More than 45,000 grocery workers across Southern California reached a tentative labor agreement Wednesday with the parent companies of Ralphs, Albertsons, Vons and Pavilions, averting a strike that could have disrupted food supplies across the region during the busy summer season.
The deal, announced by the United Food and Commercial Workers union, caps five months of negotiations that had stalled over wages, staffing levels and worker benefits. The agreement addresses union priorities including higher wages, increased pension contributions, health and welfare improvements, and staffing requirements, according to the union.
The breakthrough came after an intensive 40-hour bargaining session that began Friday morning, union officials said1. The negotiations involved seven UFCW chapters representing workers at approximately 500 stores operated by Kroger, which owns Ralphs, and Albertsons, which owns Vons and Pavilions2.
"This victory wouldn't have been possible without the power of our collective action," the union's negotiating committee said in a statement3. "We stood strong against the companies' disrespect and made it clear that we were ready to fight for the contract we deserve."
The workers' contracts expired March 2, leaving them working under a day-to-day extension while negotiations continued14. The union had strategically declined to agree to a formal contract extension to preserve their bargaining power.
The tentative agreement follows weeks of escalating labor tensions. In June, workers voted "overwhelmingly" to authorize an unfair labor practice strike, according to union officials12. The authorization came after union allegations that the companies engaged in surveillance, intimidation and retaliation against union members during negotiations3.
"We are fed up with these corporations' union-busting tactics designed to intimidate us," the union's bargaining committee said following the June vote2.
Workers held practice strikes and rallies last month, with one event drawing hundreds to Long Beach2. The labor dispute affected stores across Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange, San Diego, Ventura, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties4.
The tentative agreement requires ratification by union membership before taking effect. The union plans to schedule informational meetings and voting sessions in the coming weeks, with details of the agreement to be released only after members have reviewed the proposal1.
The Southern California dispute is part of broader labor tensions affecting grocery workers nationwide, with tens of thousands of additional Kroger and Albertsons employees in other states also having authorized strike votes1.
