PCC We made our proposals!

We met with PCC representatives on June 20. Our Union Bargaining Committee made proposals addressing:

• Workplace Safety—including violent intruders, de-escalation training, sexual harassment, domestic violence, and security escorts

• Hours and Scheduling—to make sure workers can get more hours when we need to

• Critical Staffing Minimums—including extra pay for short staffing periods

• Pension for Retirement—including increasing the employer contribution and securing the continuing funding needed to keep our pension plans healthy

• WeTrain Workforce Development—to establish an employer-funded training and workforce development fund

• Vacation Bidding—to establish more consistent and timely approval for vacation requests

In addition to these proposals, we had productive conversations with PCC around Annual Personal Development Reviews (APDR) as well as private employee spaces for lactation, religious observations, and self-medical checks.

Any PCC member is invited to RSVP and join us to observe our next bargaining session with PCC, July 26 @ 9:00AM. See you there!

TAKE ACTION TO BUILD POWER IN YOUR WORKPLACE:

Informational picket at Central District PCC on July 9 from 3:00pm – 5:00pm

Add your name: PCC Workers Declaration of Demands!

Our Union Bargaining Team also discussed the plan to win the best PCC contract possible, including how we can take collective action. This starts with asking our coworkers to sign on to the PCC Workers Declaration of Demands and do whatever it takes to achieve these demands. bit.ly/coopworkerspledge ▸

Keep your personal information up-to-date

Don’t miss out on important bargaining updates, action alerts, and contract information: Make sure your personal contact info is up-to-date! Go to: ufcw3000.org/update-your-information

You have the right to wear Union buttons!

Join an upcoming Contract Action Team Meeting!

Talk to a Steward or Union Rep to get the dates and times for our June CAT meetings.

PCC Bargaining Update

Our Union Bargaining Committee: Atsuko Koseki – PCC Edmonds – Deli, Scott Shiflett – PCC Redmond – Meat, Greg Brooks – PCC Burien – Meat, Allison Smith – PCC Kirkland – Meat, Cina Ebrahimi – PCC View Ridge – Grocery, Yasab Pfister – PCC Burien – Front End, Keith Allery – GLV - Night Crew Deli, Emily Weisenburger – HBC – Issaquah Stephanie Gil – Grocery – CD , Arlo Bender-Simon – Grocery – DT, Quil Freitas – West Seattle – Produce, Not pictured: Marlin Hathaway – GLV – Grocery, Madeline Olson – GLV – Grocery, Jordan Young – View Ridge – Grocery. Watch the video!

We met with PCC Representatives on June 6 and 8. Our Union Bargaining Committee made proposals that include:

• To have direct elections of workers for the Board of Trustees (BOT), elected by the workers themselves. Ensuring we have permanent workers’ voices on the BOT.

• Building more structure, efficiency and better communication for all parties in the Worker Caucus Committees (WCC).

• To expand the Leave of Absence (LOA) language, to make it so we get at least as much LOA time or more as other union grocery store workers in the area. Including staff that have less then 18 months of service with PCC.

• To embrace inclusivity and gender neutrality in our CBA.

• Expanding bereavement leave to 5 days and including step siblings.

• Proposed to increase staff discount.

• Updating our Active Ballot Club (ABC) language for our political action committee that allows workers to make voluntary contributions to support pro worker legislation.

• Made proposals around access to parking, guaranteed free Orca card access, private use spaces for medical and religious needs, as well as parameters around annual reviews.

Future bargaining sessions will include wages and benefits. We are committed to fighting for the best Grocery contract in the country establishing PCC as a leader in the industry with a Union Contract that reflects that.

“Our power is built together on the shop floor; it is only wielded at the bargaining table.” —Quil Freitas

Take action to build power in your workplace:

Add your name: PCC Workers Declaration of Demands!

Our Union Bargaining Team also discussed the plan to win the best PCC contract possible, including how we can take collective action starting with asking our coworkers to sign a Pledge of support by adding your name to the PCC Workers Declaration of Demands and sign on to do whatever it takes to achieve these demands. Add your name to the pledge: bit.ly/coopworkerspledge ▸

Keep your personal information up-to-date

Don’t miss out on important bargaining updates, action alerts, and contract information: Make sure your personal contact info is up-to-date! Go to: ufcw3000.org/update-your-information

You have the right to wear Union buttons!

