Grocery Workers Say They’ll Strike in Western Washington — Partly Over Obamacare

Some 21,000 workers could walk out of work Monday at 7 p.m.
In a followup to a story we covered several weeks ago, negotiations have soured between the United Food and Commercial Workers union and a number of grocery chains.

As a result, unless a settlement is reached, some 21,000 workers could be walking picket lines Monday evening.

According to Northwest Cable News, the strike would affect numerous QFC, Safeway, Fred Meyer, and Albertson's stores in King, Snohomish, Pierce, Kitsap and Mason counties.

Besides wage and holiday pay demands, one of the big sticking points has been a plan to require thousands of part-time workers to enroll in a health care plan per the requirements of Obamacare.

As we had mentioned in our story recently, this aspect of the strike is ironic since labor unions -- including the United Food and Commercial Workers Union -- are huge supporters the Affordable Care Act.

The last grocery strike in this area occurred in 1989 and lasted about three months.