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At another entrance to the Alhambra Safeway Parking lot, Michael Harrod (Teamsters Local 150), met entering motorists to explain the harm Safeway's corporate policies cause workers. "I don't want to see anybody lose their health care benefits. We had to fight last year to keep ours. We had to authorize a strike before they would take healthcare off the table! They wanted in our pockets and we said we would strike. Healthcare costs are exorbitant and everybody needs it!" |
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The ILWU (Longshoremen) has 'adopted' the West Sacramento Safeway. Dozens of their members were on the line along with members from the Teamsters and SEIU Locals. Another contingent of Teamsters picketed the Safeway in Elk Grove. The following photos were taken at the West Sacramento location. |
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| "Don't
shop Safeway! Don't shop Safeway!" John Mendoza, (ILWU Local
17) chanted. Behind him is his son, Jesse, followed by Lydia Bone,
SEIU Local 250. "I'm here for the seventy-thousand out-of-work in Los Angeles. I think it's wrong what Safeway is trying to do. Healthcare is getting extremely expensive!" |
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"An injury to one is an injury to all" is certainly true in the case of the grocery workers' strike. Most people who shop also work, and when standards drop in one industry, other industries follow. . The corporate cry "But we have to compete with Wal-Mart!" would ring hollow if everyone refused to shop at Wal-Mart because of its employment policies. Currently the UFCW strike affects Southern Calfornia, but on July 7th, the contract for 21,000 supermarket employees in the Central Valley expires. The contract for 40,000 Bay Area workers expires on September 11th. The contract for the Bel-Air grocery workers' in the Sacramento area expires in September, while the Sacramento and Bay Area contracts that cover Raley's expires in July. If this contract healthcare issue doesn't get solved in Southern California, it's going to be in Sacramento this summer!
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