Grocery workers to vote on strike

At odds over proposed changes to their health care coverage, thousands of Southern California grocery workers will take a strike authorization vote today and Saturday while the major supermarket chains finalize contingency plans in case of a walkout. Gregory J. Wilcox in the Daily News,

Local 770 of the United Food and Commercial Workers will be voting on the health care package proposed by negotiators for Ralphs, Vons and Albertsons. A rejection automatically authorizes union officials to call a strike after 72 hours.

It would be the second strike vote taken by union workers since talks began more than five months ago.

"We were hoping we would be having a (contract) ratification vote ... but we're going to ask the membership once again to call a strike," Rick Icaza, president of Local 770, said Thursday.