Strike effects widely felt
By Jesse Phelps

As the United Food and Commercial Workers strike that has Ojai Vons employees sweating in the sweltering late autumn sun nears the end of its second week, people on the picket line and neighboring businesses are beginning to feel the heat.

What is unclear is whether the executives running the supermarket chains and their union counterparts are any closer to being ready to accept a compromise. The latest reports show little progress on the negotiating front. NBC News reported that labor negotiators have sought a federal arbitrator in an attempt to get a deal set with supermarket executives but the Ojai Valley News has been unable to verify any further developments.

The submitted collective bargaining proposal has been deemed unacceptable by the union because it allows for hiring a second tier of workers at lower wages, which the UFCW argues would lead to a loss of premium shifts for longtime employees, and a reduction in company responsibility for medical benefits.

Meanwhile, the signs are obvious that the strike is costing the supermarkets plenty of business. In the Ojai Vons, footfalls echo loudly off the empty shelves in even emptier aisles. A walk through the store reveals a serious reduction in produce and bread and a total lack of fish, deli foods and flowers. Perishables are at a premium and a lone checker waits to ask anyone for his or her Vons card.

The workers outside the store, meanwhile, long to return to their duties. They say they'd rather be on the job than in the sun, that standing outside is far less lucrative than manning their posts.

Nancy Kornegay has worked for nearly three years in the service deli. On Wednesday, she struggled to hold her emotions in check as she said, "It's upsetting because we just want to go back to work. This is my career. I'm 54 years old."

She said that, though she is receiving compensation for her time on the picket line, it just isn't enough. "It's about half of what I bring home (normally)," she said. "If we can't go back to work soon, I'll have to do this and find another job in the meantime. But I have a job and I want to work that job. I take pride in my work."

And the financial woes are not limited to strikers. The presence of picketers and their signs has ancillary effects. Vons shares the "Y" shopping center with seven other businesses. Workers or owners at three of them said that their stores and those of their neighbors have suffered a significant loss of patronage.

Les Gardner, proprietor of the Attitude Adjustment Shoppe, sees two reasons his business, which shares the Vons end of the parking lot, has seen a drop off. "People are reluctant to cross the picket line out at the curb where they drive in," he said. "And the second reason realistically could be that people who normally trade at Vons are going other places to do business."

He also said that the strikers, who are making less money, are less apt to spend than when they are earning their regular paycheck. "There's a whole ripple effect," said Gardner. "Everybody's feeling a pinch."

Gardner said that the picketers have been cooperative, by and large, respecting his wish that they keep their distance with the signs so as not to appear to be lining up in front of his store. Like Kornegay, he longs for resolution. "I just hope it doesn't last long," Gardner said.

Other ripple effects include unsubstantiated reports by community members that some strikers displayed overly aggressive behavior toward those crossing the line. Those few who entered in one hour-long stretch on Wednesday received little or no resistance, however. UFCW representative Martel Fraser detailed rules of conduct to a large group of workers after they left the building last, late at night on Saturday, Oct. 11.

Meanwhile, the strikers themselves say conflict has barely been an issue, as the community on the whole has been extremely supportive of their plight, respecting the line and honking their horns in support.

And in the midst of a very difficult time, many agree they have found a new familial unit in their coworkers. "What's so good is the solidarity of our employees here. Everybody has a good, upbeat outlook," said Kornegay.

Despite difficult circumstances for him, Gardner too finds a silver lining - for some of his fellow local businesspeople. "I think that one of the things that's good about it is that the independent grocery stores, who have for so long competed against the chains - here in our town, Starr Market and Westridge - people can find out about those stores and it can have a long-term, positive impact on them," he said.

Terry Starr and David West said their markets have, in fact, seen a significant upturn in business since the strike began. Starr said he hopes that many of the shoppers will remain long term after having a look at his selection and prices. "People assume that since we're small, that (our prices are) high," he said. "But they're not."

Three shoppers interviewed outside Starr market all said they were pleasantly surprised with their experience shopping there, as they all normally shop at Vons. Though one said she prefers the selection she normally finds at Vons, another said she prefers the selection at Starr. All agreed that the service and prices at the local grocer measure up to those at the chain. And all said that, first and foremost, they want to respect the picket line.

Joanie Holling said she's worked for a large corporation and doesn't trust the supermarkets' dogma, which claims that potential reductions for employees are minimal. "It's much more elaborate than that," she said. "They're cutting health benefits for people who have stayed with the company for 20 years because of a retirement package.

They're going to have an increase in their drug costs and a larger co-pay. (The supermarkets) are cutting the whole package and they're not telling the whole truth. There's a lot of us that don't have health insurance so (shopping elsewhere) is supporting what we all should have: health care."

Starr said that his staff has been working hard to keep items in stock to keep the influx of new customers happy but that stocking has been slowed due to another effect of the strike, solidarity from truckers and delivery personnel. Still, he said, "If somebody asks us for something, we try to get it."

Also a union market with a contract that hasn't yet expired, Starr has hired on some of the disenfranchised workers from the chain markets. One such hire is Phil Guest, who normally works as a frozen food clerk in Santa Paula. Guest said that he works both Starr and the picket line, which pays him $200 per week - about a third of his usual weekly paycheck - to help feed his four children.

So as their lives change and the fight drags on, the strikers scrounge for ways to augment their incomes. As local businesses grow leaner or fatter with each passing day, those in the lines outside the markets can only take solace in togetherness, try to stay in the shade or find auxiliary employment, and hope resolution is swift.

© 2003 The Ojai Valley News

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