Grocery union/retailer negotiations extended

Grocery union/retailer negotiations extended Trucks will continue delivering goods to California grocery stores that will remain open under an extended worker contract.
   Trying to avoid a repeat of the disastrous 2003-2004 grocery contract meltdown in California, the United Food and Commercial Workers union and Ralph's Grocery Co., Safeway Inc.'s Vons, and Albertsons LLC have agreed to extend workers' current contracts by two weeks. The formal contract expired Monday.
   Negotiations have been going on for at least one month and the two sides now have until Monday to reach an agreement and avoid a strike.
   Dates for negotiations are to be determined by the Federal Labor Mediator assigned to the negotiations.
   In late 2003 and early 2004, a five-month-long strike put nearly 70,000 United Food and Commercial Workers union members in southern and central California on the picket lines. The acrimonious strike by the union and lockout of employees by some chains centered on cuts in union member benefits and eventually cost supermarkets $2.5 billion in profits.
   The 8,000 California Teamster union members honored the UFCW picket lines during the 2004 strike.