United Actions calling out Kroger for Store Closures and Bully Tactics

MEDIA ADVISORY for Thursday, April 8, 2021 at 11 AM

For immediate release: April 7, 2021

CONTACT: Tom Geiger, UFCW 21, 604-3421

Grocery Store Workers and Community in Long Beach, LA, and Seattle To Call Out Kroger for Bullying and Store Closures   

The Kroger Co. Announced Closures of Seven Neighborhood Stores to Avoid Paying Workers a Temporary Wage Increase After Profiting $2.6 Billion During the Pandemic, Investing Earnings on Stock Buybacks Instead

Seattle, WA – On Thursday, April 8th, essential frontline grocery workers, community members, and supporters in California and Washington will host a symbolic “donation collection” in front of stores set to close, to help raise funds for the top supermarket chain in the country to pay its workers temporary hazard pay and call on Kroger Co. to keep stores open. 

In a theater performance style, workers and community members will ask shoppers to donate pennies in a collective piggy bank to pitch in and help pay essential workers to shame Kroger over its greedy behavior.

Kroger owns the California Ralphs and Food 4 Less stores and Washington QFC stores slated to shut down. The corporation falsely claims that these supermarkets are closing as a result of hazard pay when in reality it was a clear effort to intimidate workers, the community, and elected officials in an attempt to discourage any additional hazard pay ordinances from passing. 

Thursday’s actions will symbolize the extreme disparity between the company’s windfall COVID profits and its decision to cut workers’ pay since May 2020, despite persistent elevated sales and risk to employees.  

WHO:   Workers, customers, and community members in Long Beach, Los Angeles, and Seattle 

WHAT: Simultaneous demonstrations in LA, Long Beach & Seattle. Workers and community members impacted by the store closures will call out Kroger’s bullying and the greed that is driving their retaliatory actions closing stores that workers and communities depend on.

WHEN:  Thursday, April 8, 2021, at 11 AM

VISUALS: Blow-up piggy bank, jumbo pennies, and donation stand in front of the store

WHERE:  Wedgwood QFC at 8400 35th Ave NE, Seattle           

BACKGROUND: Local hazard pay ordinances have been passed in cities across California and in Washington, honoring workers for the sacrifice they make coming to work in a pandemic while others can work from home. In response to these temporary ordinances, Kroger Co. is the only grocery company announcing they will close stores instead of complying with the laws. Numerous requests for injunctions by the grocery industry challenging the hazard pay laws have been denied.

According to a Brookings Institution analysis, many of the United States’ top retail companies have earned record-breaking profits during the pandemic, but this increase in profit has not made its way back to workers. Grocers nationwide instead used their excess pandemic profits to buy back shares all the while threatening to close down stores and misleading the public that hazard pay would have to be passed onto consumers. 

Kroger Bargaining Update

Yesterday the Bargaining Teams for UFCW 21 and Teamsters 38 met with Kroger to bargain over our working conditions and hazard pay throughout the pandemic.

We were able to agree to an extension of our original COVID LOU that included benefits like quarantine pay through the end of April. The extension includes new improvements of notification to our union of COVID cases with 24 hours and to members within 8 hours when possible, increases to mask and face shield availability, and increased training for workers assigned to work as a vaccine “observer”. Kroger committed to meeting again in late April.

“Today was an important first step but we know there is still a lot of work to do to win better pay for Essential Workers.” 
-Kroger Bargaining Team 

We are happy to win improvements to our current agreement but are still committed to fighting for:

• Reinstatement of $2 per hour Hazard Pay.

• Stronger enforcement of safety measures, including enforcement of masks and store capacity limits.

• Moving Clicklist and Fred Meyer Pharmacy Techs to the higher Grocery A scale.

• Adding hours to the store to address increased need for sanitation and to enforce social distancing.

• Extending the premium pay of an extra $1 per hour for Pharmacy workers beyond April 8.

Join the fight to demand that Kroger, Fred Meyer and QFC put our safety & communities before profits.

Sign the Strike pledge card today>>

OUR KROGER GROCERY STORE BARGAINING TEAM

Maggie Breshears, Greenwood Fred Meyer
Sam Dancy, Westwood Village QFC
Amy Dayley Angell, Ballard QFC
Irene Garcia, Auburn Fred Meyer
Christina Harris, Lake City Fred Meyer
Wil Peterson, Everett Fred Meyer
Jeff Smith, Snohomish Fred Meyer
Joanna Clapham, Benson Plaza Fred Meyer
Faye Guenther, President UFCW 21
Joe Mizrahi, Secretary Treasurer UFCW 21
Samantha Kantak, President Teamsters 38
Steven Chandler, Secretary Treasurer Teamsters 38
Tammi Bradey, Recording Secretary Teamsters 38
Jim McGuinness, Attorney

Kroger Bargaining update: We refuse to be intimated by bully tactics

Yesterday, our UFCW 21 bargaining team made cost-saving proposals to Kroger's QFC representatives that we believe would help keep the Capitol Hill and Wedgwood QFC stores stay open.

In a clear attempt to intimidate workers and city governments, Kroger announced it would close these stores at the end of April, the company blamed its decision on increased costs due to the Seattle City Council’s passage of a temporary $4 per hour hazard pay mandate for grocery store workers on the front lines of the pandemic.

