UFCW Grocery Store Workers’ Raise Opposition Ahead of FTC Hearing

Our members and elected leadership have been central to the effort to stop the proposed mega-merger of Kroger and Albertsons since it was first announced almost two years ago. This August and September are crucial months for this effort as the trial of the Federal Trade Commission’s lawsuit challenging the merger started on 8/26 in Oregon, and is scheduled to be followed by trials in Washington State beginning on 9/16 and in Colorado on 9/30. We held a UFCW Locals Stop the Merger coalition press conference on the courthouse steps an hour prior to the first day of the FTC case and our concerns were aired in news coverage from coast to coast.

Carol McMillian, a Kroger-owned King Soopers Bakery Manager from Local 7 in Colorado was joined by our UFCW 3000 President Faye Guenther in a photo published by the Associated Press that ran in newspapers from Washington to Texas to Virginia. Earlier that same day, at newsstands across the nation, our UFCW 3000 member Yasmin Ashur, who has 25 years of experience in grocery and who works at the Port Orchard Albertsons store that would be sold if the merger were allowed, was included with her photo and concerns published in a high-profile article in The New York Times. If the merger were allowed and her store were sold, she stated her concerns in a way that anyone can relate to after a career of work: “I’m going to have to start from the bottom.” Protecting the jobs and collective bargaining leverage of union workers and keeping choice and price competition for our customers are key reasons for our long-standing and loud opposition to the proposed merger.

The broad coalition of UFCW locals 7, 324, 400, 770, 1564 and 3000 collectively represent over 100,000 Kroger and Albertsons members across the US. The FTC’s federal court case in Oregon is expected to last about three weeks. On September 16, the first scheduled day of the trial for our Washington State Attorney General’s own lawsuit to stop the proposed merger, we are planning to hold a rally in Seattle for workers and community – please connect your union Rep if you would like to join us.

Sign the petition at nogrocerymerger.com >>

Our Stop the Merger Coalition recently launched a customer petition, which in just a short time has already collected thousands of signatures of concerned customers telling Kroger and Albertsons to stop the merger that threatens our communities with store closures, food and pharmacy deserts, thousands of laid-off unionized grocery store workers, and higher prices. You can take action by having family members, shoppers, friends and others in the community also sign the petition to show Kroger and Albertson that they are opposed to this disastrous proposal.

For more information and background, past news articles and updates >>