Bill to Ban Self-Checkout Alcohol Sales Postponed

ELLIOT ZWIEBACH

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A proposal in the California Senate that would require alcohol sales to be processed by live cashiers rather than through self-service checkouts has been postponed until next year.

According to Keri Askew Bailey, vice president, government relations, California Grocers Association, the author of the bill pulled it off the legislative calendar to try to get more data for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. “It's our understanding the governor didn't see a need for the bill," she told SN.

Industry sources indicated, when the bill was introduced in June, that it was backed by labor groups hoping to put pressure on Tesco-owned Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market, which has self-service checkouts only and has declined to talk with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union about possible unionization of its employees.

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