Negotiations are scheduled to resume Wednesday between the union representing some 12,000 Stater Bros. workers and the grocery chain following the announcement of an overwhelming membership vote in favor of authorizing the union bargaining team to call an unfair labor practice strike.
A strike authorization vote does not necessarily mean there will be a strike.
United Food and Commercial Workers, which represents the workers, said it is seeking “living wages, affordable health care benefits, a reliable pension (and) more staffing and better working conditions for a better customer experience.”
The union has charged Stater Bros. with:
- unlawful surveillance of members who have been active in the contract campaign;
- discrimination against members on the basis of their union support;
- unlawful interrogation of members;
- bypassing the unions and dealing directly with members about proposals under consideration in bargaining, and
- failure to provide information that the unions requested in preparation for collective-bargaining negotiations.
“We’ve never had to take an unfair labor practice strike vote at Stater Bros., but the company has changed,” the UFCW Stater Bros. Bargaining Committee said in a statement Friday announcing the results of the strike authorization vote.
“Since March, we’ve pushed Stater Bros. for real solutions to short staffing, unsafe conditions, and unfair wages, but all we’ve seen is disrespect of our rights as reflected in these ULP charges.”
The vote count was not released.
“We are eager to return to the negotiating table to reach an agreement that reflects the value and importance of our store teammates, maintains the long-term health of the company, and helps us hold the line on grocery prices for our customers,” Stater Bros. said in a statement.