Southern California Supermarket Strike

Striking Vons employees look for public support from passing vehicles while picketing at a Vons on Vermont and 3rd Street. Safeway Inc. which operates Vons and Pavilions stores was the first company to undergo a strike on October 11, 2003 by union members when a federal mediator failed to resolve United Food and Commercial Workers union differences with the company over health insurance and wages for new union employees. Union workers at Ralph's and Albertsons were then locked out of their stores by supermarket managers. The supermarkets are losing millions of dollars in sales daily while shoppers head to Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, and other smaller supermarkets. (Photo by Ted Soqui/Corbis via Getty Images)