Join an upcoming Contract Action Team Meeting!

Talk to a Steward or Union Rep to get the dates and times for our June CAT meetings.

Informational picket

at Central District PCC on July 9 from 3:00pm – 5:00pm

UFCW 3000 Member Stories: Joey Kagan

Joey Kagan sits in his breakroom at Safeway.

Meet Joey Kagen who works as a courtesy clerk at the Enumclaw Safeway and is an athelete in Special Olympics Washington. Joey is a swimmer competing at state in the 25 meter freestyle. He loves putting himself out there to share his passions and experiences as a man with autism.

Joey will be competing next week, and would love UFCW 3000 members to consider supporting, volunteering, and even joining Special Olympics. Competition begins at 9am June 10th at the King Country Federal Way Aquatics Center. He recommends coming a little early for socializing and opening ceremonies.

Joey is an important part of his store, community, and union!

PCC Forming our proposals

On Friday, May 26 our Union PCC Bargaining Committee met together to discuss many of the topics members suggested during the May CAT meetings, as well as the bargaining priorities collected from the Union Bargaining Surveys. We began the process of reviewing the major recurring topics and have started to formulate contract proposals for our first bargaining session with the Employer.

Top Union Bargaining Survey priorities included:

• Winning better pay

• Increasing retention

• Safety at our stores

• Keeping good affordable healthcare coverage

• A democratic process for Members on the Board

• Maintaining strong retirement

• One wage scale for the same type of work at all stores

• Addressing scheduling issues and building more power in the co-op industry

Our Union Bargaining Committee meets again for our first bargaining session with the Employer on June 6. We have confirmed bargaining dates with PCC for June 8, 20, July 26 and August 10. New button designs coming soon!

Our Union Bargaining Team also discussed the plan to win the best PCC contract possible, including how we can take collective action starting with asking our coworkers to sign a Pledge of support by adding your name to the PCC Workers Declaration of Demands and sign on to do whatever it takes to achieve these demands.

Don’t miss out on important bargaining updates, action alerts, and contract information: Make sure your personal contact info is up-to-date! Go to: ufcw3000.org/update-your-information

PCC contract page >>

Kennewick Winco Meat - Contract Vote Scheduled

Location: Winco Foods Kennewick,
4602 W Clearwater Ave, Kennewick WA 99336

Date: Monday, May 22, 2023

Times: 10:00 AM—11:00 AM and 1:00 PM — 2:00 PM

Highlights Include:

• Above area standard wage increases

• Added Retirement Security

• Affordable Health & Welfare

If you have any questions, please contact your Union Rep Rob Roundy at 509-943-8923.

Ray’s Meats - Contract Vote Scheduled

Location: Ray’s Meats,
2113 S 3rd Ave, Yakima, WA 98903

Date: Tuesday, May 23, 2023

Times: 10:00 AM—11:00 AM and 4:00 PM — 5:00 PM

Highlights Include:

• Significant Wage Increases

• Affordable Health & Welfare

If you have any questions, please contact your Union Rep Pedro Nunez at 509-944-6036.

Workers Win Case to Wear Black Lives Matter Buttons

UFCW 3000 Press Release

For Immediate Release: May 3, 2023

Contact: Tom Geiger, 206-604-3421

Workers Win Case for Wearing Black Lives Matter Buttons on the Job –

Fred Meyer and QFC (both Kroger-owned stores) Must Allow Workers to Wear Their Buttons

In a clear statement of the rights of workers to wear buttons and other materials such as masks at work, as part of collective, concerted activity, the Administrative Law Judge, from the National Labor Relations Board Division of Judges in San Francisco today ruled in favor of UFCW 3000’s case for workers wearing Black Lives Matter buttons and ruled against Fred Meyer’s attempts to curtail that right.

Finding in favor of the Union’s core argument that the workers’ actions were protected under Federal labor law because racism is a workplace issue, Administrative Law Judge Mara-Louise Anzalone wrote in their decision that, “by collectively displaying the ‘Black Lives Matter’ message on their work uniforms, the employees in this case acted to advance their interest—as employees—to an affirmatively anti-racist, pro-civil rights, and pro-justice workplace.”

