preparing 4 a possible labor strike by advertising 4 temporary hires

Food store stocks up on staff for strike

Sat, 11/07/2009 - 02:21

By Derek Jordan
Herald/Review
SIERRA VISTA — At least one of two large grocery store chains with stores in Sierra Vista is preparing for a possible labor strike by advertising for temporary hires.

The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 99 remains locked in negotiations with both Safeway Inc. and Fry’s Food Stores over health care costs for employees.

Union members could walk out as soon as Friday if no deal is struck.

The local Fry’s Food Store at the northeast intersection of Highway 90 and Highway 92 has posted signs saying: “Fry’s Food Stores will be hiring temporary replacement clerks as a precautionary measure due to a potential labor dispute with the UFCW Local 99.”

On Friday, Jim McLaughlin, president of the union Local 99, held a conference call on the situation.

“The primary sticking point really comes down to health care and the employers’ demand for premiums from our members,” he said.

In the past, both Safeway and Fry’s did not charge employees directly for health coverage, he said, but employees paid for it “indirectly” with “flat and stagnant” wage hikes.

The current proposal made by the companies would see employees pay up to $800 a year. McLaughlin said the average annual income of the union’s 25,000 members is $20,000 to $30,000, depending on their position.

“There’s nobody who would ever say they get rich working in this industry,” he said, “but they do it because they love it, and because it provides health care for them and their families.”

Officials for Safeway and Fry’s could not be reached for comment.

If a strike were to begin, workers would be provided about $100 a week from the union, McLaughlin said.

According to the Cochise College Center for Economic Research, Safeway Inc. is the 17th-largest employer in the county, with more than 400 employees in Sierra Vista, Douglas, Bisbee, Willcox and Benson.

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