Albertsons LA IBT 848 drivers claim layoffs are unfair in wake of sale to Haggen

Albertsons LA IBT 848 drivers claim layoffs are unfair in wake of sale to Haggen
http://www.dailynews.com/business/20150828/albertsons-drivers-claim-layo...

A Vons truck with an Albertsons trailer is shown here at the Albertsons Brea Distribution center. (Courtesy)
By Kevin Smith, San Gabriel Valley Tribune
POSTED: 08/28/15, 3:48 PM PDT | UPDATED: 5 HRS AGO0 COMMENTS
Haggen’s entry into California’s ultra-competitive supermarket industry has already resulted in layoffs and reduced hours for workers at company-purchased stores that used to operate as Vons or Albertsons.

But the fallout extends beyond that.

Delivery drivers for Albertsons and Vons supermarkets that weren’t acquired by Haggen are also seeing cutbacks and reduced schedules because there are now fewer stores to service. But the reductions, they say, are being done with little regard for seniority.

“Many of the Vons drivers who continue to work have two to three years seniority, while some of the Albertsons drivers who have been laid off have 15 years of seniority or more,” said Donald Moore, who has worked as an Albertsons driver for 31 years. “Our Albertsons employees who are represented by Teamsters Local 952 in Orange have substantially more seniority than the Vons drivers who are represented by Teamsters Local 848 in Glendora.”

WHAT IS FAIR?

Moore, 60, of Brea, says his job remains secure. But he’s calling for a blended seniority roster between the two union locals that would be more fair to the Albertsons drivers with more experience.

Albertsons and Vons employees both work under the umbrella of AB Acquisition LLC, Moore said, so it makes sense to combine the two rosters.

“I’ve had personal conversations with an Albertsons management official on this and he said blending the seniority rosters is the moral thing — the right thing — to do. But you have two different locals that don’t see eye to eye on this.”

Eric Tate, secretary-treasurer for Local 848 could not be reached for comment Thursday. But Moore said Tate’s contention has been that since Vons and Albertsons drivers only deliver to their respective stores, there should be a separation between the two rosters.

Moore noted, however, that Vons drivers do pickups at Albertsons distribution centers and Albertsons drivers do the same at Vons distributions centers.

In a letter sent to Teamsters International Union President James P. Hoffa, Moore said the Albertsons official told him that Local 848 is blocking the idea of a blended roster because they know that “all forthcoming layoffs would all be (Local) 848 junior members.”

“It is an injustice of Teamster core values not to honor seniority,” Moore wrote in his letter. “We as Teamsters enjoy many privileges due to our strong heritage of rights of seniority.”

HOW HAGGEN IMPACTS OTHER DRIVERS

Haggen Inc.’s entry into the California grocery industry came about through the merger of Albertsons and Safeway. Cerberus Capital Management, the private investment company that owns Albertsons, received approval from the Federal Trade Commission in January to buy Safeway (Vons’ parent company) for about $9.2 billion. But in order to comply with antitrust laws that seek to preserve a competitive marketplace, the two grocery chains had to shed a total of 168 stores. Haggen bought 146 of them.