The California Fast Food Workers Union will be affiliated with Service Employees Union International Union, which powered the campaign to boost California’s minimum wage for certain fast-food employees to $20 an hour.

Also see: California raising minimum wage for 2 industries. Others could see pay hikes, too

Friday’s rally at the South Central Avenue office of the Watts Labor Community Action Committee was held as a membership drive for the new union, which supporters say is the first of its kind in the country.

One industry expert has called it a “fake union” with virtually no teeth.

It won’t be a traditional union involving an election certified by the National Labor Relations Board, so it will lack the protection of federal labor laws that require fast-food employers to sit down and negotiate contracts.

Also see: Starbucks faces mounting pressure from unions

To go the traditional route, they would have to organize store by store, many of which are owned by franchisees. That would involve a long and arduous process, as evidenced at Starbucks, where employees have labored long and hard to unionize 370 stores out of more than 15,000 stores.

“SEIU believes every worker has a right to join a union whether or not they have a collective bargaining agreement at their worksite,” supporters of the new union said. “A worker simply needs to fill out a union membership form.”

Michael Saltsman, executive director at the Employment Policies Institute, called the new union “fake” and said it lacks a funding mechanism and has “no apparent power beyond collecting feedback from the union’s existing supporters.”

“I would submit that they didn’t want to go store by store because they knew they couldn’t win store by store,” he said.

But others, including July Monroy, who has worked at a McDonald’s in Los Angeles for three years, are hopeful for a change she says is long overdue.

More on unions: Starbucks ‘illegally’ closed 6 Los Angeles-area stores after union formation, feds says

“We need to be protected as soon as possible so we don’t get treated like pieces of garbage,” the 40-year-old L.A. resident said. “The AC was out at my location over the summer and the temperature got up to nearly 120 degrees by the grill. Management didn’t fix it until winter.”

Also see: California workers will get five sick days instead of three under law signed by Gov. Newsom

California’s fast-food workers have already gained traction in their fight for higher wages.

SEIU’s campaign ultimately led to the passage of Assembly Bill 1228, which Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law last year.

The legislation, which takes effect April 1 for businesses with more than 60 locations nationwide, will hike the minimum wage for more than half a million California cooks and cashiers to $20 an hour with annual pay increases of 3.5% over the next three years.

Also see: Chipotle says it may need to tick its food prices up to pay California wages

That will affect McDonald’s, Carl’s Jr., Jack in the Box and Subway, among others.

AB 1228 also creates a statewide Fast Food Council that will have the authority to establish sector-wide minimum standards on wages, working hours and other issues related to the health, safety and welfare of fast-food restaurant workers.

The International Franchise Association says AB 1228 will add about $250,000 to the operating cost of each restaurant it impacts.

“Food prices will have to go up, customers will feel it, and restaurant owners will look for other ways to manage the additional cost while also keeping their small businesses afloat,” said Jeff Hanscom, the association’s vice president of state and local government relations.

The Wall Street Journal reported that fast food prices in California are among the highest in the country and set to rise even higher, thanks to the SEIU-backed wage mandate.

Malcolm Coleman, who works at a Taco Bell in L.A. and another smaller eatery in Burbank, hopes the new union will help him secure more work hours.

“We’re not getting 40 hours,” the 33-year-old LA resident said. “Some weeks I only work 20 hours and there are other coworkers who a lot less.”

Coleman said the wage increase to $20 an hour would make a difference in his life.

More union news: UCLA, UC Riverside students petition to remove Starbucks from campuses

“I’ll be able to pay my bills more on time,” he said. “You have to work two jobs if you want to go out in LA and do anything — this is an expensive city to live in.”

Coleman said workers at his Taco Bell have never attempted to unionize.

“There is a level of fear that there would be repercussions from management,” he said. “Plus, you never know who will go back to them and rat on you.”

The data, drawn from a US Census Bureau survey of 345 cities with a population of 100,000 or more, includes the percentage increase in households earning $200,000 or more annually and the number of high-income households added.

The report shows Palmdale, a city in north Los Angeles County known for its aerospace history, added 3,306 high-income households between 2021 and 2022 — a 119.4% increase. Broken down, that meant 13.6% of the city’s households were earning $200,000 or more annually, more than double the 6.2% reported in 2021.

