Round one of grocery workers union voting favors strike (NY)

[struggle4progress]

Nearly 1,000 members of United Food & Commercial Workers Local 1262 voted unanimously on Tuesday evening to reject the contract proposals put forth by their employers and to authorize Local 1262 President Harvey Whille to call a strike, if necessary, should the two sides fail to reach an agreement prior to the contract's expiration at midnight on Saturday, April 16, 2005.

The union represents 2,000 ShopRite and Pathmark workers in the Hudson Valley counties of Columbia, Greene, Orange, Rockland, Sullivan and Ulster counties in New York and a Grand Union Market in Milford, Pike County, PA.

The meeting in East Brunswick, NJ was the first of four special union meetings set for this week at which members will be asked to vote to accept or reject the contract proposals from the supermarkets and to authorize the union's leaders to call a strike if necessary. Votes will continue to be taken with tallying last night in Secaucus and tonight in Long Branch, NY and Newburgh, NY.

A count from all four meetings will be taken and an official decision on the vote's outcome will be declared by Whille and the officers of Local 1262 on Friday. <snip>

http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/grocery_strike_vote-14Apr05.htm

[napi21]

1. How big is Pathmark and Shoprite in that area?

How much of the grocery market do thay have there?

If they have a good % of the market, this could be a big help for those workers. If they don't, it might not do anything but hurt the striking workers.