- What is this matter about?
- Who is eligible to participate in this matter?
- What are my options?
- What are the benefits for Class Members?
- What do I have to do to request benefits in this matter?
- How can I obtain a copy of the Notice of Restitution Plan and Opportunity to File a Claim document and a copy of the Claim Form?
- If I would rather receive these documents by mail what do I need to do?
- When can I expect to receive my benefits?
- Where can I go for additional information?
An action of the Court exists between the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California (“USAO”) and defendant RALPHS GROCERY COMPANY (“RALPHS”). This action arises out of the Indictment in United States v. Ralphs Grocery Company, CR 05-1210-PA.
Ralphs agreed to plead guilty to several criminal offenses including (1) conspiracy to commit federal offenses related to the use of Social Security numbers and/or identity fraud; (2) knowingly through an officer, employee or agent caused a locked-out employee to falsely represent a Social Security number as the one issued to him by the Commissioner of Social Security; (3) knowingly through an officer, employee or agent caused a locked-out employee to transfer or use the identification of his wife; (4) knowingly through an officer, employee or agent falsified, concealed, or covered up, or caused another to falsify, conceal, or cover up, by trick, scheme, or device, a fact in a matter within the jurisdiction of the Social Security Administration (“SSA”) or the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) and; (5) knowingly concealed, covered up, or failed to disclose, or caused another to conceal, cover up, or fail to disclose information in a document required by Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”) to be published, kept as part of the records of any employee welfare benefit plan or employee pension benefit plan, or certified to the administrator of any such plan.
A fund has been established as a result of this action (“The Ralphs Restitution Fund” (“The RRF”)) to compensate eligible employees for losses suffered as a result of the lockout.
For more information about this matter, please refer to the Notice.
2. Who is eligible to participate in this matter?
Only eligible employees of Ralphs during the Strike or Lockout period can participate in this matter. You are an eligible employee if (1) you were a Ralphs employee (excluding pharmacists) covered by the Retail Food, Meat, Bakery, Candy And General Merchandise Agreement (CBA), in effect from on or about October 4, 1999, through on or about October 5, 2003, between the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) Locals 135; 324; 770; 1036; 1167; 1428; and 1442 (the Unions); (2) were locked out by RALPHS during the Lockout beginning on or about October 12, 2003, and continuing until on or about March 1, 2004; and did not work for RALPHS, Albertsons, or Vons during the Strike (during the same time period) or Lockout, under any name or identity.
For more information about this matter, please refer to the Notice.
Class Members (i.e., all eligible employees) have the right to file a claim for benefits or to do nothing. These choices will affect your legal rights.
In order to file a claim for benefits, Class Members must return a signed, dated, and certified Claim Form that, in the judgment of the Special Master, contains sufficient information to permit the Special Master to calculate the person’s Gross Claim. The Claim Form must be mailed to the Claims Administrator postmarked on or before May 21, 2007.
Class Members also have the option to do nothing. You will not receive any portion of the Ralphs Restitution Fund amount.
For more information about this matter, please refer to the Notice.
4. What are the benefits for Class Members?
Ralphs has agreed to establish and fund the Ralphs Restitution Fund in the amount of $50 million. The victims of the offenses of conviction are limited to (a) Eligible Employees; (b) the Unions; (c) the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS); and (d) the following employee benefit funds – (i) United Food and Commercial Workers (UCFW) Unions and Food Employers Benefit Fund, for health and welfare contributions; (ii) the Southern California UCFW Unions and Food Employers Joint Pension Trust Funds, for pension contributions and; (iii) the Southern California UFCW and Food Employers Individual Account Plan.
The court has appointed a “Special Master” to administer the payment of benefits to these victims.
For more information about this matter, please refer to the Notice.
5. What do I have to do to request benefits in this matter?
To request benefits in this matter you must file a timely valid Claim Form.
Class Members who wish to file a claim must mail their Claim Form to the Claims Administrator postmarked on or before May 21, 2007.
To be valid, your Claim Form must be signed and dated, and shall certify under penalty of perjury the following facts, as well as any other facts deemed necessary or appropriate by the Special Master:
- Your true name, current address, current telephone number, and social security number;
- The Union Local to which you belonged during the Strike and Lockout;
- That you were, as of October 11, 2003, a RALPHS employee covered by the CBA;
- Your hourly wage rate, employee classification, and full-time or part-time status as of October 11, 2003;
- That you were locked out by RALPHS during the Lockout;
- That you did not work for RALPHS, Albertsons, or Vons during the Strike or Lockout, under any name or identity; and
- Whether you received money from any of the following sources during the Strike or Lockout, and if so, the itemized and total amounts of any such money:
i. Lockout Benefit(s);
ii. Any employment, including the name(s) of the employer(s);
iii. Unemployment insurance benefits;
iv. Workers compensation benefits; or
v. Disability benefits.
To view and print a copy of the Claim Form, click here.
6. How can I obtain a copy of the Notice of Restitution Plan and Opportunity to File a Claim document and a copy of the Claim Form?
To view and print a copy of the Notice of Restitution Plan and Opportunity to File a Claim and a copy of the Claim Form, click here.
You may also call the Claims Administrator toll-free at 1-800-207-0343 to request these materials.
7. If I would rather receive these documents by mail what do I need to do?
To receive these documents by mail, call the Claims Administrator toll-free at
1-800-207-0343 to request copies of these documents.
8. When can I expect to receive my benefits?
The distribution to eligible employees who file a valid claim will take place no earlier than June 30, 2007. This is an estimated date. The actual date may change during the course of processing the claims received.
9. Where can I go for additional information?
Do not contact the Court or Ralphs concerning the Notice or this matter. You can review the documents on this website to find answers to common questions about the matter, a Claim Form, plus other information to help you determine whether you are a Class Member and whether you are eligible for a benefit.