Under the hot sun, Phillip Perez, a 19-year-old temporary
grocery clerk, roams the Westwood Ralphs parking lot looking for
abandoned grocery carts. Wearing his personal attire under a bright
orange safety vest, Perez comments about the uncertainty of his
future at the supermarket.
“A friend told me about job openings at Ralphs. But since
I haven’t got (a paycheck), I don’t even know how much
I’m getting paid per hour,” he said.
That same sense of uncertainty permeates the picket line as
union workers and the local Ralphs supermarket anticipate a
potentially prolonged labor dispute, which has revolved around
health care coverage and wages for new hires.
Some of the strikers expressed uncertainty about their future
livelihood in the event the strike continues.
Modesto Lopez, a union member and striking worker, worked in the
dairy and deli departments, earning $17.90 an hour.
Lopez, a married man with two boys, 9 and 12 years old, has
worked at Ralphs for 13 years.
Speaking in Spanish, Lopez said he could not allow his benefits
to be rescinded.
Drawing from the union strike fund, which is designed to provide
some minimal income for the striking workers, the union currently
provides $40 a day for all workers, except baggers, to take part in
the picket line for six hours. Baggers receive $20 for four hours
of picketing a day.
Lopez, who worked anywhere from 30 to 40 hours a week, now faces
a substantial reduction in his monthly income. In response, he said
his wife has now begun to look for a part-time job.
Despite his uncertain future, Lopez held a positive outlook for
the upcoming weeks, saying he hopes the labor dispute will be
resolved soon.
According to union officials, strikers will get paid today by
Ralphs for the past week’s work, though checks will be sent
by mail. Strikers could start receiving income through their
respective union chapters as early as next week.
However, rumors abound about the supermarket’s
intentions.
Lisa Torres, a spokeswoman for the United Food and Commercial
Workers Local 1442, said she was concerned that the worker lockout
might last long enough to severely harm striking Ralphs
employees.
“Hopefully we can come to some decision soon,”
Torres said, adding she wasn’t sure how much money the strike
fund could sustain the strike for, punctuating the already
uncertain atmosphere.
Mike Quiñones, store director of the Westwood Ralphs
supermarket, declined to be interviewed, but said earlier this week
that he has no real control over the situation.
Some students said they noted differences in the supermarket
since the strike began and expressed support for the workers.
Mike Keesler, a second-year English student, noticed some
changes while he shopped. Though Keesler said he sympathized with
employees, he still crossed their picket lines out of
convenience.
Now when he sees a crowded supermarket, Keesler said he feels
sympathy for the strikers’ cause, as crowds indicate that the
general public as a whole ““ including himself ““ does
not intend to honor the workers’ picket line.
“I can only imagine what it’s like to work for a
living and then get stepped on by a corporation,” he
said.