Dive Brief:
- United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 400 voted on Wednesday to authorize a strike at Giant food store locations around Washington, D.C., assuming a deal cannot be reached to finalize a new contract.
- UFCW-affiliated workers at D.C.-area Safeway stores were also scheduled to vote on strike authorization Wednesday.
- A contract for the workers expired on Oct 31, but has been extended though Dec. 20 while negotiations take place.
Dive Insight:
It's going to be an ugly holiday season for these stores and employees around D.C. if a contract agreement can't be reached. Giant and Safeway together make up the largest block of grocery stores for the region, which means a labor interruption could be quite visible.