“We met with Kroger's QFC representatives today and presented creative cost-saving proposals that we believe would help keep these stores open. We eagerly await Kroger's response and we remain committed to fighting for the pay that essential workers deserve. We refuse to be intimidated by Kroger’s bully tactics” -Our QFC Bargaining Team

Like other large grocery companies, Kroger has profited from the COVID pandemic as consumers shifted to at-home meal preparation. In 2020, Kroger’s profits increased 53% to $2.74 Billion, and the company funneled $1.9 Billion to investors through dividends and stock buybacks.

UFCW 21 members have been taking action to fight back against Kroger’s bullying by continuing to push Hazard Pay ordinances across the state, speaking out in the media, sitting down with the employer to bargain over the store closures and gearing up for the start of Grocery Store Bargaining in 2022.

Join hundreds of community members that are standing up to Kroger and QFC's bullying - Sign the Petition!>>

Or Text “NOBULLY” to 52886

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RSVP to upcoming Grocery Store CAT (Contract Action Team) meetings>>

OUR QFC BARGAINING TEAM
Sam Dancy, QFC Westwood Village
Amy Dayley Angell, QFC Ballard
Robin Hillistad, QFC Uptown
Jeff Alexander, QFC Wedgwood
Stefanie Cook, QFC Capitol Hill
Faye Guenther, President UFCW 21
Joe Mizrahi, Secretary Treasurer UFCW 21
Jim McGuinness, Attorney

Kroger Update - March 5, 2021

Yesterday, the UFCW 21 bargaining team demanded that QFC bargain with us before finalizing a decision to close two Seattle stores.

On February 16, 2021, Kroger-owned QFC announced that it would close QFC 804 in Capitol Hill and QFC 873 in Wedgwood. In a clear attempt to intimidate workers, QFC blamed the store closures on the Seattle City Council’s passage of a $4 per hour hazard pay mandate.

“We have seen increased sales with the pandemic, QFC can afford the temporary hazard pay, and by the time the stores close they will already have paid out a lot of it. By picking on two of the smallest stores in Seattle, Kroger is simply looking for the least costly way to intimidate workers in Washington and around the country who are standing up for hazard pay.”

— Our QFC Bargaining Team

Sam Dancy, QFC Westwood Village

Amy Dayley Angell, QFC Ballard

Robin Hillistad, QFC Uptown

Jeff Alexander, QFC Wedgwood

Stefanie Cook, QFC Capitol Hill

Faye Guenther, President UFCW 21

Joe Mizrahi, Secretary Treasurer UFCW 21

Jim McGuinness, Attorney

Like other large grocery companies, Kroger has profited from the COVID pandemic as consumers shifted to at-home meal preparation. In 2020, Kroger’s profits increased 53% to $2.74 billion, and the company funneled $1.9 billion to investors through dividends and stock buybacks. 

UFCW 21 members have been taking action to fight back against Kroger’s bullying by continuing to push Hazard Pay ordinances across the state, speaking out in the media, and sitting down with the employer to bargain over the store closures. 

As Their Profits Soar, Kroger Announces Closure of Two Seattle Grocery Stores in Retaliation for Hazard Pay Law

For immediate release: 2/16/21
Contact: Tom Geiger, 206.604.3421, or tgeiger@ufcw21.org

Statement from UFCW 21

As Their Profits Soar, Kroger Announces Closure of Two Seattle Grocery Stores in Retaliation for Hazard Pay Law

Today, Kroger publicly announced the closure of two QFC stores in Seattle, in a transparent attempt to intimidate other local governments from passing ordinances that would provide hazard pay to front line grocery store workers. Essential workers, our local government, and our communities will not be threatened by this corporate bullying.

The COVID pandemic has caused serious illness and taken lives, and at the same time the amount of work and the level of stress and risk for grocery store workers has risen dramatically. Early on, companies like QFC agreed to pay $2/hour in hazard pay to employees all across the nation in acknowledgement of the risks workers faced and the essential nature of their work during a national crisis. Then they cut that pay in May -  with no explanation. Kroger’s profits continued to soar, as did COVID cases, and as more and more people got sick, and more and more people shopped for groceries, restaurants and schools closed.

Workers have tried for months to get the hazard pay that was cut re-instated. But month after month the pay cuts were kept in place. The level of stress grew, as did concerns about safety, higher workloads, fewer workers on shift, more customers, and rising COVID cases in stores. Several places in California passed local hazard pay ordinances. Kroger  announced the closure of two stores in that area in retaliation against that local hazard pay law.

In January, things had reached a breaking point and, working with Seattle City Council, UFCW 21 members were able to help pass a local and temporary $4/hour hazard pay law. That pay went into effect on February 3. Kroger announced their Seattle store closures on February 16.

Today’s announcement by Kroger to close these two Seattle QFCs is a case of over-the-top greed and bullying, and it shows how out of touch Kroger is with our community. The public overwhelmingly supports hazard pay and supports our grocery store workers. Other grocery chains, including PCC locally, have actually expanded hazard pay to stores beyond Seattle and Burien which have now passed new hazard pay laws. Kroger’s closures threaten workers, as well as shoppers and our local community. We need safety concerns addressed and we need hazard pay expanded.

Kroger’s intent seems perfectly clear: They are announcing these closings to try and intimidate any other local communities here in our state or around the nation from passing hazard pay. If Kroger cares about their employees and the local communities in which they operate, they should expand hazard pay and improve store safety practices, not file lawsuits and close our neighborhood stores.

