Fry's and Safeway have begun hiring replacement workers for their Tucson and Arizona stores in the event that contract talks between the supermarket chains and the food workers union break down before this weekend.
That action makes union leaders wonder if the grocery chains are interested in negotiating.
"If employers were serious about bargaining, they would have waited to hire replacement workers," said Mike Vespoli, director of community affairs for the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 99.
"It's typical that employers use this to scare employees," he continued. "It's an act of intimidation."
The labor dispute, which has already resulted in strikes and lockouts in California and four other states, threatens to spread to Tucson and Arizona if a new contract is not reached by midnight Saturday when the current agreement expires.
Vespoli said the union represents about 12,500 grocery workers in Arizona, including nearly 3,000 workers in metro Tucson and another 500 to 600 in other southern Arizona towns.
The key issue in the dispute is rising health care costs and how to deal with them. Other points of contention include pension benefits and proposed cuts in Sunday pay.
A full page advertisement that ran in newspapers throughout the state Sunday announced that Safeway and Fry's have begun "seeking temporary replacements." The ad said "applications are being taken as a precautionary measure due to a potential labor dispute."
The ad said the supermarkets are willing to pay as much as $15.25 per hour and are accepting applications for cashiers, stockers, clerks, bakers, deli workers, meat cutters, pharmacy techs and several other positions.
Officials for Fry's and Safeway said they were simply preparing for the possibility of a strike.
"We are looking at our obligations to the community and to our customers and we will keep our stores running as smoothly as possible," said Jim Nygren, director of labor relations and community affairs for Fry's.
"We are planning for every scenario," Safeway spokeswoman Kerry Luginbill told the Associated Press.
Officials of the grocery chains said if replacements are needed they would be paid wages based on the current labor agreement with the union.
In California, where the strike is now entering its 10th day, replacement workers and management personnel from other states have been brought in to keep stores open, though they are operating on a reduced schedule.
Negotiations in Arizona were set to get under way Monday, but were postponed because of a death in the family of a union negotiator, said Nygren. Talks are expected to resume today.
Industry officials want employees to pay $15 per week out of their paychecks toward their health care. Fry's and Safeway now pick up the entire cost.
The companies also want to increase the number of hours an employee must work to qualify for health-care benefits from 80 hours to 130 hours per month.
Luginbill said health-care costs are rising dramatically at a time when competition from nonunion grocery chains is getting stiffer.
"In Arizona, nonunion competition and nontraditional grocery retailers, such as Wal-Mart, have increased their presence," she said. "In order for us to remain competitive, we have to manage our costs efficiently. That is for the long-term protection of the company and our employees."
If an agreement is not reached by the Saturday deadline, there is a chance the current agreement could be extended. The union and grocers have agreed to such extensions during the last three contract negotiations.
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