Spokane, Wash., Allentown, Pa., and others topped SmartAsset’s list. These Southern California cities still ranked high out of 345 cities:

13. El Monte – 93.3% increase and 879 high-income households added. That bumped its percentage of total households in the city to 5.8% compared to 3% in 2021.

15. East Los Angeles – 87% gain and 612 additional high-income households. That increased its percentage to 4.3% in 2022 from 2.3% the previous year.

22. Garden Grove – 76.1% increase with 3,338 high-income households added. That boosted its percentage of the city’s total to 15.5% in 2022 from 8.8% in 2021.

23. Moreno Valley – 73.3% increase with 2,423 high-income households added. That increased its percentage of total households in the city to 10.4% in 2022 from 6% in 2021.

27. Corona – 69.4% increase with 3,231 high-income households added. That increased its percentage to 18.3% in 2022 from 10.8% in 2021.

44. Fontana – 53% increase with 2,451 high-income households added. That increased its percentage of the city’s total households to 12.4% in 2022 from 8.1% in 2021.

So which cities saw the biggest gains in high-income households? Here are the top 10 in order:

1. Spokane, Wash. – 183.3% increase with 1,510 high-income households added. That bumped its percentage of the city’s total to 5.1% in 2022 from 1.8% the previous year.

2. Allentown, Pa. – 163.6% increase and 830 high-income households added. Its percentage of the city’s total housing rose to 2.9% in 2022 from 1.1% the previous year.

3. Evansville, Ind. – 150% increase with 816 high-income households added. That bumped its percentage of the city’s overall housing to 2.5% in 2022 from 1% the previous year

4. Killeen, Texas – 146.2% increase with 1,197 high-income households added. Its percentage jumped to 3.2% in 2022 from 1.3% the previous year.

5. San Tan Valley, Arizona – 143.9% increase with 2,344 high-income households added. Its percentage of overall housing rose to 10% in 2022 from 4.1% the previous year.

6. Springfield, Mass. – 141.7% increase with 2,103 high-income households added. Its percentage of overall housing rose to 5.8% in 2022 from 2.4% the previous year.

7. New Haven, Conn. – 136.4% increase with 3,362 high-income households added. The percentage jumped to 10.4% in 2022 from 4.4% the previous year.

8. Manchester, N.H. – 134.1% increase with 2,620 high-income households added. Its percentage rose to 9.6% in 2022 from 4.1% the previous year.

9. Jackson, Miss. – 125% increase with 1,554 high-income households added. Its percentage increased to 4.5% in 2022 from 2% the previous year.

10. Palmdale – 119.4% increase with 3,306 high-income households added. Its percentage increased to 13.6% in 2022 from 6.2% the previous year.

The facilities include Fountain Valley Regional Hospital, Los Alamitos Medical Center, Placentia-Linda Hospital and Lakewood Regional Medical Center.

Pending regulatory approvals, the hospitals and their associated clinics will become part of UC Irvine’s healthcare system. The deal was approved by the UC Board of Regents and is expected to close later this spring.

Also see: Hospital building spree could turn Irvine into nation’s next big health brand

Tenet’s Chief Executive Officer Saum Sutaria in a statement said the company’s Pacific Coast Network “will be in good hands under the new ownership.”

UCI expands again

The deal marks another significant expansion for UCI Health, which includes a medical center in Orange and a network of specialty care centers.

In 2021, UCI Health CEO Chad Lefteris said UCI Medical Center was “essentially full all the time” and had limited space for inpatients.

More on UCI: Samuelis give university $50 million for health, society and environmental research

To further its reach, UCI Health launched work on a $1 billion medical complex next to its main campus, approved by UC Regents in 2021. UC Irvine Medical Center Irvine-Newport, a multi-building complex on 202 acres with a 144-bed hospital and emergency room, will offer specialty care in oncology, neurosciences, children’s health and other areas. It’s expected to open in 2025.

UCI also added the Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute, which was established in 2001. The institute was made possible by Orange County philanthropists Henry Samueli and his wife, the building namesake, who donated $200 million to create the school.

