Update on Efforts to Oppose the Proposed Kroger + Albertsons Mega-Merger

Our efforts to stop the proposed mega-merger of Kroger and Albertsons reached a major milestone on Monday February 26 when the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and nine State Attorneys General filed a lawsuit to challenge the merger. UFCW 3000 has been a national leader in opposing the proposed merger since the day it was announced in October of 2022. Since that time, we have been actively working with a core group of other UFCW locals as well as a wide range of over 150 diverse partner organizations across the nation and developed a “No Grocery Merger” coalition.
 
The effort to oppose the merger is not over yet. Kroger and Albertsons have both said they will challenge the lawsuits in court, so we expect it could be many months until an outcome is known. We will keep up the fight. And for right now we will also celebrate this major win in the struggle to protect workers, shoppers, and communities from the greed and over-reach of Kroger and Albertsons.
 
Another example of our effort to protect workers was our recent win on February 22 when we were successful in getting the Washington State Legislature to pass SB 6007 – a new law to provide protections for grocery store workers from the harm that can result when chains merge and the consequences include layoffs and store closures. 
 
For the thousands of members who have acted together – we are making a difference. The actions have included signing petitions, handing out leaflets to customers, raising our voices in local and national news stories, signing in support of our new WA law to protect workers, and so much more. And it shows that when workers and community come together and act as one, we can push back against some of the largest corporations in America.
 
Instead of spending all this time and money on a proposed merger that if allowed to proceed would lead to higher prices, closed stores, lost jobs, a reduced ability for union workers to negotiate strong contracts, and giving away billions to wealthy investors, these companies should be doing the necessary work to provide better wages and working conditions, and making stores safer.

More Detailed  Information:
On Monday February 26, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) challenged the proposed mega-merger of Kroger and Albertsons siting concerns about how the merger would harm consumers and workers. Nine State Attorneys General (Arizona, California, District of Columbia, Illinois, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon and Wyoming) joined the legal action as well. These are above and beyond the two other Attorneys General lawsuits from Washington and Colorado. Your support of the “No Grocery Merger” coalition is an important part of what led to this success. The 150 organizations across the nation who joined together last year to fight this merger was a show of both the power of solidarity and a diverse array of interests.

We remain committed to continue our diligent efforts to defend workers, customers and communities from the devastating harm that would be caused if such a merger were to proceed. And we also look forward to beginning to fix the broken food systems in this nation.

Additional information and past updates

1. FTC Press release: FTC Challenges Kroger’s Acquisition of Albertsons. Largest supermarket merger in U.S. history will eliminate competition and raise grocery prices for millions of Americans, while harming tens of thousands of workers, FTC alleges

2. FTC Complaint: Kroger's/Albertsons: Administrative Part 3 Complaint (Public) (ftc.gov)

3. Our press release including link to coalition partners and highlights of some of the activities over past 16 months to fight the proposed merger.

FTC Rejects Kroger - Albertsons Proposed Megamerger!

Press Release: UFCW Locals 5, 7, 324, 400, 770, 1564, 3000

For immediate release: February 26, 2024
Contact: Tom Geiger, UFCW 3000, 206-604-3421

UFCW Local Unions Applaud the FTC Decision to Reject Kroger and Albertsons Proposed Megamerger

UFCW local unions representing more than 100,000 grocery store employees working at Albertsons and Kroger-owned stores in over a dozen states and the District of Columbia applaud the FTC Decision to reject this proposed megamerger.

UFCW local unions have loudly and soundly opposed the proposed mega-merger of Kroger and Albertsons since day one because the megamerger would have resulted in lost jobs, closed stores, food deserts, and higher prices with reduced food choices – all of this would have been destructive for workers, consumers, and entire communities. Importantly, the FTC decision recognizes the threat that the merger would have caused goes beyond consumers and calls out that it would also have damaged essential grocery store workers’ wages, benefits and working conditions.

The FTC deliberations over the past 16 months, and the evidence that was gathered directed their well-founded decision. This is a step in the right direction for building a better food system in this country. Now we need to do all we can to help defend this decision and to turn the discussion towards building a better system that is more accountable to workers, shoppers, and the community.

The coalition of UFCW locals 5, 7, 324, 400, 770, 1564 and 3000 have been instrumental in the opposition to the proposed merger from the very beginning. Hundreds of actions, news stories, meetings with grocery store members, community, regulators and others and additional events have been part of that effort. Below is a varied sampling of some highlighted examples of this work.

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Linked here are a more full list of media coverage, and a long list of opposition coalition members:

October 2022

10/13 – Kroger and Albertsons, without any warning, make announcement of proposed merger.

10/13 – Group of local UFCW unions, taking advantage of close relationships forged through supportive and collaborative efforts with each other’s collective bargaining with national grocers, quickly convene and issue joint statement immediately raising concerns about the proposal. Within hours the initial news coverage that had simply contained Kroger’s statement becomes a broader story including very strong opposition and concerns.

10/22  – Joint press release by local UFCWs flags the proposed massive payout of $4 Billion by Albertsons to wealthy shareholders as part of the proposed merger. News coverage includes KIRO 7 TV story.

10/26 -  Joint press release applauding lawsuits filed by Attorneys General in multiple jurisdictions to halt Albertsons special $4 billion payout to wealthy shareholders as part of the proposed merger which Albertsons initially announced would take place in early November.  The Washington State AG case succeeds in halting this rushed payment. While it ends up being allowed to proceed, it is not until early 2023 and only after under-oath testimony from company executives disclosing critical inside information that had been unknown to the public and exposed some of the key motivations behind the proposed merger.

November 2022

11/29 Held in-person Press Conference in Washington DC with Presidents and members from the six local UFCWs of the newly formed coalition from across 12 states and the District of Columbia  (Southern CA - UFCW 324 and 770, Northern CA – UFCW 5; Washington – UFCW 3000; CO & Wyoming – UFCW 7; DC and surrounding states – UFCW 400) and Teamsters local 38 representing over 100,000 Kroger and Albertsons. The press conference was held immediately prior to a planned US Senate Subcommittee hearing on the proposed merger and helped tell the story of the negative impacts of such a merger in local and national TV, print, and radio coverage.

December 2022

12/3 – Article goes into details about concerns. “EVERYONE SHOULD BE VERY SKEPTICAL OF THE SUPPOSED BENEFITS OF THE KROGER-ALBERTSONS MERGER - Kroger can’t help but promote its own interests over customers.”

January 2023

1/23 – Ongoing opposition by states and UFCW locals discussed in Supermarket News article.. 

February 2023

2/1 – More Perfect Union posts video discussing harms and concerns of proposed merger.

2/15 - Colorado Attorney General begins series of statewide listening sessions to hear from workers, community and others about their reactions to the proposed merger. UFCW Local 7 members attend these meetings and provide critical concerns about the proposal.

March 2023

3/24 – Launch of national coalition “NoGroceryMerger.com” and website as a one-stop for the anti-merger efforts with over 100 organizations. This also becomes a place to chronicle much of the media coverage around the country about the opposition and provides a degree of a check and balance to the Kroger and Albertson’s PR machinery. https://www.nogrocerymerger.com/news

April 2023

4/4-4/13 – Grocery store workers take actions in front of stores across the nation to connect with customers and share concerns about the proposed merger and how it would harm workers and customers with closed stores, lay-offs, higher prices, and in some locations food deserts. 

May 2023

After months of deliberation and ultimately a unanimous vote at the UFCW International Convention opposing the merger, UFCW International Union announces opposition to the proposed Kroger Albertsons merger. National press coverage is widespread including a Wall Street Journal headline: “Biggest Grocery Union Opposes $20 Billion Kroger-Albertsons Deal - UFCW International is concerned about potential divestitures and stores’ future viability.”

