Supermarket Strike Spreads as Picket Lines Begin Move to Northern California Safeway Stores

    LOS ANGELES, Nov. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- The street fight for affordable health
 care is about to get bigger as striking Southern California supermarket
 workers bring their picket lines to Northern California Safeway stores.  In
 advance of the picket lines, the United Food and Commercial Workers
 International Union (UFCW) today launched an air campaign with a multi-station
 radio ad campaign with one spot that targets Safeway CEO Steve Burd's stock
 sales immediately prior to the onset of the strike.  According to the ad, Burd
 dumped about $20 million worth of stock before the strike.  Safeway stock
 prices have plummeted since the dispute began.  Other ads feature a working
 mom and a child of a striking worker asking shoppers not to patronize Safeway.
     Picket lines will go up at selected Northern California Safeway stores in
 the next several days and will continue indefinitely.  UFCW members working in
 those stores will continue on the job according to their contracts, but
 pickets will ask customers to honor the line and to shop elsewhere.  The
 Northern California action is the first step in the nationalization of the
 supermarket strike.  UFCW International President Doug Dority announced last
 week that he would authorize the extension of picket lines across the country.
 
 Following the Dority announcement, newspaper ads featuring strikers and the
 health care issue appeared in Washington, Baltimore, Denver, Seattle and
 Northern California.  A separate ad on CEO Steve Burd's management record ran
 in the Wall Street Journal.
     UFCW members are bargaining with Safeway, Kroger and Albertson's in
 Arizona, Indiana, Oregon and Tennessee and are preparing for possible walk-
 outs.
 
     Copies of the radio commercials are below:
 
     COMMERCIAL #1
     As working moms, we have to make sure our kids have the health care they
 need when they need it.  As Safeway employees, we sacrificed wage increases so
 our kids could have good medical coverage.  Now, this giant corporation wants
 to slash our health care -- not because the company isn't making a profit --
 it just wants more.  I'm Lucy Medler a 20-year Safeway-Von's employee and a
 working mom.  I'm asking you from my family to yours, please don't shop
 Safeway.
     A message from the working men and women of the UFCW -- we're holding the
 line for health care for all working families.
 
     COMMERCIAL #2
     First, Safeway's CEO Steve Burd sold about $20 million worth of company
 stock.  Then, he forced me and 70,000 other workers onto the streets to save
 our families' health benefits.  We're out of work -- shoppers have been
 inconvenienced -- and Safeway stock prices have taken a nose dive -- but --
 Steve Burd is looking out for himself.  It's time to turn the tables -- I'm
 Kathy Shafer a 28-year Safeway-Vons employee.  Send Steve Burd a message --
 please don't shop Safeway when you see our picket lines.
     A message from the working men and women of the UFCW -- we're holding the
 line for health care for all working families.
 
     COMMERCIAL #3
     It's just me and my mom at home now.  We do great on our own but we need
 to be able to go to the doctor or buy medicine when we're sick.  My mom's
 company Safeway makes money year after year but I guess it's just not enough.
 Now they want to take my health care away.  My name is James and Safeway
 forced my mom to strike for me.  Please help us keep health care.  Don't shop
 at Safeway while we're on strike.
     A message from the working men and women of the UFCW -- we're holding the
 line for health care for all working families.
 
 

SOURCE  United Food and Commercial Workers International Union