Fred Meyer QFC Bargaining Update

"Today, we offered Fred Meyer & QFC multiple opportunities to work with us to improve safety and provide fair compensation. They showed us again that we must stand together and fight for what we need and deserve.” -Fred Meyer and QFC Bargaining Team

Today the Bargaining Teams for UFCW 21 and Teamsters 38 met with both Fred Meyer and QFC for the third time this year to bargain over our working conditions and hazard pay throughout the pandemic. The Employers decided to start bargaining off by dismissing most of our previous proposals, including proposals around increased availability of PPE like masks, gloves and facemasks. Our bargaining team came back with counter proposals on Hazard Pay, masks, capacity limits, moving Clicklist and Pharmacy Techs to Appendix A and other creative solutions on COVID safety and Hazard pay. We are committed to continue to fight for Hazard and safety measures.

Our initial proposal included:

• Reinstatement of $2 per hour Hazard Pay.

• Stronger enforcement of safety measures, including enforcement of masks and store capacity limits.

• Better notification to workers when COVID exposures occur.

• Moving Clicklist and Fred Meyer Pharmacy Techs to the higher Grocery A scale.

• Added pay including: Premiums for safety certifications, support for added childcare costs and compensation for off the clock hours after work spent keeping safe.

• Adding hours to the store to address increased need for sanitation and to enforce social distancing.

• Extending our previous agreement allowing for two-week replacement pay for COVID infections and quarantine.

At last month’s bargaining session, the employers agreed to more prompt notification of workplace COVID infections and premium pay of an extra $1 per hour for Pharmacy workers through end of March.

OUR GROCERY STORE BARGAINING TEAM

Maggie Breshears, Greenwood Fred Meyer
Sam Dancy, Westwood Village QFC
Amy Dayley Angell, Ballard QFC
Irene Garcia, Auburn Fred Meyer
Christina Harris, Lake City Fred Meyer
Robin Hillistad, N. Seattle QFC
Wil Peterson, Everett Fred Meyer
Jeff Smith, Snohomish Fred Meyer
Joanna Clapham, Benson Plaza Fred Meyer
Faye Guenther, President UFCW 21
Joe Mizrahi, Secretary Treasurer UFCW 21
Samantha Kantak, President Teamsters 38
Steven Chandler, Secretary Treasurer Teamsters 38
Tammi Bradey, Recording Secretary Teamsters 38
Jim McGuinness, Attorney

Organize for Hazard Pay in your city 

Join us on Thursday, February 11 from 6pm – 7pm for a webinar on how to introduce a Hazard Pay Ordinance in your city. 

We have seen the organizing efforts of our members pay off in Seattle and Burien to pass hazard pay for essential grocery workers. We will be hosting a webinar to talk about how to start this process in your city, how to get your coworkers involved, and hear from some of the members who are doing the work now.

UFCW 21 and Teamsters 38 Bargaining Team Continue to Push for Hazard Pay

Today the Bargaining Teams for UFCW 21 and Teamsters 38 met with both Fred Meyer and QFC for the second time this month. Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have been pushing for hazard pay and safety protection. Taking action, filing grievances on the removal of hazard pay, demanding to bargain over the effects of COVID and joining with our community partners and other unions up and down the West Coast. Today, management rejected our proposal to reinstate hazard pay along with other proposals on compensation and ways to make the workplace safer. We will not stop until essential workers gain the respect they deserve.  

“Kroger expects the same level of service from its employees regardless of the steps needed in the current COVID environment. Extra work is required to make the safest possible shopping experience for customers and employees. Extra hours are not added to do the extra things needed! Safety steps seem to be overlooked due to pressure coming from upper Management. The priority has not been for safety but for profit.”  — Robin Hillistad, QFC, Uptown 

JOIN THE FIGHT: Sign up if you are interested in taking action at your workplace for Essential Workers, Hazard Pay, and Safety. Sign up for actions here >>

SPEAK UP: Why is hazard pay important to you and your coworkers? Share a quick video or written message! Share why hazard pay is important to you >> 

TESTIFY: These days, speaking before city council can be done from your own home or break room because meetings are held online. Live or work in Seattle or Burien? Sign up for more information, and we’ll connect with you when there’s a city council hearing you could speak at! Sign up to speak at a council meeting >> 

START SOMETHING: Do you want to bring up a hazard pay ordinance in your city or county? Sign up and a UFCW 21 organizer will connect with you for a training on how to move an ordinance through your city! Sign up for a training on organizing for hazard pay ordinances >> 

Next bargaining date: 

We will be meeting again with Fred Meyer and QFC on February 9 

Previous Bargaining Updates: 

Bargaining with Albertsons/Safeway is set for January 22 and we are continuing to pursue bargaining with other grocery employers  

Join us for a special Grocery Store Worker 
Telephone Town Hall! 
Tuesday, January 19, 6:30PM 

Call-in number: 888-652-0383 Meeting ID: 5662 
 
Join to discuss bargaining and hazard pay ordinances, get your questions answered, and connect with other union grocery store workers. Expect a call from us around 6:30, but if you miss the call or don’t receive one, just call in yourself with the number and meeting ID! 

 
OUR KROGER GROCERY STORE BARGAINING TEAM
Maggie Breshears, Greenwood Fred Meyer
Sam Dancy, Westwood Village QFC
Amy Dayley Angell, Ballard QFC
Irene Garcia, Auburn Fred Meyer
Christina Harris, Lake City Fred Meyer
Robin Hillistad, QFC Uptown
Wil Peterson, Everett Fred Meyer
Jeff Smith, Snohomish Fred Meyer
Joanna Clapham, Benson Plaza Fred Meyer
Faye Guenther, President UFCW 21
Joe Mizrahi, Secretary Treasurer UFCW 21
Samantha Kantak, President Teamsters 38
Steven Chandler, Secretary Treasurer Teamsters 38
Tammi Bradey, Recording Secretary Teamsters 38
Jim McGuinness, Attorney
 

Kroger Bargaining Update: Employer Agrees to First Step toward Higher Pay for Pharmacy Techs

Kroger Bargaining Update: Employer Agrees to First Step toward Higher Pay for Pharmacy Techs

Since our last bargain in 2019, the UFCW 21 grocery store bargaining team has remained strongly committed to getting more members across the store onto comparable wage scales that would respect our work across all different departments. In this bargain we have proposed moving Clicklist and Pharmacy Techs to the Grocery A payscale as an important part of fair compensation for our work during the ongoing COVID crisis.

