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Grocery store workers vote on possible strike

Thousands of unionized grocery store employees throughout Southern California voted on Monday to authorize a walkout based on the current contract proposal on the table.

SAN DIEGO (CNS) - Thousands of unionized grocery store employees throughout Southern California voted on Monday to authorize a walkout based on the current contract proposal on the table. 

Grocery employee primarily work for Ralphs, Albertsons, Vons and Food-For-Less.  

Union President Mickey Kasparian said the latest offer from the supermarket chains would "drastically" impact take-home pay and devastate employees' health-care coverage.

"Once our members see this insulting proposal, I am confident that we will have overwhelming strike authorization," Kasparian said. He said the contract between the stores and employees expired more than three months ago.

Ralphs spokeswoman Kendra Doyel said the company is committed to reaching an agreement with union leadership at the bargaining table.

"A strike authorization vote is premature and only serves to cause concern for associates and customers," Doyel said. "We encourage union leadership to return to the table on our agreed-upon upcoming dates and work out an agreement that is good for our associates and allows us to remain competitive in the market."

While one vote took place in San Diego, another vote is expected to take place Tuesday in Los Angeles. The strike authorization vote is expected to pass with overwhelming support - meaning workers could walk off the job with no notice. 

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