Unions sue grocers over employee lockout
Oct 15, 2003 12:00 PM, from staff and wire reports
Seven United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) unions in Southern California on strike against Vons supermarkets have filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court against Albertson's and Ralph's supermarket chains for violation of the California Mass Layoff Notification Law (California Labor Code: Section 1400).This law, passed in 2002, requires that each and every employee individually be given 60 days' notice before any mass layoff. In the current labor/management dispute between seven Southern California UFCW locals, there is a strike against Vons. Ralph's and Albertson's have locked out their employees.
According to the lawsuit, Ralph's and Albertson's gave no notice of their intent to lock out. This suit seeks the back pay and health care and pension payments for 60 days that the law stipulates. The unions estimate the amount owed their members locked out by the two employers exceeds several hundred million dollars.
The employers have 30 days to respond to the lawsuit.