The judge’s ruling also struck down the Employers’ overly broad dress codes.

The ALJ’s decision essentially agreed with earlier findings in this case going back to the September of 2022 finding of Region 19 of the National Relations Labor Board (NLRB) that Fred Meyer and QFC violated federal labor law when they prohibited workers from wearing union-sponsored Black Lives Matter buttons. There was a lengthy trial before the ALJ when Kroger refused to reach a settlement agreement. The decision by the ALJ was issued today and is subject to appeal to the NLRB in Washington DC.

Sam Dancy outside of his QFC in the summer of 2020

“It feels good to win again! When we as workers speak out through these buttons and collectively say Black Lives Matter and then QFC and Fred Meyer said to take the buttons off, that was insulting and a violation of the law. We knew all along we had the right to call out social and racial injustice in the workplace and in our neighborhoods and this judge’s decision reiterates that right,” said Sam Dancy a Front End Supervisor at the Westwood Village QFC in West Seattle, WA who has worked for QFC for over 30 years. 

UFCW 3000 President Faye Guenther concluded, “It is important that workers’ rights and legal standards be protected. Kroger, the owner QFC and Fred Meyer continues to be a problem and needs to do a better job of hiring and promoting workers who are Black at every level of the company and making it clear that it will not tolerate racism from customers or employees.”

Background

After Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd on May 25, 2020, many UFCW 21 members working in grocery and retail stores chose to express their opposition to racism at work and in the community by wearing face masks (otherwise worn for protection from COVID) or other items bearing the Black Lives Matter slogan.

Although Kroger issued public statements expressing sympathy with the Black Lives Matter movement, managers at Kroger-owned stores in Western Washington started ordering UFCW 21 members to remove Black Lives Matter masks in August 2020.

UFCW 21 responded to the company’s Black Lives Matter ban by collaborating with Fred Meyer and QFC workers to distribute union-sponsored Black Lives Matter buttons with the UFCW 21 logo. When managers banned the Union buttons, UFCW 21 filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board. Kroger’s ban and the Union response received widespread local and national attention. In September of 2021, Region 19 of the NLRB ruled in favor of the UFCW 3000 grocery store workers. The case was unable to reach a settlement and therefore went to trial in April of 2022 before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) who today ruled in the favor of the workers and found Kroger’s Fred Meyer and QFC were in the wrong and had violated the workers’ rights. As a result of the ruling, the workers will be allowed to wear the buttons.

UFCW 3000 represents over 50,000 workers at grocery stores, retail, healthcare, and other industry jobs.

PCC Bargaining Update: This Community has our Back! CAT Meetings!

On Sunday, April 16 workers at PCC held community kick off events at Fremont and Edmonds PCCs, and the community showed up! Several community partners spoke at each event including Transit Riders Union, Washington CAN, MLK Labor, OWLS in support of our members’ desire for a strong and fair contract.

Our local community showed up and stood with PCC workers to help spread the word to our customers that we are gearing up for contract negotiations and we are asking for their support. Our Bargaining Committee is fighting to win better pay, increase retention, keep good affordable healthcare coverage, dedicated seats for workers on the board, and more.

Thank you to our community allies!

Harry Bridges Labor Center, Washington CAN, MLK Labor, Faith Action Network, WA Poor People’s Campaign, Snohomish CLC, Transit Riders Union, Puget Sound Sage, 350 Seattle, LELO, LGBTQ Allyship, Church Council of Greater Seattle, Community Alliance for Global Justice, CM Dan Strauss, Seattle DSA, Radical Women, OWLS.

Contract Action Team Meetings

Tuesday, May 9: 5:00pm—6:00pm

Seattle Library: University District 5009 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105

Tuesday, May 9: 6:00pm—7:00pm

Kenmore Library: 6531 NE 181st St, Kenmore, WA 98028

Wednesday, May 10: 6:00pm—7:00pm

Delridge Library: 5423 Delridge Way SW, Seattle, WA 98106

Wednesday, May 10: 6:00pm—7:00pm

Bellevue Library: (Room 4) 1111 110th Ave NE, Bellevue, WA 98004

Thursday, May 11: Online Zoom Meetings

9:00am—10:00am & 6:30pm—7:30pm

UFCW 3000 Member Stories: Dalton Adams

Dalton was one of many grocry members participating in the stop the merger actions across the country recently.

