Grocery Store Workers and Community Leaders Condemn Fred Meyer and QFC Ban on Black Lives Matter Insignia

For Immediate release: Tuesday, September 22, 2020 
Contact:  Tom Geiger, UFCW 21, 206-604-3421

Grocery Store Workers and Community Leaders Condemn Fred Meyer and QFC Ban on Black Lives Matter Insignia 

Puget Sound-area retail and grocery store workers, with the full backing of their union (UFCW 21), launched a campaign today calling on Kroger-owned Fred Meyer and QFC to reverse the companies’ ban on employees wearing Black Lives Matter buttons at work. 

Over recent weeks, management has begun ordering workers to remove “Black Lives Matter” buttons distributed by the UFCW 21. 

UFCW 21, the union which represents over 13,000 workers at Puget Sound-area Fred Meyer and QFC stores, says the ban violates workers’ rights under the companies’ union contracts and federal labor law. 

This morning, after weeks of attempts to resolve the problem internally, UFCW 21 filed formal grievances with the companies, as well as an unfair labor practice charge under federal labor law.  

UFCW 21 and community leaders are also calling on supporters to sign an online petition to the companies (see: tinyurl.com/BLMatKroger). 

Everett Fred Meyer worker Shawntia Cunningham, who is Black, explained why she is fighting for her right to wear the button: “I get pulled over by cops for having a nice car to the point that my husband, who is white, has to drive so I can just feel safe. I have been called the ‘N’ word by customers at my store a few times. I need this company to respect us as human beings and to respect our rights as workers. I need Fred Meyer and QFC and all Kroger to see that Black lives really do matter.” 

UFCW 21 President Faye Guenther said: “Systemic racism is real and it negatively impacts thousands of our members on the job and in the community. We are proud of our members who are standing up to say ‘Black Lives Matter’ and we will support their right to do so with every tool available to us.” 

The campaign is drawing support from area labor and civil rights leaders. Gabriel Prawl, Sr., A. Philip Randolph Institute (APRI) Seattle Chapter President, today called on Fred Meyer and QFC to reconsider the ban on Black Lives Matter and meet with Black workers and community leaders to address “ongoing racist issues in the retail environment.” 

April Sims, Secretary Treasurer of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO offered full support: “Solidarity among working people is the foundation of the labor movement, and these workers are living that commitment by wearing Black Lives Matter buttons. These brave workers are backed by the 550,000-person strong labor movement of Washington state, and we call on these companies to reverse their decision to prioritize the feelings of racists over the humanity of their Black and Brown employees and customers.” 

Kroger Mandates Masks — UFCW 21 Members Demand Reinstatement of Hazard Pay

UFCW 21 members at Kroger stores, including the Auburn Fred Meyer workers pictured above, have been protesting the company’s pay cuts with sign actions at their stores.

The United Food and Commercial Workers Union called Kroger’s decision to require that customers wear masks “long overdue.”  UFCW has been demanding a mask mandate since early in the pandemic, and here in Washington UFCW 21 members were central to the governor’s decision to require that customers wear masks in stores and public places to help make our workplaces safer and prevent spread of COVID-19.

UFCW International President Marc Perrone has called on all grocers and retailers to implement mask requirements and said they should be enforced by “trained professionals, not retail workers already stretched thin during this crisis.”

Meanwhile, UFCW 21 members at Kroger-owned Fred Meyer and QFC stores in Western Washington are demanding that Kroger reinstate the $2/hour hazard pay that it terminated in May.

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Eli Campbell, who works in grocery at the Bakerview Fred Meyer in Bellingham spoke out against Kroger’s termination of hazard pay, saying: “The pandemic is still here. Our added responsibilities for cleaning and sanitation remain, and so does the risk.”

“Our sales are amazing. We have been selling so much,” said Andrenna Caballero, an Assistant Deli Manager at the Port Hadlock QFC. “That's why when we were told our hero pay was going away and our hours were going to be cut we were all so angry.”

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UFCW 21 members at Kroger stores, including the Auburn Fred Meyer workers pictured above, have been protesting the company’s pay cuts with sign actions at their stores.

UFCW says 278 members have died from COVID-19 in the first 100 days of the pandemic, and 44,419 have been exposed or infected.

If you need signs for your store, contact your rep.

Under Pressure, Kroger Offers New One-Time Bonuses, We Continue to Stand Up for Our $2/hour Hero Pay

Since Kroger (parent company of Fred Meyer and QFC) told us they plan to eliminate our $2/hour hero bonus on May 17, workers have been stepping up to take action, alongside workers at other UFCW locals around the country. Hundreds of UFCW 21 members spoke up to share what it’s really like to work in grocery stores during a pandemic, and we got our customers and allies to contact the corporate office and demand they make our stores safer and don’t cut our pay.  

