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Albertson’s, Ralphs, and Vons/Pavilions grocery chains struck a deal with the United Food and Commercial Workers on Monday, preventing a strike of nearly 54,000 Southern California workers. The possibility of a strike loomed over union negotiations since UFCW workers authorized the action in mid-August. According to Union leaders, company negotiators were pushing for a contract with decreased health benefits, essentially telling employees to, “pay more for less.” Both parties were motivated to avoid a repeat of the protracted 2003 strike, which lasted 5 months, leaving both the Grocers and the Union workers at a loss. Workers were left in debt after going weeks without pay, and some felt the strike accomplished nothing. The supermarket companies incurred losses of an estimated $1.5 billion. The deal reached Monday morning includes a compromise on healthcare. If ratified through vote on Friday and Saturday, employees will be paying $9 a week for individual coverage and $23 a week for family coverage. Meanwhile, over 23,000 nurses, mental health counselors and optical workers of Kaiser Permanente statewide walked off their job for a one-day strike today due to the ongoing labor dispute between The National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW) and Kaiser. Thousands of members of the California Nurses Association will be participating in solidarity. The Kaiser workers are protesting proposed major cuts to health care and retirement benefits for healthcare workers. Earlier this month, members of the National Nurses Union protested in 21 states and 60 cities nationwide to advocate for a tax on Wall Street. The union demanded a tax on Wall Street transactions that would bring in an estimated $350 billion for Federal programs.

GUEST: Mark Brenner, Director of Labor Notes

Find out more at www.labornotes.org.