Employee unrest

The acquisition comes amid ongoing labor disputes by union employees at many hospitals across Southern California. Most of the protests center on wage and staffing issues, a common theme since the pandemic.

The Pacific Coast Network has seen its share of unrest as nurses and technicians protest what they call understaffed facilities.

Employees picketed in Tenet’s Fountain Valley, Los Alamitos and Lakewood hospitals in June 2021, alleging the facilities had left some workers without health insurance while the company received billions in federal COVID-19 relief funds and spent $1.1 billion to buy 45 surgery centers.

In a statement issued late Thursday, NUHW President Sal Rosselli said Tenet still has “chronically understaffed” hospitals in Orange County while employees have struggled to provide adequate patient care.

“We’re hopeful that the sale to UC Irvine Health will benefit patients and caregivers,” he said. “But we still need the university to explain how it plans to operate the hospitals and protect the critical jobs and services they provide.”

The UC health system also faced temporary layoffs during the pandemic. Hundreds of employees protested the move, which affected Southern California hospitals in Riverside and San Diego, though not UCI Health.

Tenet’s workers are represented by the National Union of Healthcare Workers and the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals. UCI Health employees are represented by the California Nurses Association and American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, among others.

The two hospital systems didn’t address how the acquisition would affect union employees.

Expanded services

The university said the Tenet acquisition would give patients access to advanced therapies and clinical trials related to cancer, neurosciences, digestive diseases, orthopedics and internal medicine.

UCI Health operates the only Level I trauma center in Orange County. It also operates the region’s largest burn center in addition to a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center and high-risk perinatal-neonatal service, hospital officials said.

Patients at UCI Health and Tenet facilities can continue receiving care as they normally would, officials said.

The UC system, a $14 billion enterprise, includes six medical schools, along with other facilities, including four children’s hospitals and the Global Health Institute.

UCI Chancellor Howard Gillman said the acquisition would help the university deepen its “healthcare commitment to the future of Orange County, our region and California.”

Tenet operates 67 hospitals and medical facilities throughout California, including the Coast Surgery Center of South Bay in Torrance, Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs and Providence Holy Cross Surgery Center in Mission Hills, among others.

Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare said the four hospitals and related operations generated revenues of about $1 billion in 2024, Tenet said. The Dallas-based company estimates the transaction will generate a pre-tax gain of approximately $500 million.

Late last year, another academic health system, UC San Diego Health, finalized a $200 million deal to acquire Alvarado Hospital Medical Center from Ontario-based Prime Healthcare.

Eric Jimenez, secretary-treasurer for Teamsters Local 952, said the union’s collective bargaining agreement with Republic stipulates that Teamsters’ employees handle 50% of the waste.

The subcontracting whittled that to as low as about 30%, he said, affecting 21 Teamsters employed as semi-truck drivers for Republic, transporting municipal waste from transfer stations to landfills.

A court-appointed arbitrator has awarded the employees $197,397.45 for lost wages in 2023. And over the next nine months, the company will own another $96,229.28 to Local 952 members, bringing the total to $293,262.73.

Also see: UCLA, UC Riverside students petition to remove Starbucks from campuses

Representatives with Phoenix-based Republic declined to comment on the settlement.

Republic trash trucks pick up municipal waste and deliver it to transfer stations, including one in Anaheim, where green waste and materials that can be recycled are separated out. The remaining waste is trucked to landfills.

More union news: Employees speak out against proposed Kroger/Albertsons merger

“This settlement sends a strong message to Republic and other greedy corporations that when you violate a Teamster contract, we will fight back and we will win,” Jimenez said. “Republic has nine months to get in compliance, or they’ll end up in court. You can take that all the way to the bank.”

Jimenez said Republic’s violation of its collective bargaining agreement with the Teamsters was noted early on.

“We started investigating this over a year and a half ago,” he said. “We spoke with the company, and they promised they would fix it, but that didn’t happen. Then we went through the grievance process, which led to arbitration and the settlement about a week and a half ago.”

Chuck Stiles, director of the Teamsters Solid Waste and Recycling Division, said the settlement puts Republic on notice.

“This company will never get away with violating collective bargaining agreements negotiated by the Teamsters without fierce resistance,” Stiles said in a statement. “We will never back down when it comes to protecting our members, and we will utilize every tool at our disposal to ensure our membership is made whole.”