On Friday we held rallies with community allies outside two Fred Meyer stores in North Bellingham and Burien calling on Kroger not to cut hero pay, and other UFCW locals held actions as well. After these actions, Kroger announced they will be paying out a $400 bonus to full-time workers/$200 bonus to part-time workers. We will keep up the pressure on Kroger, as they have a lot more work to do to show essential workers that we are valued and safe at work. But this decision shows we can have an impact when we take action together. Eli from North Bellingham Fred Meyer, says: “The fight isn’t over by a long shot, but today’s victory feels very good!” 

We continue to fight for hazard pay for all workers during this public health crisis, and for safe workplaces for everyone. 

TAKE ACTION: 

• Share this link to contact Kroger’s corporate office with your friends & family 

MEDIA COVERAGE: 

• KIRO 7 News: Fred Meyer, QFC employees to lose hazard pay 

• KUOW Radio: Kroger offers ‘thank you’ bonus after employees protest end of hazard pay 

• Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Kroger to cut 'hero pay' for workers amid pandemic; announces one-time 'thank you pay' bonuses 

• Q13 Fox: Kroger offers Fred Meyer workers extra pay after outcry 

Tell Kroger CEO Don't Cut Worker Pay

New company filing today: Kroger (parent of QFC and Fred Meyer) paid CEO Rodney McMullen $21.1 million last year – 789 times more than the median employee and a 75% increase over the year before.*

Now McMullen says the company will cut workers’ pay on May 17th -- eliminating the $2/hour “Hero Pay” bonus it coughed up beginning in April. 

Tell Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen: Don’t cut grocery worker pay during a pandemic! 

*Source: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/56873/000114036120011379/nc10008523x1_def14a.htm

Median worker pay in 2019: $26,790 

We wanted to let our customers and community know: As grocery store workers, we are proud of the work we do every day to get people the food and supplies they need. But our jobs have become more demanding, dangerous, and stressful during the COVID-19 pandemic.

SEND A MESSAGE TO KROGER THAT YOU STAND WITH FRED MEYER AND QFC WORKERS FOR SAFE STORES AND AGAINST PAY CUTS!

We're exposed to hundreds or thousands of people each week, which means an elevated risk of bringing COVID-19 home to our loved ones. We need the executives at Fred Meyer and QFC to keep workers and customers safe. We need meaningful limits on the number of shoppers entering stores. And now their parent company Kroger says it will take away our $2/hour “Hero Pay” on May 17th – even though the added burdens and risks of working through COVID-19 remain.

Will you STAND WITH US for Safety and Fair Pay?

Fred Meyer & QFC Customers: Tell Corporate to Support Their Workers

We wanted to let our customers and community know: As grocery store workers, we are proud of the work we do every day to get people the food and supplies they need. But our jobs have become more demanding, dangerous, and stressful during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Send a message to Kroger that you stand with Fred Meyer and QFC workers for safe stores and against pay cuts!

We're exposed to hundreds or thousands of people each week, which means an elevated risk of bringing COVID-19 home to our loved ones. We need the executives at Fred Meyer and QFC to keep workers and customers safe. We need meaningful limits on the number of shoppers entering stores. And now their parent company Kroger says it will take away our $2/hour “Hero Pay” on May 17th – even though the added burdens and risks of working through COVID-19 remain.

#EssentialHeroes

Messages from your community Grocery Store Workers

I value my relationships and friendships with customers. But right now I’m worried about my mental health and fatigue. Kroger management: Come visit our stores, and see what it's like, witness what we’re going through until this is over. Come and help us! 

-Tanya, Fred Meyer

We are tired, scared and tired! We are a BIG PART of what people are calling the “front line.” We deserve hazard pay for putting our lives on the line. We are a very important part of why your store is open during this hard time. 

-Sherrie, Fred Meyer

We have one of the busiest stores and no one is seeing the customer numbers drop. I make homemade masks for free for my co-workers because I want us safer. The top treats us like numbers instead of people.  We have names, we are important, treat us like we are your family and respect us. Do better by us workers. 

-Sheryl, Fred Meyer

We deserved higher pay even BEFORE the COVID crisis. Grocery workers work incredibly hard, and making near minimum wage is insulting. 

-John, QFC 

It's far more difficult than it's ever been, and management is giving the impression that their money is worth more than our lives. 