Dalton Adams is a shop steward at the Downtown Bellevue QFC store and is active in many parts of our union. In January of this year, he went to Olympia to talk with Washington State Legislators about the increasing safety issues he and his coworkers face around organized retail theft and strongarm robberies. The political pressure forced Kroger and other employers to come to the table and work with our union on how to best protect workers.

Safety on the job is a big issue for Dalton and other shop stewards, last fall they came together with workplace leaders from 3 states at a Safety Summit to share stories, learn, and organize to make sure that workers are safer on the job.

Dalton and other stewards are also very concerned about what would happen to their jobs and communities if the Kroger/Albertsons mega-merger was allowed to go through. He and other grocery store workers took recently action recently across the country to inform customers of the perils of this monopoly-creating merger. Dalton asked customers and send a letter to the FTC via the No Grocery Merger Website, telling them to stop this merger from moving forward.

Dalton knows when workers organize, take action, and show solidarity with each other, what we can accomplish together is greater than what we could do alone.

Our PCC Bargaining Team

On Tuesday, April 11 our Union Bargaining Team met for the first time. The committee discussed the upcoming bargain with PCC. We reviewed the Bargaining Survey Results from members and discussed the top priorities including: winning better pay, increasing retention, safety at our stores, keeping good affordable healthcare coverage, dedicated seats for workers on the board, maintaining strong retirement, addressing scheduling issues and building more power in the co-op industry. The Bargaining Committee meets again on May 26 to begin crafting bargaining proposals. We have confirmed bargaining dates with PCC for June 6, 8, 20, July 26 and August 10.

PCC contract kick-off actions!

Join other PCC members this weekend for our PCC contract kick off actions at the Edmonds PCC and Fremont PCC stores Sunday, April 16 from 1pm-2pm.

Attend the upcoming Contract Action Team meetings: May 8 through May 12

Discuss with our coworkers and bargaining team what type of proposals should be made. CAT meeting times and location to be announced soon!

Don’t miss out on important bargaining updates, action alerts, and vote information: Make sure your contact information is up-to-date! Go to: ufcw3000.org/update-your-information

UFCW 3000 Members & Grocery Store Workers Across Nation to Hold Actions Opposing Kroger-Albertsons Megamerger

Coming soon to a store near you!

Leaflet Actions in Front of Kroger and Albertsons Stores “Stop The Merger – protect jobs, shoppers and access to food”

Grocery store workers from seven UFCW Local Unions – representing over 100,000 Kroger and Albertsons workers in eleven states and the District of Columbia – will hold actions in front of stores between April 4th – 13th to connect with customers about the impacts of the proposed megamerger.  Since the companies announced the proposed merger in October, workers, unions, consumer groups and others have raised the alarm about the negative impact on workers, shoppers, and suppliers such as farmers and ranchers. In mid-March a national coalition of over 100 organizations was announced with a new website: https://www.nogrocerymerger.com/

If the $24.6 billion megamerger is approved, it will drive out competition, increase food prices, create food deserts, and put up to 100,000 union jobs at risk. The growing opposition is asking the Federal Trade Commission to block the megamerger from moving forward and prevent its negative impact on both consumer and labor markets.

All the local unions include: UFCW 3000 (WA & northern ID), UFCW 400 (MD,  DC, VA, WV, OH, KY, TN), UFCW  7 (CO & WY),  UFCW 770 (Southern CA), UFCW 5 (Northern CA), and UFCW 324 (Orange County CA/Southern Los Angeles County) and  UFCW 367, South Puget Sound of Washington State.

Join Us!

