Don't expect much suspense about the outcome of today's balloting. Ralphs and Vons workers are voting on both the contract proposal that's on the table and whether to give their union the right to strike. But officials of the United Food and Commercial Workers have certainly stacked the deck because if union members vote against the contract, they need to vote for the strike authorization. And since no one much likes the contract as stands, there's not much choice. A two-thirds vote is required, with official results expected on Monday. None of this means that a strike is actually going to happen (the union would need to provide 72 hours notice), and even if there is a walkout, it wouldn't necessarily involve all stores at all locations. One alternative could be a more tactical approach, with job actions at select stores. Another possibility is the resumption of talks, with the union having a strike threat in its back pocket. No one is chatting up a 2003-style strike and lockout, although at this point, it's hard to know how this might go down. (LAT)