were the only store in my area that was not impacted by the strike.  Finding a decent Turkey for Thanksgiving was almost impossible

Back in 2003, most of us had the money to allow the workers to strike and we could drive a bit farther to find a store that was ok to shop at, even though we knew they would be out of much of what we needed.  Today, I am a stay at home Mom, and we watch every penny.  I clip coupons and although I have nothing to rival those on extreme couponing, I have to protect my budget.  Although I do a lot of shopping at Super-WalMart, I hit Vons, Ralphs and Albertsons regularly for sales that match up to my coupons, and I actually buy most of my staples (cereal, cheese, milk, eggs) at Food 4 Less, which is a Kroger owned store.

It’s going to be very hard for the public to support a strike this time around.  Los Angeles has an unemployment rate of 13.3%, more than twice that of the 2003 strike.  When so many people can’t even find work, how are they expected to support those that have a job and are simply fighting over benefits?  I don’t discount the impact paying higher benefits will have on the workers or their families.  My family pays twice as much for benefits now than in 2003 and that’s when we were a double income family.  It hurts, and there is a place and time to fight for fair benefits, especially with the lower wages the grocery workers receive.  But a strike is going to hurt grocery employees and as we remember in 2003, it really did nothing to get the workers to a satisfactory resolution of their demands.

I suppose they are lucky.  Union workers have the ability to fight for their benefits, where non-union employees try to negotiate with their bosses, but are ultimately stuck paying whatever management and the Human Resources benefits team has worked out with the insurance provider.  I won’t knock the union workers if they strike, but I won’t actively support it, driving all over town to get my groceries at whatever the cost may be. 

UFCW Local 770 will have to do whatever they think is right for themselves, their families and their fellow members.  Consumers in Los Angeles will also have to do whatever is best for them and their families.  This time around, I really don’t see crossing picket lines, as a matter is disrespect.  For many families it will mean a matter of survival.