Tens of thousands of Southern California supermarket workers cast their ballots in a vote that — if successful — would authorize union leaders to call a strike if they can't reach a contract with Ralphs, Vons and Albertsons.
For the strike authorization measure to pass, at least two-thirds of the union voters participating have to support it. The voting, which began Wednesday at 8 a.m., was expected to finish by evening.
The labor contract that was reached in 2007 expired March 6 and is being extended on a day-by-day basis. It covers about 62,000 United Food and Commercial Workers across the region, including those employed by Ralphs, which is owned by Kroger Co.; Safeway Inc., which owns Vons and Pavilions stores; and Albertsons, which is owned by SuperValu Inc.
Even if the Southern California grocery workers give their union the go-ahead to call a strike, it doesn't mean a walkout or an employer lockout is imminent. Instead, it may help jump-start the labor talks, which have been sluggish for weeks, industry analysts said.
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