As the Lenten season nears, the supermarket strike enters a long fourth month. Federal mediators resumed mediating negations Feb. 11 between supermarket management and the United Food and Commercial Workers after a nearly two-month impasse. There is a new hope that an agreement can be reached that will put 70,000 striking and locked-out employees of Vons, Pavilions, Albertsons and Ralphs back to work.

But let us reflect on a couple of reasons why grocery shoppers of faith need to hold the picket line and not cross it until the strike is officially ended and a new contract between employers and the employees' union is signed.

Avoiding the Sin of Greed: As reported in the Los Angeles Times Feb. 4, $9 million in stock was awarded to eight vice presidents of Safeway (Vons' parent company) in December. CEO Steve Burd cashed in about $15 million in stock. Ralphs is being investigated by the California Attorney General for allegedly falsifying identifications illegally to get workers to come back. Burd --- widely believed to be the driving force behind the strike --- has lost about $1 billion on previous supermarket acquisitions that didn't pan out. Now his hard-line position with the union suggests he is trying to recoup company losses by creating a two-tiered employee system which pays significantly reduced wages to new hires, eliminates pension benefits and requires that they pay much more for health care.

Greed today is called "plantation capitalism." Workers are forced to work without any hope of mobility; they are corporate "share croppers." Too often corporate management tries to minimize the voices of their employees. If profits are returned to shareholders, but workers are not earning enough to support their families and afford their health care, then in our faith we call that greed.

Dignity of Work: Ask yourself this fundamental question: "Should people who work full-time earn enough to support their families in dignity and stay off taxpayer-funded anti-poverty programs?"

That is what the workers are striking for. They are not asking to put pressure on the public health care system; they are not asking for Medi-Cal or Medicare. They want their companies to recognize that health benefits should be affordable. Grocery workers are looking for their fair share and for respect. They are dedicated to making the market work. They are experienced men and women who have homes, cars and other items paid for, not on credit. If given the opportunity, they can make our shopping experiences better and affordable.

After not receiving a paycheck for months, workers are enduring severe hardships --- some have lost homes and cars, others can't pay for their health care needs. As a faith community we cannot just shrug our shoulders and "Oh, well" or "get a job." Stop and pray for a moment. The grocery worker is tired of being pushed around, spat on or insulted. We in the clergy who support the picketing workers remind them of the need and the power of non-violence. The workers' union has asked the faith communities of Southern California to support them, and the leadership -- from Cardinal Roger Mahony to Christian, Muslim and Jewish leaders -- are doing so. We are carrying their cross and we will not cross the line into Vons, Pavilions, Ralphs, and Albertsons.

I invite you to join us in carrying their cross by not crossing the picket line until the strike ends. Make this your penance during Lent to not cross the line. The picket sign is the cross and we can help carry the cross of the Christ that we see in those 70,000 workers.

Father Michael D. Gutierrez is pastor of St. Anne Church and Shrine in Santa Monica and board member of CLUE (Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice).