Reports are heavy out here that the strike will be settled soon. On an anecdotal basis, a friend of mine has a daughter that works for Von's---currently on strike--- (Von's is a division of Safeway--SWY) and she was contacted by her manager who told her to be ready and that she has a job waiting.
Supermarkets, Grocery Clerks Reach Deal 1 hour, 4 minutes ago Add Business - AP to My Yahoo! By ALEX VEIGA, AP Business Writer LOS ANGELES - Negotiators for grocery clerks and three supermarket chains reached a tentative contract agreement Thursday that could bring an end to the longest supermarket strike in U.S. history and send 70,000 cash-strapped employees back to work. Greg Denier, a spokesman for the United Food and Commercial Workers union, declined to disclose details of the agreement. The 4 1/2-month strike has inconvenienced millions of shoppers in Southern California and led to hundreds of millions of dollars in losses for the three grocery chains, which had taken a stand against rising employee health costs. Officials with the union must submit the proposed contract to members for approval. It was not immediately known when they might end pickets and return to work. Voting could begin as early as Friday.
I am closing out KR with a small gain. Now that the news is out, there is little to drive it higher without earnings. I thought we would have a bigger move with the strike settlement, but apparently that "news" was priced in. On to the next!