-Jacob, Fred Meyer

It's a nightmare. I'm being run ragged getting carts, cleaning what I have to clean, and keeping up with the people wanting help to their cars, while trying to accommodate the new measures that Kroger is implementing that affect my position. We deserve more than an extra $2 an hour. I’m scared of coming into contact with someone or something with COVID-19 and bringing it home to my family, who is at risk.  

-Isobel, Fred Meyer

I'm worried about workers not being protected enough during this pandemic. We can allow 900 customers into our store and there is no way we can socially distance with even a fraction of that amount of customers in our store. It's not fair that the company gets to act like they're doing something when in reality it doesn't do anything substantial to protect their workers. I love the team I'm on and the people I work with. But I'd say that most of Kroger management doesn't have to be in a store that allows thousands of people in every single day. It's easy for them to make these decisions, but they're not the ones who have to actually work through this pandemic day in and day out. We deserve better protection. 

-Cody, Fred Meyer

Conditions are more stressful and anxiety inducing than ever before. The extra labor involved in constantly sanitizing the store is intense and deserves at least the $2-an-hour hazard pay. It feels like expectations from management, although for a good cause, are unrealistic given the amount of staff and business my store does on most days. We should be compensated for the extra labor we do on a daily basis to keep ourselves and our customers safe. 

-Anna, QFC

Every single day is like Christmas and Black Friday are happening. We’ve been so busy, and now they’re cutting our hours.  

-Bob, Fred Meyer 

I am worried about getting sick and taking it home to my family. I can't stay home and get paid—unlike like the higher-up corporate people that aren't out here on the front line risking their lives and the well-being of their families. They are paid much more than those of us here working our behinds off. And they can’t pay us more? I’d tell them to do our job for an entire week and see how they are when it’s over. 

-Sonja, Fred Meyer

GROCERY STORE UNIONS CALL ON KROGER TO CEASE PLANS TO ELIMINATE HERO PAY FOR ESSENTIAL WORKERS, IMPROVE SAFETY IN STORES

UFCWs 7, 21, 324, 367, 555, 770, 1439 and IBT 38

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 7, 2020 | 3  PM Pacific
Contact: Tom Geiger, UFCW 21, 206-604-3421

GROCERY STORE UNIONS CALL ON KROGER TO CEASE PLANS TO ELIMINATE HERO PAY FOR ESSENTIAL WORKERS, IMPROVE SAFETY IN STORES

AS GROCERY STORES ACHIEVE RECORD PROFITS AND CORONAVIRUS CONTINUES TO SPREAD, UFCW LOCALS REPRESENTING OVER 100,000 OF THESE #ESSENTIALHEROES ACROSS THE WEST URGE KROGER TO MAINTAIN HERO PAY AND ADDRESS SAFETY CONCERNS

Puget Sound Region, WA – Kroger-owned grocery stores across the West notified essential grocery workers that starting May 17th, the company will eliminate the $2.00 an hour bonus called “Hero Pay.”  Grocery store employees, deemed essential workers by the government, are a constant on the frontline in all natural disasters or national crises-- risking their lives to ensure America is fed no matter what.

In response to Kroger’s announcement, UFCW Local Unions are calling on the public to support these #EssentialHeroes in California, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming asking Kroger to maintain Hero Pay and improve store safety practices and provide testing to all employees as COVID-19 continues to plague local communities, and the UFCW membership.

“We have been working hard from day one of this crisis, putting our own health at risk to serve our community, and now Kroger’s response is to say that they are going to take away our pay. Meanwhile in many stores they are still dropping the ball on limiting the number of people in the store at one time to allow proper social distancing,” said Chuck Svac, a member of UFCW 21 from the Fred Meyer store in Port Orchard.

Fred Meyer and QFC are the two Kroger store banners in the Puget Sound area.

Together, these local unions represent over 100,000 essential grocery workers in these five western states and approximately 55,000 of these are at Kroger stores. Unions have seen an uptick in cases of infection of COVID-19 amongst their respective grocery worker members.

“We will continue to recognize and support the frontline workers through this COVID-19 crisis and beyond and demand that their employer do the same by continuing to pay the $2.00/hr "HERO" pay and provide a safe working environment for these workers,” said Steve Chandler, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 38. “These workers have proven themselves as dedicated employees of Kroger which is reflected in them tirelessly serving the customers on a daily basis.”

The decision by Kroger to rip away this well-deserved pay increase comes at the same time these essential grocery workers -- American heroes -- are mourning the loss of their Union brothers and sisters to COVID-19 and more workers are falling ill.

