Editor:

I feel that it is necessary to respond to the gross misrepresentation of the United Food & Commercial Workers’ strike that appeared in the [Oct. 20] issue. First, the characterizations of unions as beholden to the mafia and of the grocery workers as simply ³swiping items across a barcode reader² are simply false and ridiculous. Grocery store workers do a number of jobs, including some of which are very physically arduous. Unions in general represent the needs of their member workers and are a necessary counter to the whim of business owners, who will cut costs whenever possible at the expense of workers.

It is true that UFCW workers do not currently pay for healthcare. This is the result of years of battles with employers who, regardless of their complaints now of lower profit, are still making billions of dollars each year on the basis of the hard work done by the 70,000 employees in Southern California alone. In fact, the contract being offered by Vons, Albertsons and Ralphs to their employees not only requires them to pay premiums for their insurance, it also allows for dental, vision, family planning and preventative care benefits to be cut altogether. The workers could find themselves responsible for 50 percent or more of their office visit costs, meaning that on a $20,000 hospital bill, these workers could be charged $10,000 personally.

But this strike is also about more than health benefits. The bosses are also pushing to end all future retirement benefits, meaning that whether you work there until five years from now or 50 years from now, you will retire with the same amount of benefits you have today. The proposed contract also would eliminate overtime pay for Sundays and reduce pay for all workers between the hours of 6-10 p.m. Perhaps most disgustingly, the owners are trying to create a two-tier system in which new employees are paid significantly less than senior employees, encouraging managers to fire senior employees to cut back on costs.

If the three major stores succeed in making these types of cuts on the backs of their workers, other bosses will follow suit. Students that support the strike are organizing to assist with pickets and show solidarity with the UFCW in a variety of ways. There will also be a forum on Nov. 12 on campus involving workers from the UFCW as well as other struggles in the area.

If you aren’t sure what to think, come hear the perspectives of the workers themselves on the matter. For information about any of these efforts, contact [email protected].

‹ Rebecca Anshell

International Socialist Organization, Thurgood Marshall College senior