Jewish Labor Committee Western Region Welcomes Tentative Contract between management and grocery workers in Southern CA
JLC WR Members, Staff March in Candlelight Vigil for UFCW grocery workers
[r-l]: Jewish Labor Committee Western Region's President Floyd Glen-Lambert, JLCWR Secretary Jocelyn Sherman, and JLCWR Executive Director Leslie Gersicoff march in a candlelight vigil in support of UFCW grocery workers.
(Tuesday, September 20, 2011) Los Angeles -- The Jewish Labor Committee Western Region [JLCWR] welcomed the announcement made yesterday that over 60,000 members of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union working at Ralphs (Kroger), Vons (Safeway) and Albertsons (Supervalu) in Southern California reached a tentative agreement with the companies. The Jewish Labor Committee Western Region has been supporting the grocery workers for many years, from participating in pickets and rallies in support of decent contracts, to "adopting" the workers at two Pavilions' stores, one in Beverly Hills, one in Sherman Oaks.
The tentative agreement was reached after eight months of negotiating and the strong involvement and activism of the grocery workers and widespread support of customers and allies across the region.
JLCWR members and staff participated in the most recent vigil in support of these workers, which took place Sunday evening, beginning at the Pavilions store in Beverly Hills, and continuing on to the Ralphs in West Los Angeles.
Jewish Labor Committee Western Region President Floyd Glen-Lambert spoke to Sunday evening's crowd, referring to a passage in the Torah that workers must be treated with dignity and paid fairly and on time. Workers in the streets responded with cheers. Also speaking at the rally were Los Angeles County Federation of Labor Secretary-Treasurer Maria Elena Durazo, Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Koretz, Los Angeles Controller Wendy Greuel, California State Representative Bob Blumenfield, Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice - Los Angeles Executive Director Rabbi Jonathan Klein and others. The JLCWR delegation, organized by JLC Western Region Executive Director Leslie Gersicoff, included regional Vice President Jerry Levey and members-at-large.
Upon learning that a tentative agreement had been reached, subject to approval of the grocery workers, JLCWR Executive Director Gersicoff said that she "congratulates these courageous workers for standing together through the toughest test of union solidarity."