A GROCERY chain will lose 25,000 employees to strike action if a deal is not reached for better wages and healthcare coverage.
The deadline is looming for a deal to be made, and if there isn’t one, it will have catastrophic effects on the entire company.
The deadline is looming for a deal to be made, and if there isn’t one, it will have catastrophic effects on the entire company[/caption]
Thousands of Safeway employees in Northern California have threatened to walk out over a pay dispute, and the deadline is hours away for a deal.
A full-on strike has not happened yet, but several Safeway employees have been seen rallying outside multiple locations across the Bay Area, per KTVU.
The UFCW Local 5, the union representing the employees, has called for fairer wages and benefits.
It says that wages have not kept up with inflation, and that full-time salaries of roughly $28 per hour are not enough to live in the area.
A deadline of midnight on July 25 has been given by the union to reach a deal.
If this doesn’t happen, the workers said they’ll walk out.
In a statement, the union said: “The company clearly had no interest in addressing the issues important to our hardworking Safeway members in the high cost of living Northern California.”
Jim Araby, a spokesperson for UFCW Local 5, added: “Settle with the workers in Northern California like you did in Washington, like you did in Southern California, like you did in Colorado.
“People want a little more of an increase, just so they can live on a full-time job here.”
Employee Ardith Wells joined a demonstration outside the Pleasant Hill store last week.
She emphasized that workers are fighting for what they believe is fair.
Wells commented: “We just feel like we come to work, we’re dedicated, we give our blood, sweat, and tears to Safeway.
“We just want to know as employees, it’s reflected in our pay, our benefits, and what we’ve got.”
Meanwhile, Safeway has issued a statement saying that it hopes for the conflict to end soon.
We just feel like we come to work, we’re dedicated, we give our blood, sweat, and tears to Safeway
Ardith Wells, Safeway employee
The company said: “The company clearly had no interest in addressing the issues important to our hardworking Safeway members in the high cost of living Northern California.”
SOCIAL MEDIA REACTIONS
On social media, the employees at Safeway have received support, with some even saying that they’d join the picket lines with them.
One person said on Facebook: “I’ll picket with the workers.”
Someone else aimed at the leadership team at Safeway, defending the workers against price increases.
They wrote: “I wonder how much the CEOs make? (Don’t blame the checkers for price increases.)”
And a third chimed in: “I support the Safeway workers in their cause.”
Thousands of Safeway employees in Northern California have threatened to walk out over a pay dispute[/caption]
