Here We Go Again - Another Grocery Strike

I remember the last one that went on for several months and made for many awkward moments, including buying all our Thanksgiving fixings after crossing a picket line full of surly grocery workers.

After eight months of negotiations, grocery workers at Southern California three biggest chains on Thursday night issued a 72-hour notice canceling the grocery contract extension and "paving the way for a strike" according to a statement.

“We returned to the bargaining table ready to compromise and make a deal that keeps our employers profitable but protects the jobs of our members,” said Rick Icaza, president of the grocery workers union Local 770 in a written statement. “They are unwilling to compromise and are more concerned about hoarding their billions in profits than reaching a fair deal for their employees. We don’t want to strike, but if they won’t negotiate, we have no choice.”

The negotiations have centered largely around the employees' health care benefits.

No comments from the stores were immediately available.

We probably won't cross picket lines this time because we don't have to. We'll just shop at Trader Joe's, Sprouts, Costco or Target. There are lots of places we can buy what we need without messing with a bunch of striking workers. In the long run both the strikers and the stores will lose.