Despite Threats, Retail Analyst Predicts No Grocery Strike
A Southern California retail analyst doesn't expect the labor talks between the region's largest grocery chains and workers to lead to a strike. Union workers are threatening to walk off the job if there's no new deal with Von's, Ralph's and Albertson's stores by the end of next week.
San Marcos based retail analyst George Whalin says the stores and union member's can not afford another strike. Whalin says both sides have too much to lose.
Whalin : It’s not at all uncommon for consumers to shop at least two and sometimes three stores for their food purchases for their families. So that's been a cultural shift and that's been exacerbated by the labor strike.
Union officials want to roll back the two-tier contract they reluctantly agreed to at the end of the last strike and lockout. The grocers say they need those concessions to stay competitive.