As part of these actions in states across the nation. UFCW 3000 will be holding over twenty-five actions across Washington state, including the following dates, times, locations:

4/4/2023 11:00AM
Fred Meyer Port Orchard,
1900 SE Sedgwick Rd, Port Orchard, WA

4/4/2023 11:00AM
Fred Meyer Ballard,
915 NW 45Th St, Seattle, WA

4/5/2023 10:30AM
QFC 825,
2500 SW Barton St, Seattle WA

4/5/2023 11:00AM
Safeway 3317,
3355 Bethel RD Port Orchard, WA

4/5/2023 11:00AM
Safeway 414,
4301 212th St SW, Mountlake Terrace, WA

4/5/2023 11:00AM
Safeway 464,
17246 Redmond Way, Redmond, WA

4/5/2023 12:00PM
QFC 826,
15600 NE 8th St Suite K-1 Bellevue, WA

4/5/2023 1:00 PM
Haggen 3450,
2601 E Divition St, Mount Vernon, WA

4/5/2023 1:45 PM
QFC 829,
460 E North Bend Way, North Bend, WA

4/5/2023 2:00 PM
Albertsons 471,
301 Marysville Mall, Marysville, WA

4/5/2023 2:15 PM
Haggen 3436,
757 Haggen Dr, Burlington, WA 

4/5/2023 3:00 PM 18325
Fred Meyer 13,
18325 Aurora Ave. N

4/5/2023 4:00 PM
Albertsons 3412,
1128 N Miller St, Wenatchee, WA

4/5/2023 4:30 PM
Safeway 3213,
15332 Aurora Ave N Shoreline, WA

4/6/2023 12:00 PM
Albertsons 453,
4621 Sunset Blvd. NE, Renton, WA

4/6/2023 12:00 PM
Safeway 494,
152 Roosevelt Way E, Enumclaw, WA

4/6/2023 12:00 PM
Albertsons 483,
4010 A St. SE, Auburn, WA

4/6/2023 3:00 PM
Fred Meyer 172,
10201 SE 240th St., Kent, WA

4/6/2023 3:00 PM
Fred Meyer 209,
9925 State Street, Marysville, WA 

4/6/2023 4:00 PM
Safeway 252,
690 Gage Blvd, Richland, WA 

4/6/2023 4:00 PM
Albertsons 265,
6520 North Nevada St., Spokane, WA

4/6/2023 6:00 PM
Fred Meyer 101,
Wellsian Way, Richland, WA

4/7/2023 11:00 AM
Safeway 1524
1401 NE McWilliams Rd, Bremerton, WA

4/7/2023 11:00 AM
QFC Ballard,
5700 24th Ave NW, Seattle, WA

4/7/2023 11:00 AM
Safeway 1524,
1401 NE McWilliams Rd Bremerton WA 98311

4/6/2023 12:00 PM
QFC Holman Road,
9999 Holman Rd NW, Seattle, WA

4/7/2023 12:15 PM
Fred Meyer 171
5050 WA-303, Bremerton WA

Taking Our Fight Against the Corporate Grocery Mega-Merger to the FTC!

UFCW 3000 Leadership with allies ready to testify before the federal trade commission

UFCW 3000 and our fellow UFCW locals continue to work aggressively to stop the mega-merger between Albertsons/Safeway and Kroger (parent company of Fred Meyer and QFC).

Recently, union presidents from UFCW Locals 7, 324, 400, 770, and 3000 presented compelling evidence to the Federal Trade Commission on the negative impacts of this merger and our negative experiences with past grocery mergers. Representatives from 10 states’ Attorneys General offices attended, along with UFCW 3000 member and leader Naomi Oligario, a longtime Safeway worker from Port Orchard who shared her story of how the Safeway-Albertsons merger caused her and two other family members to lose their jobs.

We will not stop fighting against this corporate greed and overreach, and bring frontline grocery store workers’ voices front and center so our lawmakers, regulators, and employers hear directly from experts who work in these stores and serve our communities every day.

Take Action!

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Read on to hear some of what Naomi and our president, Faye Guenther, shared.

“My name is Naomi Oligario. I started working at my local Safeway store, in Port Orchard, Washington in 1985. I raised my four kids with my income and benefits from this job. My kids were Safeway babies. As they have grown up, over the years, at one point or another, each have worked at a Safeway store. And my customers are like family too. It is a tight relationship that we all have. We share our triumphs and our tragedies.