Today we reached an agreement with Kroger on a first step toward pay parity, when they agreed to a $1/hour raise for Pharmacy Techs from January – March 2021. We made it clear that this does not affect our existing proposals around hazard pay or bringing Clicklist and Pharmacy Techs onto the Grocery A scale and we will continue to push those.

“During this pandemic we have continued to serve our communities with added risk. We have been trying to get a higher wage that we deserve from Kroger for a long time now, this is definitely a win. We know this is only the first step and we are continuing to fight for higher wages, hazard pay and other premiums.” -Joanna Clapham, bargaining team member and Pharmacy Tech at Benson Plaza Fred Meyer 

A reminder of our top proposals to the employers:

• Reinstatement of Hazard Pay.

• Stronger enforcement of safety measures, including enforcement of masks and store capacity limits.

• Better notification to workers when COVID exposures occur.
  (Kroger has agreed!) ✔️

• Moving Clicklist and Fred Meyer Pharmacy Techs to the higher Grocery A scale (Kroger has agreed to a $1/hour increase for Pharm Techs Jan-Mar)

• Added pay including: Premiums for safety certifications, support for added childcare costs and compensation for off the clock hours after work spent keeping safe.

• Adding hours to the store to address increased need for sanitization and to enforce social distancing.

• Extending our previous agreement allowing for two week replacement pay for COVID infections and quarantine. (Kroger has agreed!) ✔️

Next bargaining date: Tuesday, January 19 
See the last Kroger bargaining update here 

We have also confirmed a first bargaining date with Albertsons/Safeway (January 22) and are continuing to pursue bargaining with other grocery employers. 

UFCW 21 Members Continue to Call for Hazard Pay

“We don't have the option to stay home and be ‘safe,’ we have to be in the stores, around customers without masks coughing on everything! They don't keep their distance from us and most of them laugh when asked to please not be so close. We deserve extra pay for putting ourselves at risk so the companies can make money.” -Terry Lake, shop steward at Auburn Fred Meyer 

ADD YOUR VOICE: Why is Hazard Pay important to you? https://www.videoask.com/fvc0fgc52

OUR KROGER GROCERY STORE BARGAINING TEAM

Maggie Breshears, Greenwood Fred Meyer
Sam Dancy, Westwood Village QFC
Amy Dayley Angell, Ballard QFC
Irene Garcia, Auburn Fred Meyer
Christina Harris, Lake City Fred Meyer
Robin Hillistad, N. Seattle QFC
Wil Peterson, Everett Fred Meyer
Jeff Smith, Snohomish Fred Meyer
Joanna Clapham, Benson Plaza Fred Meyer
Faye Guenther, President UFCW 21
Joe Mizrahi, Secretary Treasurer UFCW 21
Samantha Kantak, President Teamsters 38
Steven Chandler, Secretary Treasurer Teamsters 38
Tammi Bradey, Recording Secretary Teamsters 38
Jim McGuinness, Attorney

Employers and Lawmakers need to keep hearing from us!

Sign up if you are interested in taking action at your workplace for Essential Workers, Hazard Pay, and Safety.

Kroger Bargaining Update: Hazard Pay needed now more than ever

Today the Bargaining Teams for UFCW 21 and Teamsters 38 met with the employers for both Fred Meyer and QFC to bargain over our working conditions and hazard pay throughout the pandemic.  

“Today we had a chance to share stories about working through a pandemic. We shared that now, during some of the most dangerous times of the pandemic, safety enforcement has decreased in the stores and hazard pay is more important than ever. Stores are struggling with mask enforcement and social distancing because there are too many customers in the stores and not enough staff. We told the employer that every day we come to work we put ourselves and our family at risk.”

- Wil Peterson and Maggie Breshears 

Our proposals to the employers included: 

• Reinstatement of Hazard Pay.

• Stronger enforcement of safety measures, including enforcement of masks and store capacity limits.

• Better notification to workers when COVID exposures occur.

• Moving Clicklist and Fred Meyer Pharmacy Techs to the higher Grocery A scale

• Added pay including: Premiums for safety certifications, support for added childcare costs and compensation for off the clock hours after work spent keeping safe.

• Adding hours to the store to address increased need for sanitization and to enforce social distancing.

• Extending our previous agreement allowing for two week replacement pay for COVID infections and quarantine.

The employer agreed to an extension of for extra COVID leave, as well and more prompt notification of workplace COVID infections. They will continue to analyze other proposals and we expect a full response when we meet again on January 19.

Why is Hazard Pay important to you?

