UNION WILL SEEK AUTHORIZATION FOR STRIKE

QUEENS VILLAGE, N.Y. -- United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1500 here said it has scheduled membership meetings this week at which it will ask for strike authorization votes.

ht June 20, and talks seem to be stalled over the issue of Sunday premium pay.

Membership meetings are scheduled for employees of Pathmark Stores, Carteret, N.J.; Stop & Shop Cos., Quincy, Mass., a division of Ahold USA, Atlanta, and three Key Food operators: Pick Quick Foods, Ozone Park, N.Y.; Dans Supreme Super Markets, Hempstead, N.Y., and Man-Dell Food Stores, Bellerose, N.Y.; Edwards Super Food Stores, a division of Ahold USA, and King Kullen Grocery Co., Westbury, N.Y. Local 1500 also represents employees of New York-based Gristedes but has not scheduled membership meetings for them.

A union spokesman said last week most of the negotiations so far have revolved around premium pay for Sunday work, with the union seeking to maintain double time or time-and-a-half and retailers asking for Sunday work to be paid as straight time for all employees or just for new hires.

One retailer told SN his company believes Sunday should be treated like any other day of the week. "This is a seven day, 24-hour-a-day business, so Sunday is like any other day," he said.

Unlike past years, when most of the retailers negotiated with the union as a single unit, each company is negotiating individually this year.