Teamsters Local 952 in Orange represents roughly 9,000 truck drivers, transportation, food, office and warehouse workers at locations throughout Orange County and the surrounding region.

The Irvine-based luxury automaker is turning 10. Inside those years are some bumpy beginnings.

From a startup to bust and then reborn again (twice), the company is eking out a name in the luxury car world with three new models hitting the roadways this year and into 2026.

After two rocky years before the pandemic struck in 2020, the automaker is ready to start adding jobs again at its headquarters in Orange County and manufacturing plant in Moreno Valley.

The company today counts about 300 workers, but President Marques McCammon said Karma will eventually need to hire another 300 to 500 employees to meet production demands. To make that happen, the automaker is looking to create workforce development and training initiatives with local universities to prod students into the green transportation economy.

“We will be designing prototypes for all of our vehicles, and as that portfolio grows we’ll add more engineers and technicians, and there will also be more area suppliers,” McCammon said.

Startup days

Karma’s path has not been without challenges. Its origins in 2007 as Fisker Automotive met an early demise after its battery supplier A123 Systems went bankrupt. Wanxiang, a Chinese automotive conglomerate, bought the assets of both businesses in 2014 for $400 million and renamed the company Karma.

The company’s first EV was the Karma Revero. But on April 11, 2019, Karma issued a recall and stop-sale order on all Reveros, due to a flaw in the rollover sensors that could disable the car’s side-curtain airbags.

The resulting financial difficulties prompted the layoff of 200 employees at its Irvine headquarters in November 2019 and 60 more the following year.

To put the company back on track, several executives were let go last year. McCammon, formerly with Chrysler Corp. and then Daimler-Chrysler, was brought on board to lead the company’s operations.

Karma engineers, designs and manufactures its electric and range-extended EVs in Southern California. The company maintains a 500,000-square-foot production facility in Moreno Valley and the vehicles are sold throughout North America, Europe, South America and the Middle East.

“North America is our biggest market by far,” McCammon said. “We have 32 dealerships and 22 of them are in North America.”

That includes dealerships in Murrieta, Las Vegas and Scottsdale, among other locations.

The company has sold about 1,000 of its luxury vehicles to date. That equates to an average of 100 cars a year.

“We’ve always existed as a niche vehicle maker, and we’re comfortable with that,” McCammon said. “In terms of luxury vehicles, we’re probably the closest to Ferrari. They do 15,000 units a year, but I don’t see us reaching that scale in the near future.”

Joseph Yoon, a consumer insights analyst with Edmunds, said Karma caters to a niche market of buyers with deep pockets.

“It’s hard to gauge what they consider a success,” he said. “It’s not like they’re building compact SUVs for young families. They’re serving a very small slice of the market.”

In November, Karma announced its three new models:

Revero: A return of Karma’s signature range-extended hybrid electric touring sedan, this updated version has an 80-mile electric range and a combined gas/electric range of 360 miles. It will be available in the third quarter of 2024 for around $145,000.

Gyesera: Karma’s first full all-electric sports touring sedan features rear-wheel drive, a 250-mile range and a 11.6-inch infotainment screen. It will be available in the fourth quarter of 2024, priced at $190,000.

Kaveya: The full-battery electric super coupe will be available in two versions. One, with a top speed of 180 mph, a 250-plus mile range and butterfly doors, will be available in the fourth quarter of 2026. The other, with rear-wheel drive and 536 horsepower, will be released in the fourth quarter of 2025. The estimated sticker price for the cars will be “north of $300,000,” McCammon said.

Karma’s buyers include Jay Leno, who owns a custom Karma Revero GS6 that was recently highlighted on his TV show, “Jay Leno’s Garage.”

“I drove it for about a month and put about 700 miles on it,” Leno said as he showcased the car. “I didn’t use any gas because I got about 80 miles free every day. And by free, I mean electric. I have to admit, the more I drove it the more I liked it.”

A growing market

A new report from Kelley Blue Book found a record 1.2 million U.S. vehicle buyers chose to go electric last year. In 2023, EVs accounted for 7.6% of total US vehicle sales, the company said, up from 5.9% in 2022.

