The Nation reports on the supermarket strike/lockout:

A nationwide UFCW strike over healthcare could make that issue a central one in the upcoming presidential campaign. With more employers cutting benefits, the number of Americans without healthcare is growing. This is the Wal-Marting of America, and the labor movement and other progressive groups should be pushing the Democratic candidates to explain how they will provide universal health coverage for all Americans. A recent government census report concluded that the number of Americans without health insurance increased by 2.4 million people between 2001 and 2002. In 2002 there were 43.6 million people, or 15.2 percent of Americans who have no health coverage.

The UFCW has filed two new complaints against the supermarket chains alleging illegal witholding of past due pay.

In Oxnard California, Walmart and Vons are right next to each other -- and workers realize that both these chains are the problem -- so they rallied in front of both.

Demonstrators said direct competition from large discount chains such as Wal-Mart has forced grocery chains to cut their prices, causing the stores to reduce their labor costs.

"We walked over to Wal-Mart because we believe the health-care cost prices begin and can be ended if large corporations provide affordable health care to their employees who are middle and low income," UFCW spokeswoman Martel Fraser said. "The problem that we are having is that as a result of corporations sloughing off their health-care costs, Vons, Ralphs and Albertsons believe they can do the same."

This ILWU member waxed wobbly:

"Workers of the world unite," said Jess Herrera of Oxnard, a member of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and Oxnard Harbor District commissioner. "As long as we are together and as long as we are unified, we will win. They have said in the past that they can hire half of the working people to kill the other half, but we are not going to allow that. An injury to one is an injury to all."

The U of Minnesota clerical strike continues. The numbers of who's on the lines are in dispute. The U's claiming that only 45% of the union's out, and while one independent researcher points out that this is still enough to win if they're smart, the union says that the actual number of striking workers is much larger than the university is claiming. Since C&T's rarely punch cards, it's always hard to tell who's actually at work when you're talking about so many people over such a large space in so many different offices. I found this paragraph in the first article really powerful.

Sophomore Colin Schwensohn picketed between classes Tuesday with his mother Jane Schwensohn, a clerical worker in the department of restorative sciences.

“It’s my health care being affected too,” Colin said.   ¶ 12:18 PM