Bay Area shoppers may have to navigate past striking workers starting Sunday if they want to get their groceries.
That's when union employees at 32 Raley's supermarkets say they are prepared to strike if no contract agreement is reached with the company.
Raley's owns 22 Nob Hill stores in the South Bay in addition to 10 Raley's stores in the East Bay.
Both sides have been meeting in San Francisco in hopes of averting the strike. They reportedly met late Friday and were back at it again Saturday morning, according to the Sacramento Bee.
The president of UFCW Local 8 in Roseville told the paper earlier this week that he thinks the two sides were fairly close on wages, but remain far apart on health care issues.
Raley's set the midnight deadline to come up with a deal or they say they will impose the wage concession made in their "last and final" contract offer.
John Seagle, a spokesperson for Raley's, says all the stores will remain open in the event of a strike because they will bring in non-union employees to work.
Local
Seagle says the strike would be the first in Raley's nearly 80 year history.
He says the company has lost millions of dollars since 2008 because of non union competitors like Walmart that are now selling groceries.
The company has asked workers to accept a two year pay freeze.
Some union employees say the new contract threatens their retiree health benefits.
