A tentative agreement has been reached between the union and the three major SoCal grocery store chains, bringing to an end a tense and protracted period of negotiations hinging largely on health insurance fees and other wage-related issues. more ›

Despite the passed grocery strike deadline, grocery workers remain at work while Albertsons, Ralphs and Vons representatives continue with contract negotiations. Unionized grocery workers issued a 72-hour notice canceling a contract extension, which marks the final step before a strike. SoCalian grocery workers have been working sans contract since March 6. more ›

It's back to the bargaining table for union leaders and representatives from the three major local grocery store chains, and there will be no strike this week. Over the weekend, a vote by unionized grocery workers yielded a 90% return in favor of authorizing a strike. more ›

Grocery workers negotiating for a better health care plan have rejected a proposal by the management of Vons, Ralphs and Albertsons. Supermarket chains may come back with a better offer, the Orange County Register Reports. If not, union members could decide to give immediate notice to strike and then walk out 72 hours later. more ›

Ballots are being cast today and tomorrow by unionized grocery workers from the big local chains and a strike could be authorized as a result. "Depending on the outcome of this vote, a strike could happen as early as next week," notes ABC7. The issue remains the employees' health care plan, and its monthly cost. more ›

Grocery workers in Southern California have been threatening to strike since April, but according to a statement from the worker's union, the time may be at hand. This week, they say, meetings are being held with picket captains, and a strike could come as soon as next week. Workers are protesting their contracts, the negotiations of which have been going on for six months. more ›

Hundreds of National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) delegates from the 2011 NAACP Convention will assemble in downtown Los Angeles this afternoon to march in support of 62,000 Southern California grocery workers. more ›

Amid ongoing contract negotiations and the constant threat of a worker strike, officials representing Ralphs, Vons and Albertons issued a statement today addressing the state of their bargaining with the grocery workers' union. In it, they comment on the agreements reached so far at the negotiating table, which include retaining parts of the current pension plan. more ›

Vons, Ralphs, and Albertsons announced in a statement that a tentative agreement has been struck with the grocery workers' union, United Food and Commercial Workers Locals (UFCW), regarding the pension portion of the paperwork. Terms of the agreement that affects more than 60,000 employees in the region were not disclosed. more ›

After voting to authorize a strike, grocery store workers are getting closer and closer to actually going through with protesting their employers, including Ralph's, Von's and Alberton's, reports the Daily Breeze. The proposed strike came about in part because of foot-dragging on the part of the grocery stores; the workers contracts ran out in March and employees were put on a day-to-day contract. more ›

An accident Saturday morning involving a large Vons truck on the 5 Freeway prompted authorities to shut down all southbound lanes and one northbound lane at Imperial Highway, reports CBS Local. The crash reportedly caused the truck to catch on fire scattering debris across all southbound lanes and closing a northbound lane because of guardrail damage, reports CBS Local. more ›

Employees of Ralphs, Vons and Albertsons have voted to go on strike, reports the Daily Breeze. The announcement comes after contract negotiations have been ongoing since the beginning of March. Contracts have been on a day-to-day basis since then. Last week, the union that represents grocery workers -- United Food and Commercial Workers Local 770 -- announced that they would ask members to vote on the possibility of a strike at last night's meeting. more ›

As contract talks with their employers drag, the Southern California union of grocery workers will consider going on strike. According to KCBS, members of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 770 will vote next Wednesday to decide on their course of action. more ›

Greenpeace's latest scorecard measuring various supermarket chains' commitments to sustainable seafood may come as a surprise. The polesitter is not Whole Foods and certainly not Bristol Farms... it's one of the largest grocery chains in the United States. Safeway, which owns and operates all VONS and Pavilions supermarkets (among others), captured the top spot in Greenpeace's fifth update of its Carting Away the Oceans rankings. more ›

Sunday morning shoppers at Vons in Wilshire Center had an unusual sight to see from the checkout line. Feet away from them were TV cameras, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and others talking about Assembly Bill 1998, known to many as the plastic bag ban. more ›

A salmonella outbreak has spurred a massive egg recall that has been expanded to affect several stores in California that carry the eggs produced by Wright County Egg of Galt, Iowa, according to LA Now. more ›

A scorecard released today by Greenpeace examines American supermarket chains and to what extent their seafood business is practiced sustainably. more ›

An article in today's Telegraph.co.uk touts the recent adoption of Twitter by British-based Tesco's Fresh & Easy grocery stores. Although the article focuses on the rarity of a Brit business using what's more popular with American businesses, F&E's web-watchers Fresh & Easy Buzz point out that the Tweets are coming from California, not England:

Fresh & Easy's presence on Twitter.com isn't being maintained by a Tesco Fresh & Easy company employee based out of its Southern California headquarters or by a Tesco PLC employee in the UK. Rather, the Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market Twitter site is maintained on a regular basis by SallieB, who is a social marketing expert with Tesco Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market's public relation's firm, ABCO International.

Though perhaps not gripping correspondence, Twitter does help to establish loyalty by giving customers an active way of communicating with the company's management. [...] more ›

Yesterday Health Magazine (via iVillage/MSNBC) released their list of the nation's top ten healthiest grocery chains. The list was compiled based on the findings of six experts selected by the publication in comparing the top 35 grocery retailers, and revealed that your neighborhood big name big box can actually be good for you. Criteria for ranking included "the freshness of produce and taste of prepared foods to the healthiness of packaged goods and availability of supplemental nutritional information." more ›

If you were going to Comic-Con or just heading towards San Diego, today's truck crash/fire was not helpful (should have taken the train, the Surfliner to San Diego is a beautiful and chill ride). This morning, "a Vons big rig crashed into a disabled vehicle on southbound Interstate 5 near Pulgas Road, flipped over and burst into flames... leaving all but one lane of southbound I-5 blocked for hours," according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. Apparently, Vons was "en route" to "recover their product." Okay, then. Look out for any pre-charred ribs the next time you're at Vons. more ›

I was just in New York. I lived there for a few years in the late nineties. New York is full of great stuff, as is LA, but one of the things I miss most, on coming home, is the bread. In New York, you go to a market (usually little, individually owned markets), who get loads of delicious bread all the time. This bread is nearly anonymous, but always delicious and all different types – baguettes, challah, wheat. One of my favorites is a small, round Portuguese loaf, with four small points rising out of the center. It was great to buy a loaf and split it with cheese or hummus for an easy meal. more ›

In Sunday's wee hours, an unusual car chase took place on our local freeways, between the LA County Sheriff and a Vons big rig. According to the San Jose Mercury News:

Officials say the hourlong pursuit began when LA County Sheriff's deputies responded to a report that a big rig was weaving. more ›

Not only is February Call Your East Coast Friends To Tell Them What The Weather's Like Here Month, but thanks to this post on Metafilter, we learn that it's also Return Shopping Carts Month. more ›