In Southern California, United Food and Commercial Workers union Local 770, and 6 other locals, have called for a strike authorization vote on Wednesday April 20, 2011. Group contract negotiations with three major grocery companies – Safeway, Kroger, and SuperValu, the parent companies of Vons, Ralphs, and Albertsons – have reached an impasse. Union negotiators say after weeks of effort they have not received wage proposals, and workers are being asked to take unreasonable reductions in pension benefits and health care coverage. Local 770 represents 35,000 employees in Southern California, making it the largest UFCW local in the area and possibly in the nation. Meanwhile, the three grocery chains together announced $4,5 billion in annual operating profits recently, paying out more than half a billion dollars to their investors.

On Tuesday April 19, 2011, the day before the strike authorization vote, John Grant, Secretary/Treasurer of UFCW Local 770, and Maribel Garcia, cashier at a Ralph’s Market in Van Nuys, UFCW member, spoke with Uprising host Sonali Kolhatkar.

Watch a video of the interview here:

Stay updated on the strike vote at www.ufcw770.org.

Martina Steiner recorded this interview.