Our Kroger Grocery Store Bargaining team 

Maggie Breshears, Greenwood Fred Meyer
Sam Dancy, Westwood Village QFC 
Amy Dayley Angell, Ballard QFC
Irene Garcia, Auburn Fred Meyer
Christina Harris, Lake City Fred Meyer
Robin Hillistad, N. Seattle QFC 
Wil Peterson, Everett Fred Meyer
Jeff Smith, Snohomish Fred Meyer
Joanna Clapham, Benson Plaza Fred Meyer
Faye Guenther, President UFCW 21
Joe Mizrahi, Secretary Treasurer UFCW 21
Samantha Kantak, President Teamsters 38
Steven Chandler, Secretary Treasurer Teamsters 38
Tammi Bradey, Recording Secretary Teamsters 38
Jim McGuinness, Attorney 

Kroger agrees to meet with our Bargaining Team

Kroger leadership has agreed to begin negotiations with our Grocery Store Bargaining Team on January 5, 2021, after months of prolonged pressure and actions from grocery store workers, our communities, and our union leadership. Our bargaining teams’ message is clear:

• Essential grocery store workers need hazard pay now. We see now, more than ever how fundamental our grocery store workers are to the health and prosperity of our communities during a crisis. Whether it is a snowpocalypse or a pandemic, everyone relies on grocery store workers for food and supplies. It’s time to recognize and respect that essential work requires essential pay.

• Enforce the safety measures mandated by the State and the CDC including sanitizing workstations and surfaces, controlling and enforcing occupancy limits on overcrowded stores, providing PPE for workers, and mandating PPE for customers in the stores.

• Notify workers immediately when there is a COVID exposure and allowing workers to quarantine with pay. Workers should not have to choose between a paycheck and our health and safety (and the health and safety of the entire store).

• A clear and equitable plan for vaccine rollout to grocery store workers who are on the front lines.

• Fair pay equity for all departments and job classes. Workers in every department worked hard before this crisis and have continued to work selflessly and with great risk to ourselves and our families throughout this pandemic.

In the coming weeks we hope our other grocery store employers will decide to put safety and respect over profits and greed for the benefit of our grocery store workers and communities.

Keep on the lookout for the Billboard-mobile! Our roving billboard is driving all over Washington State calling for HazardPay and safer grocery stores, if you see it in the wild take a photo and share it!

Meet our Grocery Store Bargaining team! 

Maggie Breshears, Greenwood Fred Meyer

Sam Dancy, Westwood Village QFC

Amy Dayley Angell, Ballard QFC

Irene Garcia, Auburn Fred Meyer

Christina Harris, Lake City Fred Meyer

Robin Hillistad, N. Seattle QFC

Wil Peterson, Everett Fred Meyer

Jeff Smith, Snohomish Fred Meyer

Joanna Clapham, Benson Plaza Fred Meyer

We continue to update ufcw21.org/covid with important resources like;
What to do if there is a positive or suspected case of COVID in the workplace, Resources for refusing unsafe work assignments, COVID FAQs, Grocery Store Report, and Washington State DOH reporting.

Grocery Store COVID-19 Safety Checklist

Coronavirus is a serious workplace health hazard. All employers have a responsibility to provide a workplace free of safety and health hazards. If your grocery store employer is not complying with any part of this checklist, contact your Union Rep or file a safety report with UFCW 21 at safetyreport@ufcw21.org.

If you are not a UFCW 21 member and have questions about your safety at work, text a UFCW 21 organizer at: 803-820-2121

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SAFETY CHECKLIST FOR GROCERY STORES IN WASHINGTON STATE

SIGNAGE:

• Conspicuous signage at entrances and throughout the store with occupancy limits, policy on face coverings, six-foot physical distancing guidelines, and instructing customers to stay home if they are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19

• 6-foot distance markers in checkout lines and other high-traffic areas to maintain 6 feet of physical distancing

PHYSICAL DISTANCING & BARRIERS:

• 6-foot physical distance is maintained and enforced between all workers and all customers in all interactions at all times

  • Where strict 6-foot distancing is not feasible for a specific task, physical barriers (e.g., plexiglass shields) and other measures like limiting staff or customers in an area, or staggering break times and work times are used

• Building occupancy is limited to appropriate level required by state or county regulations – As of 11/16/2020: 25% of building occupancy according to fire code, not including staff

• Contactless payment systems, automated ordering, and pickup or delivery are used wherever possible

PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT:

• Cloth facial coverings are worn by every employee not working alone on the jobsite unless their exposure level dictates a higher level of protection

  • Reusable cloth face coverings are used when risk for transmission is low

  • Disposable masks are required when risk for transmission is medium, e.g. stocking produce around customers during store hours

• Face coverings are cleaned or replaced after use or when damaged or soiled, are not shared, and are properly stored and discarded

• Other personal protective equipment (PPE) is provided such as face masks, gloves, goggles, face shields as appropriate/required for

INFECTION CONTROL:

• All workers are screened for COVID-19 symptoms at the beginning of each shift

• Employees who feel or appear sick or have any symptoms of COVID-19 are immediately sent home

• Employer completes all necessary steps when a positive or suspected positive COVID-19 cases is identified in the workplace

  • This includes notifying all close contacts of the positive or suspected positive worker(s) and allowing positive or suspected positive worker(s) to stay home and recover and all close contacts to stay home and quarantine for 14 days, regardless of whether close contacts are symptomatic

  • This also includes cordoning off areas where someone with probable or confirmed COVID-19 worked, touched surfaces, or spent any prolonged amount of time and following all CDC protocols to clean, sanitize, and disinfect the workplace before reopening them

Find all steps and expectations for when there is a confirmed or suspected COVID-19 case identified in the workplace here > >

• A site-specific COVID-19 Supervisor is designated by the employer for the individual store

  • Worksite COVID-19 Supervisor monitors health of employees

  • Worksite COVID-19 Supervisor enforces COVID-19 job site safety plan

HANDWASHING & HAND SANITATION:

