Striking and locked-out Southern California grocery workers voted overwhelmingly to return to work and end the longest and largest supermarket strike in history, union officials said.

Almost 70,000 picketing employees chose to approve a contract offer from three of the nation’s largest grocers by an 86-percent margin during two days of voting, five locals of the United Food and Commercial Workers announced in a statement late on Feb. 29.

“Workers in this labor dispute were fighting to protect affordable health care, their pensions and job security,” they stated. “These three goals were accomplished in the new agreement indicating the workers’ struggle and sacrifice were worthwhile.”

However, the new contract includes cuts in benefits, Reuters reported. Under the deal, workers will be required to pay a portion of health care costs, though less than the companies had asked in a proposal prior to the strike. In addition, grocers will establish a two-tier wage system, with lower maximum pay and pension benefits for new hires, and cut employer contributions to pensions of current workers. Returning employees will also receive a bonus for every hour they worked in the year prior to the strike.

Albertsons, Vons and Ralphs praised the agreement in a joint statement on Feb. 26, though they said that it required tough choices on both sides.

“This labor dispute has been difficult for everyone involved — our employees, our customers and our companies — and we look forward to its conclusion,” the grocers stated. “[The] agreement squarely addresses the challenging health care costs and competitive issues we face.”

Workers voted to go on strike against Vons on Oct. 11, 2003 and the other two companies locked out their workers the next day, as part of a deal between the three to bargain collectively.

Originally, the union opposed what they considered excessive medical co-payments, a provision establishing a similar two-tier employment system and even higher cuts in pension contributions.

At the time, the companies said the measures were needed to cut rising health care costs and remain competitive against new nonunion Wal-Mart supercenters.

After almost five months in the picket lines, the workers settled for a compromise that included many of the provisions they had initially opposed.

“I think there are things [in the contract] that shouldn’t be in there,” said John Muir College freshman Josh Sugar, an Albertsons employee. “But to be honest, after four months, it’s just not worth it anymore,”

However, UFCW International President Doug Dority argued the union had won the first battle in the fight for affordable health care.

“The employers never believed that workers could sustain a five-month strike,” he said in a statement. “The employers completely underestimated the determination and fortitude of their employees.”

For customers, like Muir freshman Jesse Chen, the end of the strike means that they can now return to the supermarkets without crossing the picket lines.

“I’m happy for both sides, now that they’ve reached an agreement,” Chen said.

Dority promised that UFCW would use the leverage it has gained to win favorable contracts in future negotiations throughout the country.

“Through their struggle, the striking and locked-out workers have performed a service for the whole country. They have sounded the alarm for all of America — our health care benefits at work are at risk,” he stated. “The UFCW will lead the fight for health care reform. And, I believe, with members like our Southern California members, the UFCW will win that fight.”

The union has said that workers may return to work within a week of the Feb. 29 agreement.