In 2015, after nearly 30 years with the company, after coming in on extra shifts, doing extra work to make the store run, after working through holidays, I found out one day, without any advance notice or for-planning, that my store would be bought by Haggen, and that no one would be allowed to transfer to another store. […]

I lived through the debacle of my Safeway store closing, and the new Haggen opening, but quickly it became clear that this was not a good situation. The prices were too high. Many of my loyal customers, within three weeks or less, came to me with tears in their eyes and apologized to me. They said they’d tried but could not shop here anymore. Sales dropped through the floor. Our hours were cut, and quickly many staff were having to look for work elsewhere any where they could find employment… This impacted three income earners in my one family. But the fallout from that failed merger was huge. It was not just me and my family. Similar experiences were felt by workers at over a hundred closed stores. […]

It’s just greed. Plain and simple. A few months ago, back in November, I was in the Senate Subcommittee hearing room and saw the Kroger CEO say they would not close stores or lay off workers. Under oath he said that to a US Senator. But they’re not telling the truth. They will end up closing stores and laying off workers just like happened to me, my family and my co-workers seven years ago. And our customers will lose out again too. This merger is a bad idea and needs to be stopped.”

Naomi (L) and FAYE (R) traveled to speak directly with the ftc on the proposed merger.

“My name is Faye Guenther, President of UFCW 3000, representing 50,000 workers in Washington, Idaho, and Oregon. I represented workers in Fred Meyer in 1999, prior to its purchase by Kroger. In 2008, I represented workers in Kroger, Albertsons, Safeway, and Haggen. […]

Haggen was a 90-year-old, union, family-owned company, headquartered in Bellingham, WA. After the divestiture of 146 stores to Haggen (as a result of the Albertsons/Safeway merger), we watched this once-local company go bankrupt in a few short months. Workers were hurt in too many ways to enumerate here today. Instead of offering competition, all remaining Haggen stores now belong to Albertson.

The divested Haggen stores were in trouble fast. Something was wrong and workers started calling us immediately. At the store by my house, the banner was changed, but the only things that changed in the store were higher prices and wilted lettuce. Customers fled. Hours were cut, impacting everything from pension contributions to healthcare qualifications and leave banks. 

After bankruptcy, we had to then negotiate with Albertsons, to try restore workers who re-applied to get their seniority back which impacted Sunday pay, healthcare and every other wage and benefit issue.”

Anti Kroger-Albertsons merger coalition launch Stop The Merger website

United in Opposition to the Kroger-Albertsons Merger, Coalition of Over 100 Organizations from Across the Country Join Forces & Launch the “Stop the Merger” Website  

For Immediate Release: March 14, 2023
Contact: Tom Geiger, UFCW 3000, 206-604-3421

The Stop the Merger Coalition includes national, state and local organizations from across US

Des Moines, WA (March 14, 2023) – Today, a coalition of 100 organizations representing diverse interests from around the country have joined forces in the “Stop the Merger” campaign, a national and state-level effort to oppose the proposed $25-billion merger of grocery store chain giants Kroger and Albertsons. The coalition is announcing the launch of its website (www.NoGroceryMerger.com) which includes facts and research about the proposed merger’s negative impact, stories from community members, workers, and others, as well as tools for organizations and individuals to take action and communicate their opposition to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which has the regulatory oversight responsibility to review proposed mergers such as this.

In October of 2022, Kroger and Albertsons announced they would pursue a $24.6 billion mega-merger, joining together the two largest standalone U.S. grocery chains, and thereby creating a monopoly in many areas across the country. Both these chains have stores and manufacturing facilities in nearly every state, employing over 700,000 workers across their numerous local banners. The mega-merger, currently undergoing FTC review, would drive out competition, increase food prices, create food deserts, and put hundreds of thousands of jobs at risk as well as hurt local farmers and ranchers. 

The coalition of over 100 organizations has written numerous letters to the FTC and state Attorneys General, held meetings with federal and state elected officials and regulators, held press conferences and virtual town halls, attended public events on the merger hosted by government officials, and participated in various local community activities opposing the merger. All this activity has helped reveal growing evidence that shows the real motives for the proposed merger: corporate greed at the hands of C-Suite executives and the private equity firms that are significant owners of their stock. The diverse and large number of groups across the nation now include organizations whose focus includes consumer protection, faith, economic justice, anti-poverty, food justice, environmental protection, women’s rights, Black Indigenous People of Color advocates, farmer and farmworker advocates, and many others.

