April 19, 2007 : (LOUISVILLE) -- About 700 union workers from Louisville's Kroger Distribution Center walked off the job Wednesday morning after talks broke down between the Teasmsters Union and the two companies that operate the warehouse for the grocery chain. WAVE 3's Mark Schnyder has more on the story.

Union workers say they thought they were about to sign a contract good for the next six years, but everything changed Wednesday morning. That's when the 100-plus men, tired of working without a contract, walked off the job and on to the picket line.

"We're fighting for our job security, our insurance, our benefits, we just want what's fair, we just want what everybody wants," says striking union worker Ty Howard.

The Teamsters say they had a tentative agreement with both companies that run Kroger's distribution center, but the companies, Transervice Logistics and Zenith Logistics abruptly withdrew, among other things, health insurance for employees and retirees.

"They said Kroger wouldn't agree to the things that they wanted to agree to, so Kroger's pulling the strings on this," says Teamsters Local 89 President Fred Zuckerman.

Kroger officials aren't answering any questions but released a statement that read in part: "while this is unfortunate, and we hope the third parties resolve it quickly, it will not disrupt our stores or the service our customers have come to expect."

Zuckerman says he doubts that. "We service 190 stores, and if they think they can do it from somewhere else, maybe they can, maybe they can't."

Many of the striking workers on the picket line are angry and aren't afraid to show it, especially to replacement workers.

When a non-union driver shows up, the strikers stop and give that driver a hard time, but they have to let him pass and ultimately they do.

These people need their jobs, but they say they're not going back to work until they have a contract.

"It's not about money," says striking union worker Derrick Wickliffe. "It's about us trying to support our families, it's about job security and us trying to take care of our families healthwise as far as health insurance."

Union leaders and representatives from the two companies that run the distribution center were still negotiating late Wednesday evening.

Zuckerman says as long as they're willing to negotiate, the union is, too.