EV sales in the fourth quarter of 2023 set a record for both volume and share — 317,168 and 8.1%, respectively. But demand has slowed.

KBB said EV growth will continue to slow, possibly displaying the first quarter-over-quarter sales decline in more than three years.

Yoon explained the slowdown this way:

“EV makers have run out of early adopters,” he said. “They’re trying to get people who weren’t really into EVs to buy them, and it’s a bit difficult.”

He said buyers have strong reservations about the charging infrastructure for electric vehicles.

“I live across from a big mall that has all sorts of EV chargers, but they’re always occupied,” he said. “And if you get outside of big urban areas, people will worry. ‘Oh, maybe I can’t go see my family because there are no chargers there.’ “

Several governments are providing tax subsidies on the purchase of luxury and economy electric vehicles, but California has taken the EV push a step further.

In August 2022, the California Air Resources Board approved an advanced clean-cars rule that will require all new cars sold in 2035 and beyond to be zero-emission vehicles, including EVs and plug-in hybrid electrics.

Karma has also developed its own EV battery production facility at its Moreno Valley facility, and the company plans to create a clean energy corridor between Irvine and Moreno Valley, a project aimed at improving air quality in the region.

“We’ll have charging infrastructure on both sides and energy storage available to customers for their homes,” McCammon said. “We’re also partnering with another company to provide charging for commercial vehicles.”

The market for commercial EVs is also ramping up.

Riverside officials recently cleared the way for Ohmio, a New Zealand maker of autonomous electric shuttles, to move its international headquarters to the city.

Costa Mesa-based Rove has also broken ground on a mega-center in Santa Ana that will boast 40 fast-charging stations, a grab-and-go market, car wash, 24-hour lounge, free WiFi and restrooms.

And Brea-based EV automaker Mullen Automotive recently launched production of its Mullen Three Class 3 truck at the company’s assembly plant in Tunica, Miss. With a range of 120 miles and a hauling capacity of 5,800 pounds, the vehicle was created for businesses that make short-haul deliveries, a Mullen representative said.

In a show of solidarity, the students plan to deliver petitions with more than 1,500 signatures to the two universities this week.

“The issues of Starbucks workers and the experiences that students face are intersectional, and we must be in solidarity,” said David Ramirez, a UCLA student, former Starbucks worker and member of UCLA Students Against Starbucks.

Starbucks spokesman Andrew Trull addressed union concerns in a statement released Monday, Jan. 29.

“As a company, we respect our partners’ right to organize, freely associate, engage in lawful union activities and bargain collectively without fear of reprisal or retaliation — and remain committed to our stated aim of reaching ratified contracts for union-represented stores in 2024,” he said.

The move to organize has grown rapidly in recent years with workers at more than 385 Starbucks stores unionizing with Starbucks Workers United as they lobby for higher wages, increased staffing and consistent scheduling, despite heavy pushback from the coffee chain.

Also see: Starbucks ‘illegally’ closed 6 Los Angeles-area stores after union formation, feds says

Locally, that includes locations in Long Beach, Los Angeles, Anaheim and Huntington Beach.

The push for higher pay and better working conditions has resulted in the unionization of more than 9,500 Starbucks employees, according to the Starbucks Workers United website.

The UCLA petition, which will be delivered Tuesday, Jan. 30 to the board of directors for Associated Students UCLA, demands that the school divest from Starbucks and terminate its licensing agreement with the company.

The UC Riverside petition, to be delivered the following day to Chancellor Kim A. Wilcox and top decision-makers at the university, will likewise demand that the university not renew its contract with the coffee chain.

Speakers at both actions will highlight the employees’ bargaining demands and share stories about what unions mean to the next generation of workers, many of whom will be college students.

“When we graduate, we want to enter a workforce where workers have a real voice on the job with their employers,” said Eren Whitfield, a UCR Student and member of UCR Students Against Starbucks. “Bringing people together for a common purpose has been our main goal.”

Workers at a Starbucks at 5757 Wilshire Blvd. in Los Angeles voted to unionize earlier this month, marking the 33rd California location to join Starbucks Workers United. The National Labor Relations Board must still certify the outcome of their vote.

Andrew Gillespie, a shift supervisor at the coffee shop, said management tried to dissuade employees from joining the union.

