[DISCLAIMER: White Center Blog Publisher/Editor Scott Schaefer is a member of the Directors and Writers Guilds of America, both unions that represent workers in the entertainment industry.]

We learned this week that numerous local grocery store workers from three different unions — UFCW 21, UFCW 81, and Teamsters 38 — will likely vote on whether to authorize a strike or not sometime next week.

Local union members work at Safeway, QFC, Albertsons, and Fred Meyer, and a strike could affect holiday shopping in the area.

Apparently some 25,000 grocery store workers have been in negotiations since March 2010.

On Tuesday night (Nov. 2nd) the Union member bargaining committee recommended to members that they Reject their employers’ proposal and take a strike authorization vote early next week.

On March 10th, our sister site The B-Town Blog reported on a labor dispute at the Burien Fred Meyer – read all about it here.

The White Center Blog plans to cover this issue as it unfolds, so please check back.

According to the UFCW21 website:

The big grocery chains we’re negotiating with — Safeway, Fred Meyer, QFC, and Albertsons — are among the largest corporations in America. Their CEOs are paid millions a year.

We don’t expect to get rich from our jobs.

But we believe that if you work hard and play by the rules, you should have a chance to get ahead with:

• Fair wages to make ends meet
• Quality, affordable health care
• A secure retirement
• Dependable work schedules
• Paid sick days