Dive Brief:
- Fred Meyer union workers in the greater Portland, Oregon, area began a strike over unfair labor practices against the grocery chain Wednesday morning. The strike, which could last through Labor Day weekend, impacts 28 stores.
- Unionized workers authorized the strike in a vote earlier this month in response to multiple allegations of unfair labor practices committed by the grocer, according to United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555. The union said around 4,500 Fred Meyer workers are impacted.
- The strike unfolds against the backdrop of a federal court hearing about the Federal Trade Commission's effort to block Kroger’s planned merger with Albertsons, which started Monday, as well as separate contract negotiations between UFCW Local 555 and Albertsons.
Dive Insight:
The strike follows numerous bargaining attempts, which began in late July, between the local union and Kroger, Fred Meyer and QFC. A union member vote two weeks ago “overwhelmingly approved” the strike.
“A ULP strike is crucial to force Fred Meyer to comply with their obligations as an Employer to their Employees. Our members are united in demanding fair treatment, which can only be reached if Fred Meyer actually stands behind its public statements and is willing to fulfill all their obligations and legal requirements,” UFCW Local 555 President Dan Clay said in a statement.
Prior to the strike, Fred Meyer President Todd Kammeyer said in a statement that Kroger and Fred Meyer respect its workers’ right to collectively bargain and have a voice over these matters as “the bargaining process ultimately impacts their paychecks.”
“Protecting our associates’ right to collectively bargain is why it is so important to secure the future of unionized grocery stores in America, and that is exactly what Kroger’s proposed merger with Albertsons will do,” Kammeyer added, putting focus on the grocers’ ongoing court battle with the FTC. “If the merger is blocked the only winners will be non-union food retailers such as Walmart, Costco and Amazon.”
The union said Fred Meyer’s proposal during a bargaining meeting on Aug. 19 included wage increases and a one-time bonus for workers, but claimed the grocer’s offer would negatively impact the employees’ healthcare plan.
UFCW Local 555 said Fred Meyer has committed “multiple” unfair labor practices. The local union also sued Fred Meyer at the start of this month in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon. The lawsuit alleges the grocer declined to schedule the fact-finding meetings required as a step in the process of handling pending grievances, the Northwest Labor Press reported.
While the UFCW as a whole has opposed the merger since it was announced two years ago, UFCW Local 555 in February threw support behind the proposed deal — making it the only UFCW local union to do so. By mid-August, however, the local union said it retracted its support due to “new information as part of the bargaining process discussions.”
Separately, UFCW Local 555 met with Safeway and Albertsons representatives on Monday and Wednesday to continue bargaining for new union contracts, noting that those negotiations went more smoothly than the ones with Kroger.
“We are happy to share that unlike Fred Meyer, your employer has confirmed we are bargaining on behalf of all areas and contracts, regardless of expiration,” UFCW Local 555 said in an announcement, adding the union and grocer reached a tentative agreement on language around required time off between shifts and on reducing the average hours needed to qualify for jury duty.
Sam Silverstein and Catherine Douglas Moran contributed reporting.