• Handwashing required when arriving at work, taking breaks, using the bathroom, before and after eating/drinking/using tobacco products, and after touching contaminated surfaces

• Frequent and adequate handwashing maintained throughout the day

  • Workers get breaks to wash hands regularly

• Handwashing facilities have clean and hot or tepid water, soap, and paper towels and these are kept stocked

• Hand sanitizer (with at least 60% alcohol) provided for workers and customers

SANITATION OF WORKPLACE, SURFACES, & EQUIPMENT:

• Housekeeping schedule with frequent cleaning and sanitizing and an emphasis on surfaces that are regularly touched (“high touch” surfaces)

  • Sanitize and disinfect high touch surfaces frequently (e.g., restrooms, checkout counters, shopping cart handles, door handles)

• Operating hours allow enough time to thoroughly clean, sanitize, and disinfect facilities between shifts

• Increase frequency of washing utensils

• Disposable gloves available and used for shared tools

• Employee equipment including handhelds/wearables, scanners, radios, other tools are properly cleaned and disinfected before and after use

• Fitting rooms (if available) are disinfected by an employee with appropriate supplies and PPE after each new customer use

• Any items used by customers in fitting room and not purchased are removed from inventory and stored for no less than 24 hours

• IN KING COUNTY: A designated sanitation worker is designated at all times to continuously clean and sanitize commonly touched surfaces according to CDC guidelines

• IN KING COUNTY: There is a way to sanitize shopping carts and basket handles (can be with available wipes for customers or workers who sanitize between each use)

CUSTOMER COMPLIANCE & ENFORCEMENT:

• Business does not serve customers or visitors who aren’t wearing face coverings

  • Individuals with medical conditions or disabilities are exempt from this requirement and are not required to carry proof of the condition or disability

  • Employer should offer to provide accommodation such as curbside pickup, delivery, or non-peak hour shopping for these customers

• Customers must wear a face covering anytime they are not seated, and if seated anytime they are not eating

  • If seated dining is permitted by the state/county at the time, customers may remove face coverings to eat and drink, but must wear face coverings when sitting and not eating

  • As of 11/16/2020: All common/congregate seat areas and indoor dining facilities must be closed

PUBLIC HEALTH & COVID PLANNING COMPLIANCE:

• Employer has a written plan addressing physical distancing, protective equipment, hygiene, cleaning, communication, screening, and disinfection of contaminated areas onsite and available to regulators

• Employer notifies local health department within 24 hours if 2 or more employees develop confirmed or suspected COVID-19 within a 14-day period, or if employer suspects COVID-19 is spreading in the workplace

• Employer cooperates with public health authorities in investigation of suspected and confirmed cases and outbreaks

• Employer cooperates with infection control measures including isolation, quarantine, and environmental cleaning

• Employer complies with all public health authority orders and directives

• Employer fully complies with Washington’s High-Risk Workers Protection proclamation

TRAINING:

• All workers are trained in the language they understand best about:

  • Signs & symptoms of COVID-19

  • How to prevent COVID-19 transmission

  • The employer’s COVID-19 policies (these must inform workers about the steps being taken in the workplace to establish social distancing, increased handwashing, and to prevent the spread of the virus

  • Handwashing length, duration, and frequency

  • Appropriate PPE use

  • Safe use of chemicals used to clean, sanitize, and disinfect

RIGHT TO REFUSE UNSAFE WORK

• Workers who refuse to perform unsafe work do not suffer adverse action as long as their work refusal meets certain requirements (Refer to our UFCW 21 Q&A on unsafe work assignments here)

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MORE INFO FROM STATE AND COUNTY DEPARTMENTS

Note: Where there is a contradiction between these documents and one requirement is stricter than another, the stricter requirement should be enforced.

• Summary of General Workplace Requirements from L&I

• Phase 2 in-store retail guidance from the Governor’s office

• Grocery guidance & requirements from the WA Department of Health

• King County Public Health guidance for grocery stores
  

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Shopping in a grocery store or have friends and family who might help hold grocery store employers accountable for a safe workplace and shopping experience? Fill out a Grocery Store Report at GroceryStoreReport.com

Bernie Sanders Joins UFCW 21 and UFCW 7 demanding Safer Stores and Fair Compensation For Essential Grocery Workers

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 14, 2020

Contacts: 
Tom Geiger | tgeiger@ufcw21.org | 206-604-3421
Bridget Bartol | bbartol@skdknick.com | 954-594-0689

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) Joins UFCW Local 7 and Local 21 in Letter to Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen Demanding Safer Stores and Fair Compensation For Essential Grocery Workers

Unions representing 42,000 Essential Grocery Workers in Colorado, Wyoming & Washington State Urge Kroger To Reinstate Hero Pay of $2/Hour In Pandemic

DENVER – At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kroger Co. implemented a Hero Pay bonus of $2/hour for Essential Grocery Workers, calling grocery workers “heroes” because of their extraordinary sacrifice and dedication to the company and its customers during the COVID-19 pandemic. On May 17, 2020, the company stripped away the Hero Pay bonus program and has since relaxed safety protocols in stores. Seven months later, COVID-19 cases are higher than ever before throughout the country, yet Kroger’s employees who risk their health at work went from being treated as Heroes to Zeros by the company.

U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) joined Kim Cordova, President of UFCW Local 7 of Colorado and Wyoming, and Faye Guenther, President of UFCW Local 21 of Washington State, which together represent 42,000 Essential Grocery Workers, sent a letter to Kroger Co. CEO Rodney McMullen, urging him to ensure that workplaces are safe and to reinstate the $2/hr. Hero Pay bonus for all grocery workers across the country. 

