"I wouldn't walk through a picket line," said Peggy Guina, a San Jose resident who had just finished shopping at Albertson's on Meridian Road. She was unaware that the contracts had expired between grocery workers and Albertson's and Safeway grocery stores in the Bay Area.

"Maybe I'd better stock up now," she added.

Rather than face striking workers she said she would shop at nearby Trader Joe's in Campbell, which is not involved in the contract negotiations.

Safeway shopper Jim Flynn, said he also would be inclined to avoid the stores if pickets were marching, and would travel the extra distance to PW Market for his groceries.

Contracts expired Jan. 15 and an extension to Jan. 24 was given by the Bay Area Coalition--a collection of eight local United Food and Commercial Workers unions representing 30,000 members-- which stated that by the end of that day if no significant progress had been made in reaching an agreement, the unions would escalate activities and possibly move toward launching a strike.

At press time no agreement had been reached between the parties, and Ron Lind, president of UFCW Local 428 which represents nearly 10,000 members in four counties including Santa Clara, said the disputes on non-economic issues were close to being settled during the extension but that the parties were "very far apart" on economic issues mainly involving healthcare benefits.

He also said that if no agreement had been reached it didn't mean the strike would begin the next day. Unions would first increase activities such as leafleting and garnering public support, and then they may ask members to vote on whether to strike.

A source who asked not be named said Safeway managers were expecting no strike, and Ron Jensen, manager of PW Market on Almaden Expressway, said he believed also that he had not seen indicators of a strike like he has in the past.

Normally by this time in the negotiating process, Jensen said, he would have had several workers from the other stores, such as Safeway or Albertson's, come into his store seeking employment in the event of a strike. But Jensen said he hasn't had any requests.

When told of the management-side optimism, Lind responded, "Well, I wish they were sounding that way at the bargaining table."

On Jan. 20 the coalition called for members to rally at Albertson's stores throughout the Bay Area to pass out fliers and ask for people to pledge their support to the union workers.

"We're stepping up some activities today. We'll be pledge carding and leafleting so the companies know we're serious," Lind said.

The Bay Area Coalition hopes the resolution ends in a successfully ratified contract such as the one signed by UCFW Local 588 in Sacramento just a few weeks ago.

That was not the case last year when striking food store workers in Southern California were hit hard in their dispute with management. When all the dust had settled, the unions' lengthy work stoppage ended by workers giving in to steep healthcare benefit cuts.

Stores such as PW Market, Lunardi's and Cosentino's are on separate contracts from the larger chains such as Safeway and Albertson's and enjoy "sweetheart" deals allowing them to remain open in the event of a labor shutdown.

Managers of local stores such as PW Market and Zanotto's say that in past labor disputes their traffic and sales volume increased threefold.

"We have to hire extra people to keep the shelves stocked," Jensen said. Though Jensen said he had not been approached by workers from Safeway or Albertson's, Fred Zanotto, owner of Zanotto's in Rose Garden, said he has some people lined up to help out with the extra workload if a strike does happen.

"I have people waiting to come to work for me. I'll be picking up four extra people," he said. Managers at Whole Foods on Bascom in Campbell refused to comment about potential staffing levels.

But while the registers are ringing up the profits in the areas, smaller stores' managers agree that a work stoppage is not good for the overall industry and, as in the case of the Southern California strike, not necessarily good for the workers.