Teamsters Commend Rep. Gomez for Exposing
Unlawful Behavior at Mexican-Owned Grocery Chain
LOS
ANGELES, July 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the
Teamsters applauded Representative Jimmy
Gomez's (D-CA) oversight request sent to the U.S. Trade
Representative (USTR), the Department of Labor (DOL), and the
Department of Transportation (DOT), outlining serious concerns
regarding Chedraui/Smart & Final's unfair labor practices
(ULPs) and calling for regulatory, legislative, or enforcement
actions.
The letter comes as the grocery chain plans to close two
unionized Smart & Final warehouses in Commerce and Riverside, Calif., terminating more than 600
warehouse workers and forcing them to reapply for employment at
$10-$12
less per hour at a new nonunion mega warehouse in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. The workers
represented by Teamsters Local 630 are currently on strike,
protesting the mass layoffs and other ULPs by the company.
"Smart & Final and their parent company Chedraui think they
are above the law, but they're in for a rude awakening. We will
stop at nothing to make sure our members' jobs are protected," said
Lou Villalvazo, Secretary-Treasurer
of Local 630. "Instead of negotiating a fair contract, refraining
from unfair labor practices, and operating as a high-road employer,
Chedraui USA CEO Carlos Smith has chosen to disrespect his
workers in the name of corporate greed. The Teamsters will keep up
the pressure in the streets and in the halls of government to hold
this company accountable."
In the letter, Rep. Gomez uses Smart & Final's bad behavior
as a case study in unfair practices that may currently operate
outside the existing labor and cross-border trucking provisions of
the United States-Mexico-Canada
Agreement (USMCA), stating that Congress should consider whether
new solutions are necessary to address these unfair practices as it
prepares for a potential review and term extension of the USMCA in
2026. Today marks four years since
the passage of the USMCA.
"The clock is ticking for Chedraui/Smart & Final to do right
by its workers," said Daniel
Delgado, a 20-year veteran at Smart & Final who is
currently on strike. "Carlos Smith
has a choice to make. He can treat his workers fairly, earn a
reputation as an industry leader and supporter of good middle-class
union jobs, or he can become another corporate villain, prompting
champions of workers' rights like Rep. Gomez and U.S. Trade
Representative Katherine Tai to push
for changes in future trade deals that penalize corporate criminals
on both sides of the border."
The two warehouses where Teamsters are currently on strike serve
as distribution centers for over 250 Smart & Final grocery
stores in California, Nevada, Arizona, and northern Mexico. This is the second ULP strike held by
Teamsters against the company. The strike coincides with a growing
trend of unrest in the grocery industry, where large grocery chains
continue to report record profits, often at the expense of their
workers and the public, as the cost of food escalates.
"We won't stand by while Chedraui/Smart & Final disrupts our
members' lives. Teamsters are united in this fight, and we're not
backing down until American jobs are protected," said Tom Erickson, Director of the Teamsters
Warehouse Division.
The Teamsters are currently pursuing a wide range of ULP charges
before the National Labor Relations Board. Chedraui/Smart &
Final is also accused of bad faith bargaining and maintaining an
illegal proposal that violates California Assembly Bill (AB) 647,
which went into effect in January and guarantees grocery
distribution center workers retention rights when the facilities at
which they work undergo a change in control.
For more than 80 years, Teamsters Local 630 has represented
California workers in warehousing,
food services, liquor, food processing, dairy, and more industries.
Find out more at teamsters630.org.
Contact:
Daniel Moskowitz, (770)
262-4971
dmoskowitz@teamster.org
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SOURCE Teamsters Local 630