A Strike Is a Choice,
NØT a Requirement
Bargaining Resumes Tuesday

What’s New: The union is telling customers to transfer their prescriptions because it says a strike is “impending.” What that message leaves out:

• We return to the table Tuesday, September 8
• Ralphs improved its economic offer at the last session and there’s time to reach a agreement
• No strike has been called

Our pharmacies are open and our pharmacists are caring for patients. The union’s so-called warning that patients “may not get their medications on time” describes a disruption the union would choose to create, not something that’s happening and not something that’s inevitable.

The Facts: Ralphs has moved on wages at every economic session. By the union’s own account, the company has nearly doubled its initial offer. The current offer includes increases of $1.75/hour in each year of a three-year agreement.

The company’s wage offer is one part of a total compensation package that also features high-quality healthcare with no increases to associate healthcare costs over the life of the agreement. Plus, this offer includes Company contributions to the supplemental pension, helping to add an extra layer of financial security.

Behind the Scenes: Six UFCW locals are at the bargaining table, each representing its own members, priorities, and path to an agreement. Federal mediators have been assisting. Building consensus across six locals takes time and careful work, and that work has been producing movement.

A strike does not settle a contract; bargaining does. In fact, a strike trades the certainty of a Ralphs paycheck today for an uncertain outcome and the uncertainty of strike pay.

• • Strike pay comes with eligibility requirements members must actively meet to get paid.
  • The union cannot guarantee a strike will improve the Company’s economic offer. When a strike ends, the parties go back to the bargaining table.

The True Implications of Asking Customers to Move Prescriptions
Consider what patients are being asked to do: uproot their care before a single deadline has passed and move to a competitor. Transfers are disruptive for patients. The relationships pharmacists have built took years to earn, and once a patient has settled in elsewhere, there is no guarantee they come back. That works against the very thing the union says is their priority – quality patient care.

Is Pushing to Strike Over Unproven Allegations Really the Best Way to Reach an Agreement?
A ULP charge is an allegation, not a finding. The NLRB has not found Ralphs to have broken any law. No complaint has been issued, and no judge or Board member has reviewed or ruled on these allegations. Under the NLRB’s own process, a charge becomes a complaint only if an investigation finds merit, and even then, a complaint is not a finding of wrongdoing. Ralphs maintains that the union’s allegations are unfounded.

Next Steps

• Bargaining resumes Tuesday, September 8
• Our pharmacies remain open; pharmacists should continue reporting to work as scheduled
• Ralphs is preparing responsibly for potential disruption, so patients continue to have access to care

The Bottom Line: The union is telling patients to leave. The company is telling the union it will be at the table Tuesday. The offer has nearly doubled since April. An agreement can be reached without an unnecessary strike.