June 2023

6/29 – A week of actions held by UFCW grocery store workers across the nation include many in California that generated local press coverage like KTLA 5 TV story: Southern California grocery workers rally against Albertsons-Kroger merger (youtube.com) 

July 2023

7/26 – Coalition of UFCW locals issue statement condemning announced pay-outs of over $146 million to top executives if merger were approved.  Coverage includes Cincinnati Enquirer article.

August 2023

8/23 – State Treasurers raise concerns about proposed merger. News stories include Bloomberg Law article: “Kroger Grocery Deal Will Harm Workers State Treasurers Tell FTC”

September 2023

9/20 – National press conference held by coalition of local UFCWs to expose concerns about the recently announced divestiture to C&S Wholesale. Generates significant local and national press coverage and begins the public discussion of major concerns about C&S as an inadequate proposed remedy to the proposed mergers anti-trust challenges. Results in many stories including Supermarket News story titled “UFCW cites ‘echoes of Haggen’ in proposed C&S deal”

9/27 – UFCW local 7 hold Town Hall with members to update on opposition to proposed merger and take questions. Thousands attend.

October 2023

10/30 – Progressive Grocer published op-ed titled: Opinion: Kroger-Albertsons Proposed Mega-Merger Is a Threat to Workers and Shoppers Alike

November 2023

11/1 - FTC Chair Khan hold listening session in Denver and hears widespread concerns from workers, consumers, suppliers and others. Significant press coverage of event includes stories like the Colorado Public Radio story: “Grocery workers ask FTC chair to stop Kroger Albertsons merger during Denver visit” UFCW members from California, Washington and Colorado attend this important event to share their stories.

11/11 – Marshall Steinbaum, an economic from University of Utah, issues report that was supported by coalition of local UFCWs 5, 7, 324, 400, 770 and 3000, titled: Evaluating the Competitive Effect of the Proposed Kroger-Albertsons Merger in Labor Markets

11/14 – American Economic Liberties Project, hold national briefing and press event with UFCW grocery store members and representatives from five additional organizations including: Ranch Foods, Independent Grocers Association, Open Markets Institute, Farm Action and Alaska Public Interest Research Group

December 2023

12/11 – Teamsters International issues strong statement in opposition to merger divestiture proposal: TEAMSTERS CALL ON FTC TO REJECT KROGER-ALBERTSONS PROPOSED ASSET SALES TO C&S

January 2024

1/15 – UFCW local coalition Issues statement applauding Washington State Attorney General Lawsuit – with our quote in local and national press coverage of the lawsuit. Coverage includes national AP story: “Washington State Sues to Block Proposed Merger of Kroger and Albertsons Grocery Chains”

1/23 - Held two webinars (1/23 AM and PM) to update members on details of the proposed merger and collective efforts to fight the proposal with over 500 members in attendance.

1/25 - Held multiple meetings with Kroger as well as C&S Wholesale. We found out no new information in the meetings that dissuaded us from our position of opposition, in fact we found out additional concerning information as well continued to ask for information that was still not provided.

1/26 - Held national online press conference (1/26) to continue to clarify our position of opposition so media and members of the public understood our reasons and the various threats to workers, consumers and communities by both the proposed merger and the proposed divestiture plan – with over 50 reporters in attendance. Generated local and national press coverage educating the public, workers and others. Example: https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/grocery-worker-union-gives-update-proposed-kroger-albertsons-merger-timeline/

February 2024

2/1 - UFCW 3000 and Teamsters 38 hold live Telephone Town Hall to update and educate members, and answer questions of members with thousands of members in attendance.

2/14 – Colorado Attorney General files lawsuits against the merger. Local and national coverage. One example: CBS News Colorado: https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/colorado-attorney-general-files-lawsuit-block-merger-between-kroger-albertsons/

2/22 – The Washington State Legislature passed SB 6007 – a new law to provide protections for grocery store workers from the harm that can result when chains merge and the consequences include layoffs and store closures. 

