Food4Less workers to vote on strike following contract expiration

LOS ANGELES (CBS, KYMA/KECY) - Members of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local Union, which represents around 6,000 Food4less workers, is set to hold a strike authorization vote this week after their previous contract expired without a new agreement in place.

The union demands include higher pay and safety improvements for workers represented by UFCW Locals 8GS, 324, 770, 1167, 1428 and 1442.

"When we started contract negotiations with Food4Less/Foods Co., we made it clear that it important to use that we reach a tentative agreement before contract expiration and we came to the table willing to put in the time and work to get that done," said a statement from union officials on Saturday.

"But instead of working with us towards a reasonable contract, our employer would rather play games with our livelihood and offer proposals that grossly underestimate our value and their wealth," the statement said.

"No one deserves to be bullied at their job"

The contract expired last Saturday.

The union claims that the company is attempting to strong-arm workers into accepting an offer that is less than what the parent company, Kroger, provides for other grocery workers in the area.

"Everyone deserves a wage that reflects their work and no one deserves to be bullied at their job," the union statement said.

"By violating our rights, Food4less and Kroger are making it harder to help our customers and keep our stores well-serviced, which is why we've been forced to take a strike authorization vote," the union added.

There are 15 Food4less locations in the Los Angeles area.