Stater Bros. workers have asked the public to boycott the supermarket chain’s Pasadena store on Monday.
Workers were set to gather 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. for a demonstration and to urge customers not to shop at the company’s store in Pasadena, 1390 Allen Ave.
“Twelve thousand Stater Bros. workers across Southern California have been working under a contract that expired in March,” according to a statement by United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 770. “They’ve been negotiating with the company for nearly five months to get the wages, staffing levels and benefits they deserve but instead of bargaining in good faith, the company has engaged in unfair labor practices, including surveillance, interrogation, retaliation and unlawfully restricting workers’ right to engage in protected union activities.”
The union noted that its locals have secured new contracts for over 45,000 workers at other grocery chains such as Ralphs, Albertsons, Vons and Pavilions, but Stater Bros. remains resistant to similar significant wage increases, enhanced pension, health and welfare benefits, improved staffing and other upgrades.
“And while we’ve been fighting to reach a deal, they’ve been breaking the law, unlawfully surveilling members who have been active in the contract campaign, discriminating against members who support the union, interrogating members and bypassing the union’s bargaining committee and making proposals directly to members,” according to UFCW Local 770.
“The Stater Bros. Markets bargaining team has been at the negotiating table, working hard and in good faith to reach an agreement with our union partners,” according to a company statement. “Significant amounts of progress had been made during negotiations last week, so we were disappointed to learn that the union chose to proceed with boycott activities at our Pasadena store anyway. An agreement can only be reached at the negotiation table, not by disrupting our customers’ shopping.”
Workers voted “overwhelmingly” July 25 to authorize an unfair labor practice strike against Stater Bros., UFCW Local 770 reported. The union also has filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board alleging management “unlawfully restricted union activities, including blocking access to break rooms and threatening to call law enforcement on employees simply for exercising their labor rights,” among other accusations.
“Our bargaining team remains committed to quickly reaching an agreement with the union that demonstrates the importance of our store teammates, maintains the long-term health of our company, AND helps us hold the line on prices for our customers,” Stater Bros. representatives said.
The next contract negotiation meetings are scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday.
