Safeway workers all over Central and Northern California could go on strike as soon as Saturday morning, and every Safeway north of Bakersfield could potentially have a picket line if a deal is not reached with parent company Albertsons.

Several Bay Area cities are just coming out of a garbage collector strike, but another labor strike could be looming that also affects a disproportionate number of Northern and Central California residents. KRON4 reports that unionized Safeway employees could go on strike as soon as 12:01 am Saturday morning (July 26), as 25,000 union Safeway workers might be forming picket lines come Saturday morning if they don’t get a new wage and benefit deal.


KRON4 notes the above demonstration outside the Burlingame Safeway Wednesday afternoon. The tweet we see is from United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) Local 5, which represents many of the workers, as does UFCW Local 8 and Local 648.

And yes, the scene above could play out at your local Safeway as soon as Saturday.


UFCW Union Local 5 representative Jim Araby told KGO that every Safeway in Northern California could see strikes from its unionized workers. "As far south as Bakersfield, up to the Oregon border, and everything in between,” Araby told KGO. “Those workers have been working without a contract for the last few months. It will be significant enough to impact Safeway to move them at the table."


And KGO also confirms the above claim that Safeway (and parent company Alberstons) are offering replacement worker positions paying $27 an hour in anticipation of a possible strike.

Safeway has sent this same statement to multiple media organizations. “We remain committed to productive, good-faith negotiations with the UFCW locals in Northern California,” the statement says. “We have scheduled bargaining sessions this week and continue to work with a federal mediator. While we are disappointed that the Unions have indicated the possibility of a strike at some of our stores, we fully respect our associates’ right to engage in collective bargaining.”

KPIX adds a federal mediator is indeed at the bargaining table with both sides. Those negotiations are still in progress as of press time for this post Thursday afternoon, with hopes of brokering a deal before Saturday.

Related: Garbage Piling Up In Bay Area Cities as Trash Collector Strike Enters Second Week [SFist]

Image: @CaliforniaLabor via Twitter