Picketers

Scorching heat did not stop them. Dwindling afternoon attendance did not discourage them. And the corporate stronghold that is Home Depot did not scare them. Members of the No Home Depot Campaign protested all day Wednesday on Foothill Boulevard, at the site of a vacant, old Kmart building, which could become the site of a new Home Depot store. They cited increased traffic and the potential for a Home Depot's harmful effects on the Crescenta Valley's hardware stores as some of their main concerns.

Regarding "Changes to city's fence ordinance in the works," Aug. 13-14): of the 359 homeowners in my area of Los Angeles, 112 are running afoul of the law in a deviously blatant way by committing the heinous "fence offense." In other words, breaching Los Angeles municipal code sections 12.21 and 12.22, which limit frontyard fence and hedge height to a maximum 3 1/2 feet above grade. Now that's a lot of criminal activity for one neighborhood. With their pens and pads, my investigative team -- three 17-year-old, out-of-work baby sitters -- scoured my neighborhood in search of scoundrels and found one very troublesome woman.

Those who organized and executed the picket lines at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church on Sunday have done themselves and their position a severe injustice. Few things I have seen were as offensive as seeing that group of demonstrators surrounding St. Andrew's as parishioners awkwardly tried to make their way into the building to exercise one of the basic rights that we, as Americans, hold near and dear -- the right to worship. Let's be perfectly clear.

I would like to comment on Terry Bailey's March 22 reflections of the market strike because it contains so many misconceptions. When I saw the pickets out there for so long, I decided to find out why they were out there and why I should observe their picket line. The answer was a shocker. By the media, we knew what the company's offer was to the union. So I asked the pickets what the union's counter-offer was to the company. They said they didn't know, their picket captains didn't know and their union reps didn't know.

Ryan Carter Picketing Vons employees stood in front of the supermarket at the corner of Los Feliz Road and Central Avenue on Thursday, minus the once-boisterous calls to not shop at the store. But when a group of several members of the California School Employees Assn. showed up, smiles appeared on the serious faces. The 20 members of the local chapter of the school employees' group were there to join the picketers. The employees have been picketing outside Vons, Albertsons and Ralphs grocery stores since Oct. 11. The supermarket operators and the United Food and Commercial Workers, which represents the 70,000 striking and locked-out employees, have been at odds over a contract proposal to reduce workers' medical benefits and lower salaries for new hires.

Robert Chacon Supermarket strikers have reestablished picket lines at a Ralphs in Glendale, intent on keeping their cause fresh in the minds of shoppers. Ralphs employees were locked out Oct. 12 by parent company Kroger Co. in a show of solidarity with its competitors after members of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union began striking against Vons and Pavilions. Workers at Ralphs began picketing at Vons and Pavilion stores Oct. 31. "We're basically out here to remind people that we're continuing to struggle for our health and pension benefits," picketer Gary Field said.

Ryan Carter Santa did not stop at the picket lines this year, but with a little help from colleagues and special friends, striking and locked-out supermarket workers are making the best of the holiday season. "It doesn't feel like Christmas this year," said Chris Imamura, a produce clerk at a Ralphs store on San Fernando Boulevard in Burbank. "It's just another day." Imamura and others picketing outside of the Albertsons on Glenoaks Boulevard each pitched in a few dollars for their Christmas Eve party, which included their picket signs, a few large pizzas and a salad.

Robert Chacon Dozens of striking and locked-out supermarket workers attended a rally Sunday at Vons on Foothill Boulevard, where state Sen. Jack Scott (D-Glendale) and Congressman Adam Schiff (D-Glendale) delivered words of encouragement and support. United Food and Commercial Workers Local 770 is in its seventh week of a strike against the three major supermarket chains, which are asking for workers to take cuts in health benefits and salaries. Talks between the union and the supermarket chains resumed over the weekend.

DAVID SILVA I confess to feeling conflicted over the ongoing supermarket strike. On the one hand, I want to be supportive of the grocery clerks, for whom I feel the same deep affection I feel for anyone who feeds me on a regular basis. On the other hand, I'm really missing my fresh produce. When the strike hit, I knew it would mean some inconvenience on my part, but I vowed to tough it out. The first couple of days found me leaning on my horn in support whenever I drove past the picketers.

Police continue to work with United Food and Commercial Workers of America to try to curb the number of calls for service at local supermarkets where strikers are picketing. Since a strike was announced late Saturday over a dispute regarding medical benefits, workers with Pavilions, Vons, Albertsons and Ralphs have kept a constant presence in supermarket driveways and entrances. Interactions with supermarket officials and customers crossing picket lines have resulted in police calls alleging harassment, vandalism and blocking delivery trucks, which causes traffic congestion.