About 45,000 grocery workers have authorized a strike at Ralphs, Albertsons, Vons and Pavilions stores in Southern California to protest unfair labor practices.

United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 announced Saturday that, unlike the February strike by King Soopers workers, the Safeway/Albertsons walkout will begin on a more limited scale.

The union representing more than 45,000 grocery store workers from Santa Barbara to San Diego voted Wednesday to authorize a strike against supermarket chains Albertsons and Kroger. No date has been set for a strike.