Customers were scarce Monday morning at Raley’s Nob Hill in Hollister as union employees and their supporters continued the second day of a strike that began early Sunday morning.
Strikers held protest signs and handed out fliers to customers of alternative places they could go for groceries. The parking lot of the local grocery store was nearly empty, with just a handful of customers entering the store on Monday morning.
“No one is prepared for a strike,” said one employee who sported a yellow shirt with the words “Support grocery workers” like many others dotting the parking lot.
“We know we need to take some concessions, but how deep are they going to be?” said Dennis Hughes, a retired employee who came out to show his support.
As customers approached the front entrances to the store, employees tried to stop them and offered information on their reason for striking along with a sheet that include the addresses for other stores. The strikers said aside from people needing to pick up prescription medication from the pharmacy or visiting the Wells Fargo branch inside the bank, few people entered the store in the first two days of the strike.
Employees from other local grocery stores showed support by bringing out bottled water, a local market donated tri-tip sandwiches and someone brought pizza or other snacks to support the union members. Other local unions also showed support for grocery employees.
A union representative said that 8 to 10 union employees crossed the line at the local store to work in the first two days of the strike, with about 77 employees on strike at the local store.
The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 5 established a picket line Sunday “due to the company’s erratic and illegal behavior over 15 months of bargaining,” according to a union statement. “The company has moved to endanger medical benefits for active members, their families and retirees.”
John Segale, a spokesperson for Raley’s Nob Hill, said the benefits for employees and retirees had not been changed. He said the last and final offer only dealt with a wage package.
“Raley’s has no choice but to implement the wage package contained in the last and final offer we submitted four weeks ago,” the statement read. “It is unfortunate that after 15 months of talks and nearly 60 negotiation sessions, we are not able to agree on a new contract since it is clearly understood that we must reduce our operating costs to become more competitive against non-union retailers.”
The wage package implemented on Sunday included pay freezes for two years; the elimination of premium wages above the current hourly wage for working on Sundays and holidays; one-week paid vacation; and four paid holidays for employees.
Segale said the company had not made replacement hires but that nearly half of the union workers employed by Raley’s crossed the picket line Monday to return to work.
“We are very pleased with that and we have contingency plans in place,” Segale said, noting that about 95 stores were impacted by the strike. “What level (it has impacted the stores) really varies. In some locations there has been a noticeable change in customer count and in others you would never know there was a problem.”
Segale said he believed there was a lot of misinformation about the contract because union members had not yet been able to vote on the package.
“They are being told a lot of reasons not to like it, but I believe they would if they saw it and they would be able to get back to work and be able to get moving forward,” Segale said.
Hughes said the last strike with Raley’s Nob Hill lasted nine days and the one before that was six weeks.
“They are not being honest with us or forthright,” said Frank Soto, a produce manger who has worked with Nob Hill for 30 years, of the company. “They aren’t coming to us with the facts.”
Hughes said that while the company has stated a large reason for needing to cut costs is due to the proliferation of non-union grocery stores such as Wal-Mart Super Centers and other such stores, Hughes said he doesn’t think they have much impact.
“There is only one non-union store per town,” he said, on average. “There are not that many.”
Soto agreed that most Nob Hill customers are loyal and do not go to the other grocery stores.
The two, along with Leslie Eclarin, the scan coordinator and an employee for 35 years, said they were striking not over wages but over health benefits. They said one of the key changes the company wants to make is to move employees out of a union trust fund and to the company’s private insurance plan.
“We understand the economy is bad,” Eclarin said, noting that they are not looking for wage increases. “We’d be happy to extend the (current) contract.”
Segale said changes to health benefits were “not on the table” at this time.
Eclarin said she did not think the company anticipated employees would strike. A document from the union explained that those on strike will receive union benefits of no less than $200 a week and that there is a hardship fund available to assist with rent, utilities or mortgage, along with other necessities.
“Nob Hill was like a family,” Eclarin said. “Raley’s said they were like a family, but you don’t treat family this way.”
