University of California Los Angeles - Bruin Life / Southern Campus Yearbook (Los Angeles, CA)

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loyees I AW fe tf h. mi Richard Cowon, United Food ond Commercial Workers Secretory Treasurer speaks out about the strike. The UFCW considered themselves to be a voice for working America as they fought for better healtticare for their members. Photographed by Kama Kormarker, Daily Bruin. Over 70,000 workers of 859 Ralphs, Albertsons, Vons and Pavilions stores in Southern California went on strike against Corporate America in a move that would have made labor rights activist Crystal Lee Sutton ( Norma Rae ) proud indeed. Safeway, Inc. and Kroger Co. were faced with record-low sales and interrupted supply lines as the United Food and Commercial Workers Union stalwartly expressed its opposition to a proposed $1 billion in healthcare cuts. While the strike may have hurt Safeway and Kroger, their competitors have enjoyed profits and a larger share of a market once tenaciously held by the two supermarket titans. Trader Joe ' s has estimated a 30% increase in sales from its 74 stores in California as its employees continue to remain content with their status quo health insurance and pension plans. Second year sociology student Chantae Redeye stated, I am puzzled by the negative-reinforcing mob mentality of the union, which is only hurting itself in the long run. Where do the workers think the losses incurred by the strike will at least partially be recouped from? It seemed the union and store owners had taken a page straight out of the Israeli- Palestinian peace talk playbook - minus the suicide bombers, of course. Multiple sorties at the negotiating tables resulted in more picketing as both sides unwaveringly stood behind their respective offers. At the focal point of the media ' s routine play-by-play analysis were the conflicting figures of the healthcare cuts. The union fought for a cut of $300 - $500 million, an offer which was flatly rejected by the supermarket companies. The union slowly gained more support in the battle of attrition and renegotiation as celebrities and thousands of protestors marched through Los Angeles on December 16th. In true Hollywood fashion, Mellisa Gilber, the President of The Screen Actors Guild, said, The SAG board of directors voted unanimously to support this strike, and our members are on picket lines across [Southern California]. Fourth year cognitive science student Henry Kim commented on the newly acquired support base for the union and its workers when cautiously saying that, Celebrity involvement and media overexposure is blowing this problem way out of proportion. Though true that cuts may have been necessary in the face of a lagging economy and growing competition in an increasingly saturated market, it was also important that employee conditions and customer satisfaction not be blindly sacrificed in the name of the Almighty dollar. 3 3 K5UBB69

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AJ f i I At first I was avoiding the stores on strike, but now it has gone on too long. It ' s been over 100 days and I need to sh op somewhere. Rachel Tellez 4th year Communication Studies Dan Duree 4th year Sociology I stopped shopping at Ralphs when they were picketing. But after a while, I didn ' t want to drive to go shopping, and they stopped picketing. Roberto Leon 2nd year Electical Engineering There ' s a Ralphs near my house and I am friends with the people that worked there. It ' s sad to see them on the street when they are good workers and the community likes them V A striking grocery worker talks to a passing police officer. Ralphs workers were locked out in the grocery worker strike over their new contract, which they found more than disappointing in its lack of employee benefits, ftiototjmphul by lonatlnn Young, Daliy ff EMPLEADOS EN

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I don ' t think wardrobes malfunction, but despite that, a star came out. Adam Vinatieri ' s field goal at the end of the game was exciting. I didn ' t even see it, but I definitely heard ALL about it. Jon Sugar 3rd year Mechanical Engineering Chris Ward 4th year History Monica Fbsin 3rd year Psychobiology '