GROCERY UNIONS TARGET LATINO MARKETS, WORKERS

Labor unions have their sights set on the next population wave: Hispanics working in supermarkets.

The unions say it’s a matter of ensuring that workers are treated fairly. Increasingly, economic and language barriers have left some Latino workers vulnerable, they say.

But the move hasn’t gone unnoticed. Many private industries are fighting unionization efforts because they already are grappling with shrinking profit margins and increased competition.

This is especially true in supermarkets, where customer visits are declining as competition grows from discount retailers such as Wal-Mart.

The battle between unions and supermarkets is being played out in a strike in California; and unionized grocery workers here are negotiating a new contract.

Unions see the growing Hispanic population as a good way to bolster membership.

Nationwide, union membership dipped slightly, to about 16 million, between 2001 and 2002, reports the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Hispanic population grew 9.8 percent, to 38.8 million from 2000 to 2002, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Nationwide, about 1.6 million Hispanics are union members, the AFL-CIO reports. Unions are going after Latino-heavy industries, and have focused in part on supermarkets.

Local grocers Ranch Markets and Food City are on some unions’ radar for organizing.

“Unlike manufacturing, you can’t move these jobs out of the country,” said John Jordan, a national union consultant.

In Arizona, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 99, which has about 14,000 workers at Safeway and Fry’s Food Stores, has had its eye on about 700 Food City workers and hundreds more employees of the Ranch Market chain. Both grocers cater to moderate-income Hispanic families and employ many Latinos. Ranch Market officials did not return phone calls. Food City parent company Bashas’ says it pays all of its workers a competitive rate and tries to treat everybody fairly.

The attempt to organize Food City stores started among some meat department workers who complained about having to use old equipment and being paid less than their parent-company’s counterparts at Basha’ and AJ’s Fine Foods, UFCW Local 99’s Mike Vespoli said.

Two Hispanic men filed a lawsuit against Bashas’ Supermarkets claiming national origin discrimination. A judge is now deciding if this can be considered a class-action lawsuit.

Bashas’ Mike Gantt, senior vice president of human resources, responded strongly to the lawsuit.

“How dare anybody suggest that we would think about taking advantage of these people when that’s the lifeblood of our business?” Gantt asked. “We believe the union has an ongoing interest in organizing any chain that’s not unionized.”

Bashas’ has been updating its older Food City stores and building new ones to cater to a growing base of consumers, he said.

There was a time when Food City workers were paid less. When Bashas’ bought the Food City format in 1993, it paid the same wages as the previous owner. But several years ago, Bashas’ upgraded the pay scale to match its other stores, Gantt said.

UFCW Local 99 officials say they believe unionization helps improve overall economic conditions, pointing to various statistics. For example, unionized workers earn $20.30 an hour in the Valley vs. non-union workers, who earn an hourly average of $16.84, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

But in most cases, workers say money isn’t their motivation. They cite “having a voice at work” for wanting to organize, said Jill Cashen, a Washington, D.C., spokeswoman for the UFCW. Other common complaints include no bathroom breaks, inconsistent number of hours scheduled and safety concerns.

“Some employers feel they can exploit their more vulnerable position in our society,” Cashen said. “We help them understand the laws are there to protect everyone at work regardless of their immigration status.”

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