Local grocery strike looms Friday evening

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Rebecca Taylor - View Bio

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With a grocery strike looming, both sides, the union workers with Local 99 and employers Frys and Safeway are planning for a walk-out as early as Friday.

Union organizers met in Phoenix to plan for a possible strike against Frys and or Safeway that would begin as early as Friday night. At the meeting, organizers trained picket captains, and assembled picket signs.

Frys has already hired two thousand replacement workers. Safeway is advertising too, both are offering $9.50 an hour. That's $2 bucks more than what some current employees make.

Barbara Cain, a Frys union worker calls it insulting, "We haven't had any kind of decent raise in seven years."

She's been in the grocery business 30 years; she raised three kids as a single mom.

"They never felt deprived, but there area lot of single parents, who are really afraid right now," says Cain.

Cain fears for new hires, under Frys and Safeway's proposal they'll earn minimum wages for the first several years and pay co-premiums. She supports the strike.

"It's the fact that we need to protect people coming into industry, and ourselves later on," she says.

While workers like Cain prepare to picket, those without jobs are jumping at the chance to replace them.

At Tuesday's job fair, Frys advertised for replacement workers. On Wednesday at Safeway's Tucson office, dozens filled out applications.

Late Wednesday, the two companies reached an agreement, regarding whether or not to lock out employees. But won't publicly comment what they decided.

Cathy Kloos with Safeway says, "Safeway entered into this agreement as a defensive measure to protect our company in the event of a strike by local 99".

Meantime, Cain says a lockout would be the worst result because it affects everyone.

"Whether union or non union, you will be locked out, not able to work, can not collect unemployment, can't get food stamps," says Cain.

Local 99 will pay workers strike benefits of $100 per week, if they picket 20 hours.

Fry's says it will not close any of its stores if the possible strike does indeed happen. The company says it has an abundance of replacement workers prepared.

Fry's says it's also continuing dialogue with the union. They are not in formal negotiations, the company says, but technology is allowing them to communicate.

However, the union says there are currently no formal or informal talks happening.