Press Release: Opposition to Albertsons/Kroger Mega-Merger Gains Momentum

For Immediate Release: February 20, 2024

Contact: Tom Geiger, UFCW 3000, 206-604-3421

After States Sue to Block Proposed Albertsons + Kroger Mega-Merger, Opposition Led By UFCW Local Unions Gains Momentum

Our coalition of local UFCW unions, collectively representing over 100,000 Kroger and Albertsons workers in over a dozen states, welcomes the actions by the Colorado Attorney General last week, joining others in moves to block the proposed merger of Kroger and Albertsons.

Our coalition has been outspoken in its opposition to the proposed mega merger of Kroger and Albertsons since it was first announced by those companies in October of 2022. Over the last 16 months, our opposition has both deepened and broadened. The revelations contained in the lawsuits filed by the Attorney General of Washington last month and the Attorney General of Colorado last week, have only increased our opposition to the proposed merger and further exposed the damage it would inflict on consumers, workers, and communities if it were allowed to proceed. The addition of the companies’ deeply flawed divestiture plan has likewise increased our opposition as we believe it would result in the closure of grocery stores in hundreds of communities. Again, we oppose this merger in the strongest terms possible and remain hopeful for federal enforcement action to block it and protect consumers, workers, and the public.

Background: In addition to our coalition’s volumes of actions and press statements over the past 16 months and actions by others in the NoGroceryMerger.com coalition, the below are statements from the two International Unions representing most unionized grocery store and grocery warehouse workers:

• Statement from UFCW International after a unanimous vote at the UFCW Convention to oppose the proposed merger: https://www.ufcw.org/press-releases/americas-largest-union-of-essential-grocery-workers-announces-opposition-to-kroger-and-albertsons-merger/)

• Statement from Teamsters International in opposing the proposed divestiture: https://teamster.org/2023/12/teamsters-call-on-ftc-to-reject-kroger-albertsons-proposed-asset-sales-to-cs/

Grocery East Progress on Wages but Still a Long Way to Go— Take Action to Fight for More!

Last week, our member bargaining team told stories of trying to survive on our wages. Fred Meyer and Safeway/Albertsons force us to decide between paying for groceries over utility bills, paying for our kids’ medical needs before our own, and filling our gas tank to get to work over making a needed repair.  

The Employers didn’t respond to our stories with words, but they did respond through their proposal: They came back to the table, proposing the first dollar raise for Journey that we have seen in this round of bargaining. The Employers current proposal on Journey wages stands at $1/$0.50/$0.50. We deserve more! 

We are standing united and fighting to win:   

• Journey wage increases of multiple dollars over the life of the contract that gain ground on the West side.  

• Raises of multiple dollars for Journey Meat Cutters over the life of the contract, a proposed dollar premium for Head Meat Cutter, and new designation of Head Butcher Block. 

• Increase the amount between steps from $0.10 above minimum wage and $0.05 between steps to $0.25 above the minimum wage and between steps so that every step sees an increase as the minimum wage increases with cost of living. 

• Reduce the length of our wage scales and align our scales so our coworkers can reach the Journey rate sooner and at the same time no matter what county we work in.  

We also continued to fight to maintain our healthcare benefits and strengthen our pension: 

• We won a Tentative Agreement to improve the rate to qualify for our healthcare: Now, all Eastern Washington, Eastern Oregon, and Northern Idaho members will accumulate the 80 hours per month to qualify for healthcare which includes all compensable hours, not just hours worked. This means that vacation and sick leave hours will count towards the 80 hours. When we’re ill or injured and need our healthcare the most, we now will not have to fear losing it.  

We continued to push to maintain our healthcare with improvements to vision, podiatry, and hearing care.  
We also won Tentative Agreements over: 

• Additional premium for workers when we are in charge of the store: An extra 50 cents per hour for a worker in charge of the store when the manager/assistant manager is absent for more than three hours per day.  

• Rest periods for Idaho Meat Members: Idaho doesn’t have rest period laws, so we won a Tentative Agreement to ensure Idaho Meat Members have 10 minutes rest for every 4 hours worked, just like the rest of our Idaho Grocery Members. 

Our next bargaining dates are April 15, 16 and 17.  
Wear your union buttons at work!  

It is clear that the only way we will get what we deserve is to show our unity through action! 