An excerpt from the letter below:

“You often mention your experience as a stock boy to reaffirm to the public and shareholders that you're committed to seeing things through your customers' eyes. The time has come for you to see the risks through the eyes of your workers. Your inaction only increases the fear and anxiety that our members deal with as they walk into work each day.

“Hundreds of thousands of UFCW members work to keep YOUR stores clean, YOUR shelves stocked, and YOUR business running. Their work has enabled the large increases in sales and higher profits you've reaped since the pandemic began. Yet, they are working in fear, they are working in danger, and they are working without adequate support and respect from their employer, Kroger. They are risking their health and that of their families to keep America's food supply chain running and the country fed.  It is time that YOU take care of Kroger's frontline Essential Workers like they are taking care of your customers.”

A PDF of the letter can be found HERE, and the text of the letter is below: 

December 14, 2020

Dear Mr. McMullen,

We write to you as UFCW Local Union presidents, representing 30,000 Essential Workers at Kroger Co. stores across Colorado, Wyoming, and Washington State. Together with U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT), we hope and expect you are taking substantial time to work with the current and incoming administration to ensure that your grocery store Essential Workers are a priority for a COVID-19 vaccination. We write today to urge you to take the necessary and responsible steps to improve stores' safety and compensate Kroger Essential Workers fairly by immediately reinstating Hero Pay ($2/hr.) to all workers across the country.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to ravage our communities and stores more than ever and, as we navigate this especially hazardous winter season, it is imperative to recognize the dangers Essential Grocery Store Workers face. Our members, your employees, are at a higher risk of contracting COVID-19, yet these heroes are being denied the Hero Pay you awarded them at the beginning of the pandemic. Kroger's employees went from Heroes to Zeros. As we continue to witness a severe and alarming increase in worker case numbers, store safety must significantly improve to stop the spread. Preventive measures include enforcing mask requirements, reinstating and enforcing strict shopper limits to allow social distancing for all in the stores, improved staffing on all shifts so there is sufficient coverage to enable all workers to take COVID-19 sanitation breaks where they can conduct extra hand-washing and have allotted times to wipe and disinfect all areas of the store.

As a company, you initially recognized the dangers of this virus, implementing a Kroger Hero Pay bonus of $2/hr. in March, you coordinated better staffing for the extra work needed to clean stores, allowing more frequent breaks to wash hands and other safety measures. Yet, case numbers and deaths have risen exponentially since you prematurely claimed that we were "beginning to see a return to normal," and you ill-advisedly relaxed safety protocols and stripped away hazard pay on May 17, 2020. These decisions blatantly disregarded the dangers Essential Grocery Store Workers faced, not just by going into work but also by weakening them financially when dealing with COVID-related hardships, such as lack of childcare due to homeschooling, sick relatives, and additional medical costs.

Since Kroger stripped away Hero Pay, COVID-19 infections among these Essential Grocery Store Workers have exploded among our members. For example, there have been 491 positive cases, a 692% increase, and three deaths, among Local 7 members alone: James McKay, Karen Haws, and Randy Narvaez. As recent COVID cases in Washington have reached record levels, we see cases of grocery workers on a significant rise, and several outbreaks have been reported in just the last two weeks. In some cases, these outbreaks include more than a dozen cases in only one store.

Underneath those numbers, we see the threat to communities of color, which make up a majority (50%) of our nation's Essential Workers-- and an even more significant proportion of the food and agriculture workforce.

You often mention your experience as a stock boy to reaffirm to the public and shareholders that you're committed to seeing things through your customers' eyes. The time has come for you to see the risks through the eyes of your workers. Your inaction only increases the fear and anxiety that our members deal with as they walk into work each day.

Hundreds of thousands of UFCW members work to keep YOUR stores clean, YOUR shelves stocked, and YOUR business running. Their work has enabled the large increases in sales and higher profits you've reaped since the pandemic began. Yet, they are working in fear, they are working in danger, and they are working without adequate support and respect from their employer, Kroger. They are risking their health and that of their families to keep America's food supply chain running and the country fed.  It is time that YOU take care of Kroger's frontline Essential Workers like they are taking care of your customers.

Every day wasted is another day our members risk contracting COVID-19 at a Kroger store. Another day, our members are not paid fairly for the dangers they face conducting essential work. Kroger must reinstate Hero Pay immediately. Kroger should be a leader by ensuring their profits, made possible by Kroger's employees, are at least partially used to keep them and our shoppers safe and secure.

That is why we call on you, Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen, to reinstate Hero pay immediately because, as you stated, Essential Grocery Store Workers are heroes. They were heroes at the beginning of the pandemic, and they continue to be the unsung heroes keeping Kroger and the country moving forward.

Sincerely,

U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders                                   

Kim Cordova, UFCW Local 7 President

Faye Guenther, UFCW 21 President 

# # #  

Local 7, the largest Union in Colorado, is affiliated with United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, which represents over 1.3 million workers in the United States and Canada, and is one of the largest private sector Unions in North America. UFCW members work in a wide range of industries, including retail food, food processing, agriculture, retail sales, and health care. Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

UFCW 21 represents over 46,000 workers in grocery store, retail, health care and other industry jobs across the state of Washington

Press Advisory: Puget Sound Grocery Store Workers Speak Out for Hazard Pay, Staffing and Safety

Advisory

For immediate release: Monday November 23, 2020
Contact: Tom Geiger. 206-604-3421

Puget Sound Grocery Store Workers Speak Out for Hazard Pay, Staffing and Safety

Thank you to all who attended, if you missed this online webinar where unionized grocery store workers share their experiences and feelings about improved safety and reinstating hazard pay you can watch it here.

