A grocery worker strike was imminent. Then came a 30-hour bargaining marathon

Rachel Fournier, a member of a bargaining committee for grocery workers, is shown at UFCW Local 770 headquarters in Los Angeles as members made signs in March. “This is a great agreement that will help turn grocery store jobs around and make tangible improvements in our lives,” Rachel Fournier, a cashier at a Los Angeles Ralphs store and a bargaining committee member, said in a statement released by UFCW 770, which represents 18,000 workers in the Los Angeles area. Robert Branton, vice president of operations at Ralphs, said in a statement, “We are pleased that this agreement allows us to put more money in our associates’ paychecks and secures healthcare and pension plans.” Tyson Kehm, left, and Andrea Garcia, help make strike-ready signs at UFCW Local 770 headquarters in Los Angeles on March 21. UFCW 770 posted a statement on its website saying the companies “have been disrespectful at the bargaining table and have barely budged in their offer.” The union, which had filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board, also said, “Both companies continue to play games at the bargaining table while committing unlawful practices that violate your legal rights as a worker.” Ralphs responded Sunday with an equally combative statement, saying, “UFCW locals collected $23 million in membership dues from Ralphs associates, yet if their members choose to walkout, strike pay from the union would be $15 per hour.” “Any activity by the union in the coming days, besides negotiating an offer that puts more money in our associates’ pockets is nothing but mere propaganda by UFCW,” Branton said in the statement.