A Southern California union representing 12,000 grocery store employees voted Friday to authorize a strike against the supermarket chain Stater Bros. Markets.<\/p>\n
The authorization does not mean a strike will begin immediately, as bargaining negotiations are scheduled for July 30 to 31. The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 135<\/a> said in a statement that Stater Bros. broke \u201cthe law by surveilling, interrogating and discriminating against union members.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAn Unfair Labor Practice strike is always a last resort, and we will continue to push Stater Bros to do the right thing,\u201d the union said. \u201cWe\u2019ve had enough of their union-busting tactics that undermine workers and silence our voices.\u201d<\/p>\n The vote comes several months after the supermarket chain laid off a total of 63 clerks<\/a> at four stores in Southern California, the first time in the company\u2019s 89-year history, blaming inflation and tariffs for the decision.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s any secret that in the last four years, we\u2019ve seen significant inflation, more than I\u2019ve ever seen in my career,\u201d Chief Executive Pete Van Helden said in a video explaining the move<\/a> to lay off the clerks on Feb. 17. \u201cThe intention is to take the cost reduction from those 63 jobs and hold the line on pricing.\u201d<\/p>\n According to the union, its labor contract with Stater Bros. expired March 2. A vote tally for the strike authorization was not released.<\/p>\n