Heavenly Diablo

Members praise owners of Diablo Foods in Lafayette, Calif.

Meat Manager Jim Gates loves going to work each day at Diablo Foods.

“I enjoy working there because the owners care about the people who work here,” Gates said. “Every day, Ed and Dan [owner Ed Stokes and his son, Vice President Dan Stokes] come around to ask how you are doing. And if they know something is going on in your life, they will ask about it.

“Where else can you get that kind of personal attention? It’s a great place to work.” Diablo Foods, at 3615 Mount Diablo Blvd. in Lafayette, has been a Union employer going on 41 years.

“This place has a real family atmosphere that you don’t find in corporate-owned stores.” “Ed and Dan treat us like people, not like a number,” Gates said. “Their doors are always open. You can go in there and feel comfortable talking to them. And they are always willing to help out if you have a problem.”

Ed Stokes joined the UFCW in 1955 while a student at the UC Berkeley. “I got a job as a checker at a You-Save supermarket near the campus,” Stokes recalled “After college, I stayed with the company and

eventually managed 11 stores.” In 1965, the company was bought by another supermarket chain and Stokes left the Union to manage 21 of its stores, including Diablo Foods.

Three years later, the company declared bankruptcy and Stokes bought Diablo Foods. “I have great respect for the UFCW,” Stokes said. “Union people are better workers, because the Union encourages its members to be good employees.

“Union and management have a contract that we have both made a commitment to uphold. When there are any problems, we meet together to resolve them.”

Stokes said his Union employees are a major reason for his store’s success. “Our Union employees are the best,” he said. “They have a great rapport with our

customers, and that makes the shopping experience a pleasant one and keeps people coming back.”

Marty Tsudama appreciates Stokes’ attitude. “It’s great to have an employer who respects his employees and supports the

Union,” he said. “It’s the reason we have so many Union members who have been working here for decades.”