Raley’s workers taking vote on whether to strike
Publisher’s note: The two South Lake Tahoe Raley’s are part of Local 8. The strike vote is being taken June 3-4 at Embassy Suites.
By Dale Kasler, Sacramento Bee
Raley’s, trying to head off a strike vote, is warning its union workers about more store closures and other consequences if they walk out.
With members of the United Food and Commercial Workers about to vote to authorize the first strike against Raley’s, company Chief Executive Michael Teel said the grocery chain plans to hire replacement workers to keep stores open if a work stoppage occurs.
Even with replacements, Raley’s expects to close “select underperforming store locations” – and many of those would likely close for good – Teel said in a memo to workers.
Raley’s has already announced four store shutdowns this year, saying it needs labor concessions to become more competitive with nonunion rivals such as Wal-Mart. In his letter to UFCW members, Teel said the West Sacramento chain is a “family-owned business that is fighting for survival in a struggling economy and competitive environment.”
Members of UFCW Local 8, based in Roseville and covering much of the Central Valley, are scheduled to hold strike-authorization meetings starting today. It isn’t known when results of the vote will be available.
The union said employees of Raley’s Bel Air subsidiary won’t vote because their contract doesn’t expire until June 30. The union’s contracts with Raley’s and Nob Hill employees expire Wednesday.
A strike? In this economy? In this town with nearly 20% real unemployment?
Really?
Raley’s employees… don’t think for a minute that there won’t be lines out the door of people who will be happy to do your job (waving those bar codes over the scanner and stocking shelves is not a highly specialized skill). How much is a checker making these days? If your job can be done by a machine,(see: “self check-out”) you ought to be reading the handwriting on the wall.
Sure, you can wave your signs and call them “scabs”… and the rest of us will shake our heads and simply call you “greedy fools”.
I shop Raley’s fairly regularly, and a strike won’t change that, but it will certainly lower my opinion of your collective IQs.
No matter what, these people have great customer relation,I’ve know lots them for decades.
This what has to happen sometimes to provide a quality of life for unskilled labors.
Lots these smaller business don’t have the best insurance if any at all for the locals that have to work for peanuts.
IF THEY GET A AGREEMENT FOR THEIR FAMLIES BETTER LIFES POWER TO THEM,WE ALL SHOULD BE SO LUCKY TO VOTE ,VOICE OUR NEEDS TO THE ONES THAT RAKE IN THE DOE FOR BIG CORPS.
The big corps owe all us something,I think its time for the workers to get better pay and FLUSH the CEO’S DOWN THE CRAPPER.
A strike for decent wages and benefits!! The nerve of these people standing up for workers!! As every good American knows, until every single employee bows down to righteous corporate wisdom, accepts minimum wage no benefits jobs, and gives up all their rights in the workplace, the great vision of Reagan and the Bushes won’t come true! Once everyone’s middle-class dreams are eliminated and their IQ is transformed to foxwatcher levels, the massive and glorious Trickle Down will begin. Get on board you stupid greedy fool lefties!
Good one Teatotal!!
As large corporations exert their influence on govt. and their control over what’s left of regulatory oversight, the worker is rapidly losing what if any rights, benefits and the ability to earn a decent living wage. Meanwhile many big companies pay little or no taxes and at the same time are shipping jobs overseas.
If the Raley’s workers go on strike they have my support 100%. When Lucky’s workers went on strike I quit shopping there until their dispute was settled. I’ll do the same with Raley’s.
Take care, Old Long Skiis
DEMOCRACY: Government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system; a state of society characterized by formal equality of rights and privileges.
CAPITALISM: An economic system in which investment in an ownership of the means of production, distribution, and exchange of wealth is made and maintained chiefly by private individuals or corporations.
The above definitions are from Webster’s College Dictionary. Our government seems to have settled somewhere between these two definitions. Yes, people can vote to have their supreme power exercised by their elected agents but those elected agents while paying lip-service to their constituents almost always support capitalist individuals and corporations first. They’re the ones who make the biggest campaign contributions so the politicians can buy themselves into their jobs for the next term. Being a politician is a job–and it’s a job that with enough money can usually be bought, consequently politicians are going to show their loyalty to their biggest campaign contributors. The fact is corporations run pretty much everything, including almost all forms of the media. They own almost all of it and control what, how, and if information will be disseminated to the public, and what’s reported always has their own political bent.
it’s amazing how many people buy into the corporate america bs. raleys is a small fish in a big pond. the old timers at raleys are making $21.00 a hour and with the 85 rule most of them can retire around 55 and still collect pension and benefits and work another job, or they could go to nevada(non-union)and work for raleys even though they retired union up here. there probably a good chance raleys will sell to another company, they get offers all the time. oh yeah the union reps make between 60,000-90,00 plus perks. the one from up here makes 80,00 plus 20,000 in perks union pres. makes 320,000. they never take a pay cut,they are out of touch and would rather put a company out of business than help it flourish. people need to get real.
THERE ARE PLENTY OF PLACES TO BUY GROCERIES AT-I CAN DO WITH OUT RALEYS IF THEY CAN DO WITH OUT A PAY CHECK
How come there are so many offers to buy Raley’s “all the time”? I think it’s because they still offer some semblance of customer service and friendliness in a tough market. It’s because of the People that work there, not the new Corporate “models” that turn employees into “human resources” , that have made them successful in my opinion. There’s more to life than profit.
I do hope the people who work at Raley’s think about this strike before they do it. What your union rep does not tell you is how long it will take for you to make up the money you will loose in a strike, if not your job forever. Even if you get what you are after you may loose in the long run, union reps are there for the union not the people in them, be careful you may regret what you have done, ask me how I know.
Don’t tell me how you know…You’re friends with Kneil Bush?
hey mojo customer serviceis the most important thing to raleys. yes its the people that work at the store that helps bring in the customers,but the company puts a lot into as well. raleys has taken care of its employees for along time. too many people have a bug up their butts about companies ripping off employees. none of the people that retired at 55 are complaining. i mean where else can a high school graduate do that.wake up please,
I think we don’t have all the facts. I know a lot of the people working there, at both stores, and I buy there because of the PEOPLE and the service, not the guys in the brown shirts or corporate. The workers have lost hours and now they want to cut wages and benefits too?
Teatotal, Long Skiis, and David, I’m with you!
What I will tell you is that I’m not a fan of unions, been there done that. They do not give a crap about the people they represent, they only want the money. Maybe the union could pick-up the slack and keep these people employeed.
Buster, I like your passion and applaud your work hard ethic but advocating for less $$, less benefits and less ability to control the workplace is counterproductive to progress. We all should be striving to have decent jobs, not “taking what they’re givin’ ’cause I’m workin’ for a livin'”. You wake up.
Full time, I can’t argue with everything you have to say about union reps, I’ve seen my share too. All I know is these are good people and all we have heard is Raley’s side.
wow i work there and know what i’m talking about. the people in brown shirts by the way are in the union. there is no cut in wages,benefits are basically the same. but hey you can believe what you want.and you don’t think unions can be counterproductive to progress. the older employees are some of the best paid in the business. have fun in dreamland.
What the union should be doing to help their members is not asking for more money or lower benefit costs but rather to eliminate the practice where employees are mostly part time with no chance for full time. They should want everyone to have 40 hours a week employment with the option for benefits. That might mean lower hourly wages but would result in more money.
Buster – management in the union? Really?
And I hate to break it to you, out of “dreamland” and all, but it usually is the senior, more experienced,better trained, therefore more valuable employees, that make the most money in ANY job market.