Nearly 3,000 Rite Aid workers across California are set to begin voting Thursday on whether or not to authorize union leaders to call a strike if contract negotiations stay stalled.
Rick Icaza, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 770, addressed the nature of the possible strike in a statement: "We wish it hadn't come to this, but the unreasonable and unfair demands of management to eliminate healthcare, cut wages, and increase workload are unacceptable."
Rite Aid management are proposing to retire the company retiree health coverage program, and increase current employee deductibles, among other changes unwelcomed by the the workers, according to UFCW770. Employees could be facing out-of-pocket expenses up to $10,000 per year, they say.
Workers from Santa Maria to the O.C. border begin voting today. Statewide voting will wrap up by next week, says UFCW770.
