Over 600 Smart & Final warehouse workers go on strike in Commerce and Riverside

Over 600 workers at two Smart & Final warehouses in Southern California went on strike Wednesday and planned to walk picket lines Thursday, protesting what they call mass layoffs and other alleged unfair labor practices.

The workers are represented by Teamsters Local 630, which says the grocery store chain — owned by Commerce-based Chedraui USA — plans to close unionized Smart & Final warehouses in Commerce and Riverside. They added that workers are being forced to reapply for employment at $10 to $12 less per hour at a new warehouse in Rancho Cucamonga.

“The clock is ticking for Chedraui/Smart & Final to make things right,” Teamsters Local 630 Secretary-Treasurer Lou Villalvazo said.

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“The company is continuing to commit unfair labor practices without any regard for its workers. With the busy summer months approaching, the company faces not just a moral but a logistical crisis. They need to act now to guarantee our members their jobs, decent wages, respect and a fair contract. We will not stand by and watch these workers be exploited.”

Representatives for Chedraui and Smart & Final did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Picket lines were planned for Thursday at Smart & Final’s Distribution Center in Commerce.

The two warehouses on strike serve as distribution centers for over 250 Smart & Final grocery stores in California, Nevada, Arizona, and Northern Mexico.