Grocery store workers here in Washington and around the nation continue to go to work every day, risking exposure to the deadliest virus in over one hundred years. Despite these risks and the dramatic increase in sales and profits that grocery stores have recorded since the beginning of the pandemic, the hazard pay that had been put in place in March was cut by early summer. Workers are also feeling a lack of sufficient staffing at a time when the need for sanitizing and breaks are paramount. Unionized workers have continued to press for the hazard pay and improved safety procedures. With the recent new spikes of exposure, positive cases and deaths, workers are re-doubling efforts for safety, staffing and hazard pay.

Background:

Nine months into the pandemic front line workers like grocery store workers are still going to work every day, exposed to the virus and concerned with safety.  Early on during the pandemic, many stores like Safeway, QFC and Fred Meyer began paying workers an additional $2 an hour in hazard pay. In addition, we won increased safety protocols grocery store workers had been demanding, such as frequent disinfecting, wiping down carts and check-out stands, installing plexiglass, limiting the number of people inside the store to be able to allow shoppers to socially distance, asking shoppers to wear masks and allowing workers to take frequent breaks to wash hands and maybe get some fresh air.

At the very beginning of March 2020 our nation had its second recorded death from Covid. By the end of that month, the death toll had surpassed 1,500. By the early summer, in all counts, the pandemic had already taken a massive toll, was still out of control, and there was no end in sight. However, while profits and sales at grocery stores soared, workers’ hazard pay was inexplicably cut.  Workers who continued to do essential and hazardous work were apparently not worth the extra $2 an hour. Unionized workers’ protests delayed the pay cuts in some places for a month, but by mid-summer, it was all taken away.

Fast forward to today: our nation has recorded over a quarter million COVID deaths. The slow-down in daily rates of infection and deaths has now turned around, with spikes and new records set throughout the month of November. Workers continue to be exposed, but safety protocols in many stores seem to have become more lax, and reduced staffing has made it very difficult to take the time to do the extra work required to disinfect the store, check-out stations and carts, as well as making it hard to take more frequent rest breaks to wash hands and get fresh air. And the hazard pay that was cut from workers’ weekly checks has still never been reinstated.

Unionized grocery store workers in Washington and around the nation this week are calling out for improved safety, including safer staffing, and a reinstatement of hazard pay for hazardous work.

Grocery Store Workers speak out:

"As a grocery cashier, at least at my store, the best analogy I can give you is that every day is like that Snowmageddon period, where we had lines as far back as we could see, and we didn’t have enough cashiers. Customers are so used to it that they don’t even think about complaining, and the corporate heads think they can get by with it. It’s not because they can’t hire enough people; they’ve hired plenty of people. They just want to have a minimum crew and maximum profits. So we get worked to death because there’s fewer of us doing the work of many.  - Wil Peterson, 17-year Kroger employee 

"To my customers, I say you don’t need to be accepting these long lines. We have 13 check stands in my store. Today there were only 2 cash registers open. This is ridiculous. We’re speaking up about it. We’re working through our union to get a safer store. The way it is now means more strain on everybody — more work for us, customers in the store longer, backed up in the aisles, even though experts seem to say people should keep their shopping trips to 30 minutes. How can they do that if corporate isn’t listening to them and to us?" - Wil Peterson, 17-year Kroger employee 

“I just also want the company to work to keep me safe, and not run me into the ground. Our work is a lot more stressful than it used to be. In our department, we’ve grown in size but we’ve grown even more in how many orders are coming in. Everyone is tired. Everyone is getting worn down. Sections of the store can get so crowded, it’s impossible to keep social distancing and still meet our timelines for fulfilling orders. And I’m very conscious of the risk I’m exposed to. My partner is a nurse, and we have a lot more potential exposure than the people we know who can work from home. That risk is something that I don’t get to leave behind when I leave work—I carry it home with me. My job takes up so much more space in my life now.

On top of all this, on top of them cutting the hazard pay we were getting at the beginning of the pandemic, we’re getting squeezed to be more productive. We push trolleys with the orders we’re preparing all around the store, and they just increased the capacity of those trolleys by 50%. Now they’re so big we can’t see past them around corners, and they’re 50% heavier to push around all day. Lately, the only things any of us are talking about is how tired and sore we are. People are saying they don’t know how much longer they can stay. We are working on these issues through our union, but if our employers can’t commit to keeping us safe, we’re going to lose people who are experienced, who know how to do this work and care about it.” - Amanda, QFC Clicklist

“Through all of this, wanting to give good service, keep our workplace safe for ourselves and our customers, we’re getting nothing from our employers. We got a small amount of hazard pay in the spring and then it was taken away, just like that. They just put $100 on our Advantage cards recently as a little bonus, and it feels like a slap in the face. “

Click here to file a safety report on your neighborhood store and help keep our Grocery Store Workers and our Communities safe.

“We’re back in the throes of it all. We’re here working on the front lines and we don’t feel appreciated. It’s not fair. I’m pissed off. I’m tired. My family’s health care depends on this job. I’m a cancer survivor and I’ve fought to maintain our great union health care for years, I’m proud to work here. I love my customers, but this is so hard. “

“We need hazard pay. We need fully staffed stores so we can keep ourselves and our customers safe. We need respect from our employers—we’re the ones running these stores every day. “ -Amy, QFC

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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.