Seven UFCW Local unions across the Western US and Teamsters 38 in Snohomish County, representing over 55,000 members who work at Kroger stores, have united to bring attention to Kroger’s unjustified decision to take away Hero Pay as states reopen. We encourage customers to support grocery workers as these #EssentialHeroes and continue to support them during local stay-at-home orders and the global pandemic. Local Unions are also continuing to call on Kroger to more effectively limit the number of shoppers in a store at one time in order to allow for safe 6 ft distancing, and also have all workers and shoppers wear masks.

Please support your community grocery workers—our #EssentialHeroes—by  telling Kroger how you feel about their takeaway of the Hero pay.

For more information visit on how to get involved visit UFCW21.org and Teamsters38.org

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Kroger Agrees to Limit Customers After Members Demand Action

Members have been calling for a limit to the number of customers in stores at one time so we can do our jobs safely and protect our customers and community. Crowding and congestion in stores and lines puts everyone at higher risk for contracting COVID-19. After almost 5,000 people signed our Grocery Store Workers Demand Action petition calling for safety measures including limiting customers, Kroger has started to move. 

This week Fred Meyer and QFC stores will: 

• Limit the number of customers to 50% of building code capacity 

• Test one-way aisles in some stores 

• Supply masks and gloves in all locations by the end of the week 

• Close early on Sunday, April 12 

These customer limits do not go as far as Safeway/Albertsons, which is limiting customers to approximately 30% of store capacity. But it’s important that Kroger is listening and starting to make real changes. 

When we stand together, we get things done. Let’s work together to hold management accountable to these promises. If your store is not implementing these procedures by the end of the week, call your Shop Steward or Union Rep, or email us at safetyreport@ufcw21.org.  

If at any point your store is not following social distancing guidelines, you can report them (anonymously or with your name) to the state with this reporting tool. 

There is more work to be done. If you would like to take further action at your store for better safety practices, contact your Union Rep at 1-800-732-1188. 

New Kroger "ExpressPay"

As part of our most recent agreement with Kroger (the parent company of QFC & Fred Meyer) during this COVID-19 crisis, they made a service called “ExpressPay” available to members.

ExpressPay gives you access to your earned wages in advance of payday. This means Kroger is updating the money you have earned at the end of each day based on the hours you have worked, and your pay for those hours will available to you in an ExpressPay account. You can transfer money you have earned in your ExpressPay account to your bank account at any time. Whatever is left over will appear on your normal paycheck on your normal payday.

To use ExpressPay, you need to sign up at https://lite.dailypay.com/employees/signup/kroger with your name, phone, email, and employee ID (which can be found on your pay stub). You may also need the last 4 digits of your Direct Deposit bank account on file.

If you currently get paper checks: You can still sign up for ExpressPay, but you must add a bank account to your ExpressPay account.

Kroger has offered an employee support email and phone number for any support you need to use this service:

• employee.support@dailypay.com

• 1-866-432-0472

NOTE: This is a new service and we anticipate you may have questions or issues. Please keep your Union Rep in the loop as Kroger tries this out so we can share how it’s working for everyone and communicate with Kroger right away if there are problems.

Workers at Kroger QFC Fred Meyer Safeway Albertsons Win the Right to wear protective masks

UPDATE: Safeway, Albertsons agree to allow workers to wear masks and gloves

Kroger agrees to allow QFC and Fred Meyer workers to wear masks and gloves.

*Employer not providing at this point, but will allow workers to bring in their own PPE.

We are working hard to expand this right to all grocery store employees and essential employees interacting with groups. By taking steps like this we can slow the spread and protect our frontline workers

Grocery Store Workers’ Unions and Kroger Announce New Deal for Hazard Pay

For immediate release: March 20, 2020
Contact: Tom Geiger, 206-604-3421

Less than one week ago the grocery store workers’ unions of Washington (UFCW 21, 367 1439 and Teamsters 38) were able to reach agreements with Safeway/Albertsons and then Fred Meyer/QFC for additions to our contracts for more access to paid time off, flexible scheduling given child care challenges, and several other benefits to help with hours in the stores. Benefits have since expanded for UFCW members across the nation.

Also there has been a national announcement from Safeway of hazard pay. And we are happy that our work with Kroger over recent days has led their announcement for hazard pay for workers as well. The additional Kroger benefits include:

• A total Hazard Pay of $300 for those working fulltime

• A total Hazard Pay $150 for those working less than full time

• This hazard pay would be paid in early April

We are also hopeful to be able to announce as early as tomorrow some additional advances for local union grocery store workers and are calling on all grocery stores across the nation (union or not) to adopt all these worker and community protections to help us all during the coronavirus crisis.

For additional information on the coronavirus and our unions responses, please visit www.ufcw21.org/safety-at-work