PLEASANT HILL, Calif. – Thousands of workers at one of the Bay Area’s largest supermarket chains could soon walk off the job as contract negotiations between the union and Safeway continue.
United Food and Commercial Workers Local 5, which represents about 25,000 Safeway employees across the Bay Area and Northern California, voted last week to authorize a strike if a deal cannot be reached soon.
Union members rallied outside a Safeway store in Pleasant Hill on Tuesday, where roughly 100 workers picketed as negotiations remain underway. The union says it is pushing for higher wages, improved healthcare, and stronger retirement benefits.…