“At first, they said they wanted to let us know that the company was behind us,” the 26-year-old LA resident said. “But then they started posting signs and said our benefits could go away if we unionized. They also said, ‘We can make that raise you’ve been asking for happen if you vote no.’”

The raise management was referring to is an automatic pay hike workers already get each year, Gillespie said.

Starbucks disputes that point and said it announced in November that all U.S. employees would receive a minimum of a 3% annual wage increase.

Starbucks said it “will give all union-represented partners annual wage increases that are aligned to previous, historical practices for each store” — which may differ based on when workers began to pursue union representation.

“The starting wage for Starbucks employees in California is $17 an hour, but under the contract we drafted, no one would make less than $20 an hour,” Gillespie said.

Starbucks’ board of directors recently released the findings of an independent third party assessment on the company’s adherence to its workers’ right to collective bargaining.

The evaluation from Thomas M. Mackall, a senior counsel to the U.S. Council on International Business, found “there is no evidence Starbucks has or has used an ‘anti-union playbook,’ and that “the company has provided consistent reassurances to partners that Starbucks respects their right to collectively organize through fairly conducted elections.”

UC Riverside officials said full-time, non-management workers at the Starbucks on campus are university employees and are already represented by a union.

“UC Riverside’s contract with Starbucks for its on-campus location expires in summer 2025,” they said. “Renewal conversations have not yet been initiated by the university, nor by Starbucks.”

In November, UCLA students introduced a resolution at the student council calling on the university’s administration to kick Starbucks off of campus as a consequence for its “illegal union busting.” That resulted in administrative law judges finding the company has “broken the law more than 270 times,” union officials said.

In May 2023, students at Cornell University successfully demanded their university cut ties with Starbucks after the company closed all three of Ithaca’s stores – all of which had formed unions.

By August 2023, the students won a victory when Cornell said it wouldn’t renew its existing contract with Starbucks when it expires in 2025.

They say a union of the two mega supermarket chains would undermine competition, hike prices and result in job losses and store closures. But Kroger says opponents of the plan are spreading “false and misleading information.”

The Federal Trade Commission is expected to soon weigh in on the proposed merger.

With nearly 5,000 stores, 700,000 employees and 15% of the national market share, the newly created grocery giant would encompass scores of banners, including Vons, Ralphs, Safeway, Fred Meyer, King Soopers, Harris Teeter,Vitacost, Randall’s, Haggen, Shaw’s and Jewel-Osco.

The resulting company would be second only to Walmart/Sam’s Club in grocery volume, enabling four chains to control 60% of U.S. grocery sales.

Kroger and Albertson plan to appease federal regulators by selling off more than 400 stores to C&S, the industry’s largest privately owned wholesaler. Most of the divestments would occur on the West Coast, according to Forbes. That includes Ralph’s and QFC, where Kroger and Albertsons have higher combined market shares.

John Marshall, capital stratagies director for the United Food and Commercial Workers International union (UFCW), which represents the grocery workers, doesn’t put much faith in C&S.

“C&S has no track record of successfully running grocery stores,” Marshall said. “If you look at their revenue over past six years, its been declining significantly — and they are clearly not a pro-union company.”

Marshall cited Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s recent lawsuit against Kroger and Albertsons over the proposed merger.

The action claims it will “severely limit” grocery store competition in many areas of the state and eliminate competition to keep prices low.

Ferguson also challenged the grocery chains’ plan to sell off 104 stores in his home state of Washington, arguing the sales will set up the stores to fail and increase unemployment.

“The Washington attorney general also uncovered an internal communication where company execs acknowlegded the merger would create a monopoly,” Marshall said.

In a statement issued Friday, Kroger said “false and misleading information” continues to be used by opponents of the planned merger.

“The facts are clear – this merger is inherently pro-union, and we have the track record to prove it,” the company said. “Kroger added more than 100,000 good-paying union jobs since 2012 and invested $1.9 billion to grow associate wages and industry-leading, comprehensive benefits since 2018.”

The company added that Kroger and C&S have pledged that “no stores will close and no frontline workers will be laid off as a result of the merger.”

Still, many workers are worried.

