Who won? When Southern California grocery workers went on strike against Vons, Ralphs and Albertsons in October 2003, they were hoping to avoid a two-tier wage scale that would pit new employees against older ones, the Pasadena Star-News reports.
They didn’t.
The employers were hoping for cost controls that would enable them to improve their bottom line and impress Wall Street investors.
They did, but they also lost $1.5 billion during the 141-day strike and lost some of their customers permanently.
Who won?
“Nobody won,” said Jack Brown, chief executive officer and chairman of Stater Bros. Markets.
“The union didn’t win, the companies certainly didn’t win and the customers didn’t win,” he said.
With the contract that settled the 2003-04 strike ex-
pired and the two sides again facing each other across the bargaining table, another question is worth asking.
Is it going to happen again?
Will there be another grocery strike as union members fight to abolish the two-tier wage scale and the employers battle to hang on to the gains they won at such a high price in 2004?
