(The following story by Nicholas Grudin appeared on the Long Beach Press Telegram website on January 27.)
LONG BEACH, Calif. — A host of priests, rabbis, pastors and bishops will join union leaders and striking grocery clerks today on a “justice pilgrimage’ to the home of Safeway Inc. boss Steve Burd, where they hope to appeal to the chief executive’s spiritual side.
“We know that Steve Burd is a serious Christian and a compassionate man,’ said the Rev. Alexia Salvatierra, executive director of Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice. “He hasn’t really realized the suffering that he’s causing. We feel like we need to call on him as a brother to be conscious.’
About 20 clergy organized by CLUE argue that the strike and lockout that has kept 70,000 Ralphs, Vons, and Albertsons workers unemployed for nearly four months is unethical.
The labor dispute, which began Oct. 11, centers around a company contract proposal that would reduce health-care coverage and impose a compensation plan offering significantly reduced benefits to new employees.
The religious rallies will be held from Sherman Oaks to San Jose today and Wednesday ending in CEO Burd’s hometown, Pleasanton, where the clergy will protest in front of his house.
“In Jewish tradition, there are certain standards that are imposed in terms of religious law in terms of the relationship between employer and employee. There are responsibilities on both sides,’ said Rabbi Linda Bertenthal, associate director of the Pacific Southwest Counsel of the Union for Reform Judaism.
“The companies’ proposal seems to be deliberately endangering the health of their employees and that’s fundamentally unethical.’
The pilgrimage starts at 9 a.m. today at a Sherman Oaks Vons, 14845 Ventura Blvd.