The United Food and Commercial Workers has given notice to end their contract extension with Southern California grocery stores, a required step before a strike. The previous contract expired in March and has been extended since then. The UFCW said that they felt this was a necessary step to push the companies to give a more realistic offer. The union represents about 62,000 workers, around 54,000 of whom might go on strike. The companies say that they are offering a good deal, and that they will remain open, even in the event of a strike. Both sides say that the sticking point in negotiations has been health care costs.
See "Grocery workers give notice to end contract extension", P.J. Huffstutter, Los Angeles Times, September 15, 2011