For more information on the negative impact of the mega-merger, please visit: NoGroceryMerger.com. Interested organizations can also join the Stop the Merger Coalition through the form on the site.

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The Stop the Merger campaign includes over 100 national, state and local organizations representing diverse interests who share a common goal: to stop the proposed Kroger-Albertsons grocery merger because of its negative impact on our nation’s communities. For more information visit www.NoGroceryMerger.com

Watch: Albertsons-Kroger Merger Update Webinar

Attention all UFCW 3000 Grocery Store Members at QFC, Fred Meyer, Albertsons, Safeway and Haggen
 
Ever since the day in mid-October when Kroger and Albertsons announced they were proposing to merge, we have been taking action to protect grocery store workers and our customers. What are all the threats of the merger and what actions have we taken already to protect jobs and community? Please watch the webinar above on the proposed Albertsons/Kroger merger to learn more about the activities our local union, in coordination with a handful of other UFCW locals, has been doing since the announcement. While much is still not known about what specifically these companies propose, it is clear that the proposed mega-merger would impact workers’ jobs, our shoppers and our communities.

Senate Bill 5259: Protecting Workers from Impacts of Retail Theft

On January 26, 2023, the Senate Labor Committee heard Senate Bill 5259, a bill we’ve worked on to address the impacts of retail theft on our members and our workplaces. UFCW 3000 members have been raising the safety and financial issues around retail theft for years now, and members in grocery and retail said that tackling retail theft and ensuring workplace safety were top legislative priorities for 2023. SB 5259 would prohibit discipline of a grocery worker who engages during a situation of retail theft, and UFCW 3000 members and staff testified in support during the committee hearing.

Watch UFCW 3000 members’ testimony below!

“I wasn’t given any kind of training on what the manager wanted me to do to ‘intervene’ here, but I felt like I needed to follow his instructions or I would lose my job. In fact, in this case, following his instructions got me fired because when I did in fact intervene here, I lost my job for violating company policy by intervening with this woman. Instead of being required to take preventative measures to deter this kind of theft, Fred Meyer punished me for doing what should be their job. I hope we can get the committee support for SB 5259 so this doesn’t happen to another worker in this industry again.” -Suzanne Geffre, Fred Meyer, Richland

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“While protecting workers, this legislation will not mitigate all the harms to me and my coworkers from retail theft. We think it will go a long way in ensuring our members feel empowered to make their jobs safer. From 2018 to 2020, the number of assaults reported to the FBI rose 42% overall, but by 63% in grocery stores. And in 2021, more than half of mass shooter incidents were in places of commerce. We need your help! Violent attacks are going to continue regardless of what you do this year to protect our jobs. We know what type of deterrence works, and that is to deliver the best possible customer service to every customer. This legislation will ensure we can do that without fearing we will lose our job and we need you to pass it in 2023.” -Naomi Oligario, Safeway, Port Orchard

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“Our daily loss is listed by the time clock in our stores. Between when I started to now, that daily loss number has gone from in the hundreds to now thousands. Daily. It doesn’t seem fair to me that the theft the grocery companies do nothing to deter affects my department profit numbers, for which I’m then held accountable. At my Safeway we are told that we have to have our counters full and ready for customers by a set time every day, but it’s hard to do that when a customer walks in and fills up a cart with meat and walks out without paying. I know that as a manager in my Seafood department, if I could simply walk up to a customer who was doing this, to ask them if they need help, it would be a deterrence. Our stores need to have effective deterrence because workers in our stores like me are held to account for the store’s failure to deter theft.” -Anna McAllister, Safeway, Kent

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Sarah Cherin, Executive Vice President of UFCW 3000, speaks to the committee about members’ experiences with retail theft.

Debbie Gath, with Teamsters Local 38, talks about her work as a Union Rep helping members facing discipline or termination.

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YOU CAN TAKE ACTION TO SUPPORT THIS BILL: