UFCW 3000 Stands Ready to Boycott Air Travel in Response to Trump Admin’s Attack on TSA Union

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
March 7, 2024 

Press Release: UFCW 3000 Stands Ready to Boycott Air Travel in Response to Trump Admin’s Attack on TSA Union   

DES MOINES, WA – UFCW 3000, the largest private sector union in the Pacific Northwest, condemns the Department of Homeland Security’s decision to illegally dissolve its collective bargaining contract with 47,000 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers organized with the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE). 

Our union views the Administration’s action as an egregious violation of workers’ basic right to participate in a democracy. TSA workers democratically voted to organize their workplace, they democratically voted to ratify their contract, and this Administration has now undemocratically silenced those voices.  

In response, our union stands ready to support any actions initiated by our union siblings in the TSA, including a boycott on air travel and work stoppages of any kind.  

“This Administration's agenda becomes clearer every day. Its goal is to eliminate all democratic institutions from our lives, plunder money from workers, and funnel as much of it as possible to the corporate and billionaire class,” said UFCW 3000 President Faye Guenther. “Workers will not allow Trump and the billionaire class to profit from the destruction of our hard-won rights.”  

UFCW Local Unions from Stop the Merger Coalition Oppose Kroger’s Wall Street Giveaway

Press Release

UFCW Locals 7, 324, 770, 1564 and 3000
For Immediate Release: December 13, 2024 - 9 AM ET/6 AM PT
Contact: Tom Geiger, UFCW 3000, 206-604-3421

UFCW Local Unions from Stop the Merger Coalition Oppose Kroger’s Wall Street Giveaway, Call On Board of Directors to Immediately Replace CEO Rodney McMullen

Seattle, WA - A day after failing in its bid to merge with Albertsons and dominate the traditional supermarket industry, Kroger abruptly announced a massive giveaway to shareholders—a $7.5 billion stock buyback, $5 billion of which is slated to be paid out on an accelerated timetable. The massive shareholder payout towers above the commitments the company had promised to reduce prices for consumers and to invest in wages during the recent merger fight. Flip-flopping in less than a day’s time from a strategy of aggressive growth through Albertson’s acquisition on Tuesday to one of dramatic downsizing through shedding $7.5 billion on Wednesday should be seen for what it seems to be - an attempt to buy shareholders’ mercy through a short-term boost to the stock price in order to save CEO Rodney McMullen’s job.

“At a time when our stores need significant investments in staffing, repairs and remodels and our customers need relief from high prices, it is outrageous that Rodney McMullen would try to distract attention from his multiple failures as CEO by announcing a massive one-time giveaway to shareholders,” said Kim Cordova, President of UFCW Local 7 in Colorado and Wyoming.

During the recent three trials to block the merger, Kroger officials repeatedly expressed concern that rising competition from Amazon, Walmart and other nontraditional retailers represented an “existential” threat to Kroger’s market share. Within hours of that merger’s failure, it appears that Mr. McMullen’s first substantive action—apart from deciding to sue Albertsons—is to fleece $7.5 billion from the company’s treasury instead of making investments that would build market share. This $7.5 billion is on top the nearly $1 billion the Company already wasted on the failed merger. Apparently, in McMullen’s view, the threats to Kroger’s survival are not so great that the company needs these resources.

What could a competent CEO do with $7.5 billion? At the most basic level, these funds could be used to: 1) invest in lower prices for consumers, making Kroger more price competitive; 2) invest in higher wages and more staffing to reduce turnover; 3) remedy chronically empty shelves; and, 4) provide better customer service. The $7.5 billion in share buybacks announced Wednesday are approximately 10 times the value of the promised investments in price reductions the company had said it would make if the merger were approved. The Company made a similar billion-dollar commitment to invest in wages. Workers know all too well just how badly needed these additional wages and hours are for the stores’ operations, and how they would allow the company to grow its market share.

What else could a competent executive do to grow market share? They could do what Amazon, Walmart, Costco and Trader Joe’s have done: build new stores. Those other retailers have consistently grown their grocery store count each year over the past decade, but there are fewer Kroger stores today than there were in January of 2016. How many new Kroger stores could $7.5 billion buy? Based on an average pre-tax cost of $35 million per store, Kroger could build 280 new combination stores (such as Ralphs, King Soopers or QFC) each with an average square footage of 71,000 sq ft, for a total of approximately 20 million new square feet—the equivalent of over 1,300 Trader Joe’s stores, about 2.2 times as many Trader Joe’s as currently exist.

What could $7.5 billion buy?
New stores: 280
Store remodels: 3,268*
Discounts per loyal household: $158.13
New FTEs: 125,691
New FTEs per store: 46
New FTE's per store for 3 yrs: 15.4
* This is actually larger than the total number of stores currently operated by Kroger.

“These stores are part of our community—millions of consumers shop there for their families' food, and hundreds of thousands of union members work there. These billions could be used to improve our food supply, reduce prices, reduce food deserts and more,” said Kathy Finn, President of UFCW 770 in Southern California. “That money is not a personal piggy bank that Rodney McMullen can raid in order to save his job.”

“As the president of a local union that represents 11,700 Kroger workers, I don’t take lightly the decision to call for the replacement of the company’s CEO, but Rodney McMullen has mismanaged this company so badly there is no other way forward,” said Faye Guenther, President of UFCW 3000 in Washington State. “It was under his leadership that the company decided to attack its union members by cutting staffing by double-digit percentages, it was under his leadership that the decision was made to invest in the automated Ocado warehouse boondoggle, and it was under his leadership that both companies wasted the last two years and nearly $1 billion pursuing a doomed merger. It’s past time for him to go.”

Press Release: UFCW Locals issue statement in response to Kroger and Albertsons release of store divestiture list

UFCW 7, UFCW 324, UFCW 400, UFCW 770 and UFCW 3000

UFCW Locals issue statement in response to Kroger and Albertsons release of store divestiture list

July 9, 2024 – Today, a coalition of United Food & Commercial Workers local unions made the following statement after Kroger and Albertsons released to the public a specific list of stores the companies would plan to divest to C&S Wholesale Grocers if their proposed mega-merger of the two companies were approved:

“Today’s announcement changes nothing. The merger is not a done deal, far from it. We remain focused on stopping the proposed mega-merger for the same reasons we have stated since it was first announced over 20 months ago -- because we know it would harm workers, it would harm shoppers, it would harm suppliers and communities, and it is illegal. The merger proposal was rejected in January and February by the Attorneys General from the states of Colorado and Washington and the Federal Trade Commission. We applaud their actions. They have been in possession of this proposed divestiture list, made public today by the companies, for months and that did not change their opposition to the proposed merger. These legal challenges to the proposed merger are moving forward with hearings beginning at the end of July and scheduled to go through September.”

UFCW 3000 Member Days at the Park! Tickets on Sale NOW!

Each year we gather together with fellow UFCW 3000 members across the region for summer days at the park, an opportunity for some union-sponsored family fun and a great chance to meet and talk with other union members.

This year we're excited to add a new summer event for members, supporting our longtime community partner Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence: Game Day for Domestic Violence Prevention at T-Mobile Park!

Refuse to Abuse Game Day is Sunday, June 16, and for every ticket sold our longtime community partner the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence (WSCADV) receives an $18 donation and attendees get a free Mariners-themed Refuse to Abuse® Dri-fit T-shirt. Tickets are View Level for the Mariners vs. Texas Rangers game and cost $35. WSCADV has shown up for our members in many ways over the years and we look forward to this fundraiser and opportunity to share the belief that domestic violence is 100% preventable!

In addition, our other summer fun events have been popular each year and continue to be a great way to celebrate with family and union friends:

Sunday, June 16: Refuse to Abuse Mariners Game Day (Seattle, WA)
Mariners tickets on sale now through Friday, June 14 at 5pm >>
$35

​Tuesday, August 6: UFCW 3000 Day at Silverwood Theme Park (Athol, ID)
Tickets on sale now through July 19, while supplies last! >>
$40.00 adult/$25.00 youth or senior
Ticket includes:

• all day access to Silverwood Theme Park and Boulder Beach Water Park

• all you can eat buffet picnic-style lunch @ the banquet pavilion (starting at 12pm noon)

• unlimited drink refill wristband

Thursday, August 8: UFCW 3000 Day at Wild Waves Theme & Water Park (Federal Way, WA)
Tickets on sale now through July 19, while supplies last! >>
$20.00 adult/$15.00 youth or senior

Friday, September 13: UFCW 3000 Day at the Pendleton Round Up (Pendleton, OR)
Tickets on sale soon

UFCW Locals issue statement on Kroger's updated proposed divesture plan

UFCW 5, 7, 324, 400, 770 and 3000

“This bigger proposed divestiture simply increases the challenge C&S, a New Hampshire-based wholesaler, would have trying to operate a hodgepodge chain of retail stores. They have no experience operating retail stores in these states, would still lack the IT, customer loyalty and manufacturing capabilities needed, and would most likely end up monetizing the real estate under many of these stores,” said a coalition of UFCW locals (Locals 5, 7, 324, 400, 770, 1564 and 3000). These local UFCWs have been central in the coalition opposing the proposed merger from the get-go and represent over 100,000 Kroger and Albertsons workers across the nation from Washington DC and surrounding states, and California, Colorado, New Mexico, Washington state and Wyoming.

Please go to www.nogrocerymerger.com for more information in the coalition efforts to oppose the proposed Kroger and Albertsons merger.

 Contact: Tom Geiger, 206-604-3421