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Nov 10, 2010 10:47

Would you cross the picket line to go grocery shopping at the stores (Safeway, Fred Meyer, Albertsons and QFC) whose workers are threatening to strike, if they do end up striking? Why?

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Comments 63

badrobot68 November 10 2010, 19:02:04 UTC
I would prefer not to, but what if all the stores around me are on strike? How do I eat?

I'm really hoping this doesn't happen. It will suck for everyone.

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badrobot68 November 10 2010, 19:03:05 UTC
Also, do we know which stores will be stirking? Being someone who doesn;t drive, I don't have a ton of shopping options.

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frogger414 November 10 2010, 19:17:57 UTC
See my answer below, how does that information impact you now?

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badrobot68 November 10 2010, 19:24:27 UTC
I would seriously only cross a line if there was no other place to get my food. I'm willing to take a bus for grocery shopping, but its the holiday season and I'm going to be at work 7 days a week for the next couple of months, so I will definitely have to find a way to make this work.

If the IGA downtown and the M Street on First Hill are not striking, I'll be fine! :)

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inkprincess November 10 2010, 19:12:26 UTC
Yes. My family needs to eat. Out in the boonies we don't have alot of options, although there's no strike talk for Pierce Co, right?

Back in LA we dealt with a grocery store strike. We still went to our usual store. No one cared.

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frogger414 November 10 2010, 19:20:10 UTC
I think you'll be alright: "Most of the 25,000 employees are at stores in King, Snohomish and Kitsap counties. Also affected are grocery and meat workers in North Mason county and meat workers in Pierce and Thurston counties."

Source: http://www.komonews.com/news/local/106861918.html

So I visited my then bf's family in LA in January 2004 and they were striking at the grocery stores there. His uncle, being a huge union guy (for the longshoremen) told us not to cross the picket lines. We had no reason to shop so we didn't, it was a moot point. But didn't that strike last for a loooong time? I think I would have crossed it myself.

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indighost November 10 2010, 19:12:40 UTC
frogger414 November 10 2010, 19:22:34 UTC
See I don't think it will impact me as much because I don't shop at those stores anyway but then I think about the overflow of customers invading my stores (PCC and Met Market) and then I cringe because that means the items we buy normally may sell out sooner because of these joker clowns invading my store!

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breakableheart November 10 2010, 19:12:41 UTC
I would, but it would make my grandfather and grandmother turn in their graves. My grandfather was exceedingly active in the unions in the coal mines prior to the depression, which resulted in him and his family being blackballed. He fought hard for social justice and his family paid for it in poverty and instability. I do believe he (and men like him) made a huge difference in how working in America changed for the better.

That being said, I do believe unions are obsolete in a lot of ways. I don't know, I don't know. This is a tough question.

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frogger414 November 10 2010, 19:23:50 UTC
I would cross them because I agree, I think unions are outdated.

Would the strike impact your normal grocery shopping?

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breakableheart November 10 2010, 19:28:00 UTC
I don't think so. The only store I shop in on that list is Fred Meyer, and I only go there about once a month or so. I use a CSA, the co-op, or the Gleaners for my fresh produce; azurestandard for my pantry staples; Costco for bulk items; and we buy most of our meat from local farmers.

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frogger414 November 10 2010, 19:31:24 UTC
I love it! You are in a great place for CSAs and Co-ops, I'm so glad you are taking advantage of them. I guess it seems like a no brainer though, but still..

Did I ever tell you that between you and Erin, you two fulfill my food porn needs? Esp in the summer when you two were canning a lot.

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frogger414 November 10 2010, 19:36:07 UTC
We don't shop at Wal*Mart in our family for plenty of reasons and one of which , surprisingly is due to how they treat their employees. I'd rather not save a buck (cause their prices really are cheaper) and reward good businesses with my dollars. Our shopping is mainly done at PCC and then trickles down to Met Market, Costco, TJ's and a tiny bit of Safeway. We eat a lot of produce and organics, so we put our money where our mouths are (for lack of better term) because we want to support the local organic farmers and encourage them to grow more so that other people can have access it their food (hoping it will reduce the cost).

With that being said, if they striked and I had to go to one of them, I'd cross the picket line. But it seems unlikely anyway.

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