If you are a Ralphs emplyee, ask your District Manager the following questions:

1. Why did Ralphs break the law and lie to the government during the last strike? Was it to get an advantage over their employees during the contract negotiations and lockout? Will you break the law again if you think it will help you this time?
2. Is lying to us a violation of your probation?
3. You say we should trust you. How can we trust you to look out for us if you lied to us and the federal government about negotiations in 2003-4?
4. You made profits in the billions last year and your stock is up by double digits. Why do only top pay scale employees get a raise? In the Stater Bros Contract, EVERYBODY got a raise. You can afford to give everyone a raise.
5. If Ralphs is such a big company and makes so much money, why can’t you match the contract Stater Bros markets gave its employees?

   • The Stater Agreement eliminates the two-tier wage and pays all their employees equally, regardless of step progressions. Ralphs refuses to pay employees equally for equal work while in progression steps
   • The Stater Agreement promises to increase the health and welfare contribution by over $5 dollars an hour – the only thing preventing them from doing that is Ralphs’ refusal to match them, because all employers have to pay the same into the trust fund.
   • The only thing keeping the two tier health plan in place is your refusal to eliminate it. If you agreed to the Stater deal, the two tier health plan would be eliminated.
6. Does this contract eliminate backfill? If I get promoted, do I still have to work at my old wage rate despite having new responsibilities?
7. Your letter about the Mutual Assistance Pact said you did it to protect our jobs. How, exactly, is locking us out and putting us on the street protecting our jobs?
8. Even if we don’t approve a strike authorization, you’ll still lock us out if another store strikes, right? So we should just authorize a strike anyway
9. You keep saying your proposal adequately funds our health plan, but in at least seven other places you’ve said that plans have been forced to reduce benefits or raise premiums. Are you willing to sign a certificate of guarantee personally guaranteeing your company will make up the difference if your funding falls short?
10. Is it true that it would take 13,000 hours to get to the top wage rate under your plan?  That’s nearly eleven years at 24 hours a week. 
11. Your plan doesn’t eliminate the two tier system.  It creates three tiers, where everybody is paid differently except at the very top, and it takes eleven years to get there.  You call that fair?