Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
Albertsons, Ralphs, Pavilions And Other LA Grocery Workers May Go On Strike

Thousands of Southern California grocery store workers may soon vote on whether to authorize a strike.
The United Food and Commercial Workers will send out notices to members now that its contract with Albertsons, Ralphs and other supermarket chains expired on March 6. Union representatives hope to negotiate improvements in workers’ wages, scheduling and safety.
Kim Sisson, a cashier at Vons, said the pandemic highlighted the need for such adjustments.
"Enough's enough,” she said. “We deserve their respect. We deserve to have safety language in our contract. We have to have a say in our own safety. We deserve to get paid a livable wage so that we can afford at least the basics for ourselves and our family.”
Sisson hopes that a strike authorization vote will prove that workers are not going to give up.
In a statement, executives at Ralphs said that company representatives had conducted “12 full bargaining sessions” with UFCW representatives. Robert Branton, Ralphs’ vice president of operations, said in the same statement that the company is “committed to reaching an agreement, no matter how long it takes.”
The company also said it hopes to “keep groceries affordable for our customers” and “maintain a sustainable business for the future.”
In a statement posted to its website, UFCW maintains that the company can afford higher wages, having netted billions in profits over the past year.
UFCW is keeping members posted on negotiation outcomes on Twitter.
— UFCW770 (@UFCW770) March 7, 2022
More talks are in the works. UFCW has scheduled strike vote meetings for the week of March 21.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.

-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
-
With California voters facing a decision on redistricting this November, Surf City is poised to join the brewing battle over Congressional voting districts.
-
The drug dealer, the last of five defendants to plead guilty to federal charges linked to the 'Friends' actor’s death, will face a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison.
-
The weather’s been a little different lately, with humidity, isolated rain and wind gusts throughout much of Southern California. What’s causing the late-summer bout of gray?