UFCW Revises Number of Workers in Labor Dispute

The United Food and Commercial Workers Union, which had stated repeatedly that 70,000 workers are involved in the supermarket labor dispute in Central and Southern California, said on Thursday that the number of people on strike or locked out is 59,000.

A union spokeswoman, Barbara Maynard, said that 70,000 UFCW members were, in fact, covered by the labor contract with supermarkets that expired last year. But 11,000 of them work for Stater Bros. Holdings Inc., Arden Group Inc.’s Gelson’s and other regional grocery companies and are still on the job.

Maynard said union officials had been “making it clear” all along that 11,000 of the number were employed by the regional grocery companies.

But statements and news releases issued by the UFCW have referred to 70,000 “families on the streets” and to 70,000 people on strike at Safeway Inc.’s Vons and Pavilions stores and locked out by Kroger Co.’s Ralphs chain and Albertsons Inc.

Stater Bros., Gelson’s and other regional grocers have said they would sign whatever labor contract is agreed to by the union and Safeway, Kroger and Albertsons.

Maynard said that was the reason for the consistent references to 70,000 people being affected by the strike, which began Oct. 11, and the lockout, which began the next day.

She made her comments Thursday when asked by a reporter for specific data about the makeup of the strike force in the labor dispute.