Tribune editorial staff

A strike is almost always a costly venture for everyone involved. Directly, employees have to learn to live without an income and companies need to deal with lost profits.

Indirectly, though, some strikes create hardships for many people not involved. Such is the case with the Kroger strike.

Nearly two months ago, some 3,330 members of United Food & Commercial Workers Local 400 in 44 Kroger stores in West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio - including those in Ashland and Russell, Ky., and Proctorville - walked off the job when their contract expired and talks broke down, primarily over health benefits.

The company had offered to increase its contribution to a health and welfare fund by 8 percent a year and switch the fund's administration to Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield.

The union had asked the company to increase its contributions by varying amounts over the four-year contract including 25 percent in the first year and 13 percent in the fourth year.

In the meantime, the thousands of people in the Tri-State who patronize Kroger have had to change their shopping habits. While this may seem like a minor setback to some, others view it as a major hassle. Humans are creatures of habit, and some of those habits - including where they buy groceries - are hard to break.

The company is going to have to make concessions. Kroger cannot expect employees to come back on the job if they do not believe the company is at least taking their requests under consideration. At the same time, the union has to understand it is not going to see all of its demands met.

However, both sides have said no new negotiation sessions have been planned.

We urge both sides in this strike to

get back to the bargaining table to try and solve this situation soon. Not only for themselves, but also for their communities. If both sides remain at an impasse, when a mutual agreement is finally reached, loyal customers of Kroger may turn to another store.