Grocery store checkout lines in the Los Angeles area could get a lot longer if unionized workers follow through with their plan to strike against employers. The United Food and Commercial Workers, which represents 62,000 workers at Vons, Ralphs and Albertsons in the area, say they will strike if they can’t work out a new contract.

The L.A. Times reports the union would inform the federal mediator it’s working with with about the strike vote, which was approved by 90 percent of the workers who voted. Since March, the workers have been working on an expired contract that’s been extended day to day.

At the heart of the dispute, which involves grocery workers including checkers, baggers, meat cutters, is health insurance. Employers want workers to pay more to cover insurance premiums, deductibles and co-pays.

A Ralphs spokesperson says the vote is a negotiation tactic and does not mean a strike is coming.

Southland grocery workers authorize strike [L.A. Times]

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