Today, workers from Fred Meyer, Albertson’s, Safeway, and QFC stores across western Washington will begin their strike. After months of negotiation with management, where proposals to cut health benefits, wages, and other benefits were proposed by their corporate negotiators, the nearly 30,000 workers have joined together to strike for their fair share.
The parent companies of these grocery stores are enjoying the benefits of their employee’s hard work and excellent service. With steady growth and secure profits during the economic recession, these companies have chosen to shut out their workers from sharing in the success they helped build. From checkers to deli workers, these are our friends and neighbors. They live in our communities and deserve the wages and benefits that allow them to provide for themselves and their families.
At Poverty Action we recognize that solidarity is essential in our struggle to eliminate poverty. We believe that the root causes of poverty are impacted by many things; its education access, earning a fair wage, the effects of racism, and much more that intersect to create the violence of poverty.
We know that you can’t build community while punishing workers, hiring scabs to work for your regular employees, and fighting to eliminate benefits for your workforce. We know that the strength of a union is supplemented with allies in the community who see that standing together is our way to build the world we desire. Over the coming days you will see on povertyaction.org more ways to support the strike.
We urge you not to cross a picket line. The workers on strike need our support and finding an alternative stores that support their workforce. Union grocery stores are a great place to shop, but the national CEOs of these stores are hard at work making our communities weaker by advocating for lower wages and fewer benefits. Please click here for a list of alternate stores in your neighborhood/city for your business during this strike. Solidarity is up to each of us, and we all play an important role in supporting the strikers. Choosing an alternate store is the first step in supporting your community during this strike.
Their struggle is our struggle. We hope you will join the effort and support the grocery workers in western WA.
Thank You,
The Poverty Action Team