(KRON) — A potential strike by 25,000 Safeway workers in Northern California looms as a contract agreement remains elusive hours before the deadline.
The United Food and Commercial Workers Union has negotiated with Safeway for the past five months, seeking better wages, benefits, and pensions for its members. If no agreement is reached by midnight, picketing could start Saturday morning.
“I’m stocking up right now. Got my milk, my bread, my meat,” said Allison Figge, a Safeway shopper, expressing concern over potential store closures.
Safeway strike could happen as early as Saturday if agreement not reached
“You can usually get good prices here and I’m used to their brand so yes I wouldn’t want them to go out on strike,” said Pat Van Oss, another shopper worried about the impact of a strike.
Shoppers across the Bay Area have been preparing for possible store closures by stocking up on groceries. Kirt Foley, a Safeway shopper, mentioned, “I came down here to get groceries for the weekend.”
Safeway has responded by posting flyers seeking temporary workers to keep stores open in the event of a strike.
Two deceased women’s ashes mixed up in East Bay, lawsuit claims
In a statement to KRON4, Safeway expressed hope for a resolution, stating, “We are working diligently to balance the needs of our associates and customers, maintain our position as a trusted choice in the market by delivering consistent value, and ensure the long-term sustainability of our business in a highly competitive grocery industry.”
With the deadline fast approaching, the outcome of the negotiations remains uncertain, leaving both workers and shoppers in anticipation of what the weekend will bring.
All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KRON4. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KRON4 staff before being published.
Source:: News San Francisco – KRON 4
About Author
