UNION TALKS ONGOING IN THREE AREAS OF COUNTRY

Negotiations in Seattle, Southern California and Connecticut continued last week, though it was unclear at week's end if any of those situations would be quickly resolved.

labor contract to succeed one that expired May 2. The contract had been extended through last Friday.

The Seattle contract covers approximately 17,000 members of four locals of United Food and Commercial Workers Union employed at 259 units of Albertsons, Safeway and Kroger's Fred Meyer and QFC chains. Employees at several other companies in the Puget Sound area -- including Thriftway, Brown & Cole, Haggen and a variety of smaller independents -- are also covered by the contracts, and those companies have agreed to sign whatever contract is negotiated by the majors.

In Southern California, which experienced a 141-day labor dispute that ended in early March, bargaining sessions have been ongoing on a sporadic basis between seven UFCW locals and Food 4 Less, Kroger's price-impact format there, a local observer told SN. The contract, which expired Feb. 28, covers approximately 5,500 employees at 101 stores.

In Connecticut, UFCW members employed by three units of Adam's Super Food Stores, Cheshire, Conn., were facing an expiration of their contracts over the weekend at 12:01 a.m. Sunday. Talks were scheduled through Friday. The union has already authorized a strike against the 13-store chain.