FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BURLINGAME – In a show of support for the 70,000 Southern California grocery workers who are striking to prevent supermarket chains from destroying their health care benefits, the California Teachers Association today launched a statewide radio campaign calling on Californians not to shop at these stores.
"Grocery workers are part of our communities and their children attend our schools," Barbara E. Kerr, president of the 335,000-member CTA, says in one ad. "We see the strain on their kids every day. These workers are on strike because giant corporations are trying to destroy their health care."
The significant four-week campaign, which airs on more than 50 radio stations, offers a strategic boost to the United Food and Commercial Workers union. The UFCW struck Southern California Vons and Pavilions stores – owned by Safeway – on Oct. 11, prompting the Albertsons and Ralphs chains to lock out their workers the next day.
"When some people are uninsured, the medical bills they can't pay end up raising costs for all of us," Kerr says in the ad. "Fair benefits for them means more stable health costs." She urges the public to stop shopping at the stores involved because of what the strike means for "the workers, for their kids, for us all."
CTA Vice President David A. Sanchez is the voice on ads airing on 11 Spanish-language stations. Southern California versions of the ads urge the public not to shop at Vons, Pavilions, Albertsons and Ralphs stores. The Northern California ads urge no shopping at Safeway, Albertsons and Ralphs stores.
Additional Information
CTA radio spots
Strike Updates
More information on the UFCW campaign