Grace Garcia, who works at a Vons in Glendale, is leery of the merger — and for good reason. She previously worked at an Albertsons in Burbank that became a Haggen supermarket when the Bellingham, Wash.-based grocer took over scores of Albertsons and Vons stores.

“When Haggen came in they were all gung ho, making all kinds of promises,” the 49-year-old Paramount resident said. “But they filed for bankruptcy six months later and I was out of work for three months. My concern is that the Kroger/Albertsons merger would be Haggen 2.0.”

Burt Flickinger III, managing director for the retail consulting firm Strategic Resource Group, noted in an Oct. 23 posting on progressivegrocer.com that Albertsons put itself up for sale nearly two years ago and undertook a comprehensive review of strategic alternatives.

“The Kroger transaction is the best outcome for union workers, customers and communities,” he said. “If the deal is blocked, Albertsons — which is still majority-owned by private equity, with private equity having significant influence on Albertsons’ future — will remain for sale.”

And that, he said, could result in selling off the Albertsons portfolio in pieces, resulting in thousands of union jobs lost. By contrast, Kroger won’t close any stores or lay off any store associates as a result of its merger, Flickinger said.

In a press release issued this week, Frank Cirillo, a spokesman for the Ohio-based food company, said he realizes the products are well liked among consumers.

“We greatly appreciate the fans of the brand and look forward to continuing to serve them through our other offerings,” he said. “The decision to discontinue Knott’s Berry Farm was in alignment with our strategy to continuously review our portfolio and prioritize support to the areas of the business with the greatest growth potential.”

Representatives with Knott’s Berry Farm offered no comment.

The popular line of products include Knott’s’ Seedless Strawberry Jam, Boysenberry Preserves and Seedless Red Raspberry Jam, among other long-time favorites.

Fans are rushing to snag what they can while the products may still be on store shelves and in vending machines, according to a posting on allrecipes.com.

“Noooo! I’m buying every bag in my vending machine when I return to work Monday,” one cookie lover wrote.

“Gotta go to Big Lots now. that’s where I know they have them currently,” another fan said.

Fans of the products need not dispair, however, as the products can still be purchased through Knott’s Berry’s online marketplace and at the Berry Market at Knott’s Berry Farm.

J.M. Smucker acquired the Knott’s Berry Farm brand from ConAgra Foods, now Conagra Brands, in 2008, according to USA Today. Knott’s Berry’s line of products included “high quality jams, jellies and preserves in the retail, gift boxes, and foodservice channels,” according to a 2008 news release announcing the acquisition.

Knott’s Berry Farm had humble beginnings before it eventually morphed into the popular entertainment destination it has become today.

“What began as a roadside berry stand and chicken dinner restaurant in the 1920s has evolved into Knott’s Berry Farm, one of Southern California’s most popular theme park destinations,” the company’s website says.

Knott’s is owned and operated by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, one of the largest regional amusement-resort operators in the world and a publicly traded partnership headquartered in Sandusky, Ohio.

Cedar Fair owns and operates 13 properties, consisting of 11 amusement parks, four separately gated outdoor water parks, and resort accommodations totaling more than 2,300 rooms and more than 600 luxury RV sites.

The company’s parks are located in Ohio, California, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Missouri, Michigan, Texas and Toronto, Ontario.

Flight attendants with the low-cost airline have long complained of constantly-changing work rules, low wages for time on the job, substandard hotel accommodations, insufficient work hours and disrespectful treatment from management.

AFA International President Sara Nelson said the workers have organized “faster than almost any campaign I’ve ever seen.”

“The solidarity and recognition of their worth is inspiring,” Nelson said in a statement. “We can’t wait to make the union they’ve built together official with this election.”

Representatives with Breeze Airways could not be reached for comment.

The employees are awaiting an election date from the National Mediation Board (NMB) under procedures defined by the Railway Labor Act. NMB is the federal agency that oversees union representation elections for air and rail workers.

Breeze doesn’t have any flight attendants based out of Los Angeles International Airport, John Wayne Airport or San Bernardino International Airport, although the airline operates flight routes through those locations.

“Breeze Flight Attendants just showed management and the world that they are united behind a common purpose and are ready to do what’s necessary to secure dignity and voice at work,” Nelson said.

Earlier this month, Breeze announced it would be adding eight new nonstop routes this spring, including its first service from San Diego — to Cincinnati, Jacksonville, Norfolk, Raleigh-Durham and Pittsburgh, all of which are new routes from San Diego International.

Headquartered in Utah, Breeze began operation in May 2021. The airline is growing and already has nearly 600 flight attendants. Breeze pilots won an election for union representation with the Air Line Pilots Association in August 2022.

The airline was founded by David Neeleman, who previously co-founded Morris Air, WestJet, JetBlue and Azul Linhas Aereas.

Breeze employees aren’t the only ones complaining about wages and work conditions.

Alaska Airlines flight attendants picketed John Wayne Airport and LAX last month, saying they’re underpaid and not being compensated for the time they spend boarding, deplaning and waiting between flights.

The employees, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, announced they would begin gathering strike authorization votes amid stalled contract negotiations.

The pickets and announcement were happening in conjunction with similar events at Alaska Airlines hubs across the country that included thousands of flight attendants for a “nationwide day of action.”

Nearly 970 Alaska flight attendants are based out of LAX, although many fly in and out of John Wayne Airport in Orange County, Ontario International Airport and Hollywood Burbank Airport.

And United Airlines flight attendants picketed LAX for the second time in December, claiming they’re also underpaid and not being compensated for the time they spend boarding, deplaning and waiting between flights.

They’re also seeking rules that give more control of their time and compensate them when operations are disrupted by weather or staffing shortages, and they want management to improve their health insurance coverage and other workplace benefits.

You’d better get used to it because 77% of hiring managers say AI is a beneficial resume skill for 2024, according to a new report from ResumeTemplates.com. In fact, six out of 10 employers say they’d choose a less-experienced candidate, providing they had AI skills.

From automating routine tasks to enhancing decision-making processes, the growing prevalence of AI is reshaping how businesses operate and employees engage with their professional responsibilities.

ResumeTemplates, which surveyed 780 hiring managers for the study, added that 73% of companies are expanding their use of AI in 2024.

Many employers believe AI is a skill even entry-level candidates should have, the report said. Nearly 30% deemed it “very important,” while 40% say it’s “somewhat important.”

“Possessing at least a basic understanding of a specific domain, in combination with having AI skills, can enable candidates to compete with more experienced counterparts,” said Andrew Stoner, ResumeTemplates’ executive resume writer and career coach.

Stoner said candidates with less experience who are looking to stand out in the hiring process should highlight job-specific, relevant skills on their resume and provide solid examples during the interview process.

“Obtaining in-demand professional or technical certifications is another way candidates can level up,” he said. “And AI-generated work samples or simulations might be a new strategy for candidates to demonstrate their skills.”

Here’s a breakdown of the four types of candidates managers say they’re most likely to hire:

Candidate A: 10 years of relevant experience (44%)

Candidate B: 7 years of relevant experience + novice AI skills (19%)

Candidate C: 5 years of relevant experience + proficient AI skills (27%)

Candidate D: 1 year of relevant experience + expert AI skills (10%)

Michael Macho, division president for BIS Computer Solutions, said AI incorporates technologies that were already in use, although they’ve been greatly advanced through machine learning.

His Glendale-based company provides custom software that helps businesses streamline processes and cut operational costs.

“We’re using a program now called Air.AI,” he said. “It’s used in sales for outbound marketing calls. The AI ‘people’ will make the initial call to get someone interested in your product or solution, then it can be handed off to an actual human being.”

Potential customer names are pulled from databases that target specific industries or geographic regions.

“We can create scripts that overcome objections,” he said. “This is a relatively new software, but it works really well. And it’s very difficult to tell that it’s not a real person calling. I’ve listened to some successful calls, and many people have no idea that it’s not a real person.”

BIS helped Fund Retriever integreate Air.AI into its operations. The Boise, Idaho-based company, registered with the California Controller’s Office, helps businesses and individuals recover unclaimed funds that are owned to them but have been languishing in bank accounts, stocks or safe deposit boxes.

Brandon Peters, the company’s founder and CEO, said the program has freed him up from making phone calls all day long.

“It can make hundreds of calls a day for under $3,” he said. “The biggest value is the reduction of time and costs.”