Informational Pickets & leaflets I’ll be there! You can rsvp online! >>

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS WILL I LOSE MY JOB IF I GO ON STRIKE? 

You cannot be permanently replaced for participating in a valid ULP strike. You can be permanently replaced only if the strike is caused solely by economic issues and only after the actual hiring of a permanent replacement for your position. If the strike is called in part to protest unfair labor practices by the employer, the employer cannot legally hire a permanent replacement for you. In the unlikely event our unfair labor practice charge is not upheld, we will provide an update about the return-to-work situation.

WHAT IF THE EMPLOYER LOCKS US OUT?

If the employer chooses to lockout employees they have to lockout all employees. Workers locked out by their employers are generally eligible for unemployment benefits. The Employment Security Department will determine eligibility for unemployment benefits on a case by case basis.

DO I ACCRUE SICK LEAVE OR VACATION TIME WHEN ON STRIKE? 

You will not accrue sick leave or vacation while you are on strike. The employment security department determines eligibility for unemployment benefits on a case by case basis for workers in a labor dispute.

CAN I USE ACCRUED VACATION OR PAID TIME OFF BENEFITS?

Although an employer may not discriminate against strikers with respect to the use of vacation time or paid time off during a strike, an employer is not required to allow strikers to use their accrued vacation time or other benefits during a strike unless they are otherwise entitled to do so. Thus, if a worker had submitted a vacation request before a strike and it was approved in accordance with the employer’s established policies, the employer must pay the vacation benefits even though the approved vacation occurs while the member is on strike. 

WILL I STILL HAVE HEALTHCARE DURING THE STRIKE?

It is possible that members on strike may experience a temporary disruption to their healthcare. You should work with your healthcare provider on details for eligibility. 

WHAT IS MY STRIKE BENEFIT ? 

The Executive Board of UFCW 3000 has approved strike benefits for grocery store workers who take part in strike duty. Strike benefits will not fully replace our wages but will help. They have approved strike benefits of $500 for workers, union members, and non-members who picket a minimum of 20 hours a week, $800 for 32 hours a week and $200 a week respect the line benefit for striking members who cannot join their coworkers on the strike line but respect the strike line and do not cross (for a maximum of 4 weeks). Our Union also has a hardship fund to assist members whose families face particularly difficult financial situations. Additionally, food assistance and other financial aid may be available through community organizations and other unions. Notify your creditors prior to falling behind. Communicate your situation and explore options for reduced payments or refinancing. Prioritize your expenses, placing essentials like mortgage/rent, utilities, insurance, car payments, gas, child support, and alimony at the top.

Is there paperwork I need to fill out for my strike benefit?  

To receive Union Strike Benefits, grocery store workers will need to complete a W9 for provided by the union. 
Become a Strike Picket Captain by telling your union rep that you are ready to help lead a strike by becoming a Strike Picket Captain.

Download and read the Grocery East Strike Manual >>

More information: 
To get updates and join the fight to Stop the Mega-Merger, go to nogrocerymerger.com  
For information about your health care plan with Rehn go to www.ufcwhealth.com or call 800-872-8979  
If you have questions about the Pension contact Zenith at soundretirmenttrust.com or call 800-225-7629  

Previous Grocery East updates:

Grocery East Why do the Bosses think you deserve less than grocery workers in Western Washington?

Why do the Bosses think you deserve less than grocery workers in Western Washington? 

In our last bargaining session, the Employers told us that because cost of living is lower in Eastern Washington, Eastern Oregon, and Northern Idaho, journey union members do not need the same kind of raises as the Westside. Over the last two days of bargaining, we came to correct this.  

We know that Eastern Washington, Northern Idaho, and Eastern Oregon grocery workers desperately need and deserve meaningful raises. We presented data on rising rents and home sale prices in our region. We compared Westside and Eastside counties which have very similar housing costs and very different wages.  

We compared a grocery basket in Spokane and near Seattle to show that the astronomical food prices set by these companies are the same regardless of where you live. Our grocery costs are the same, our rents are the same, and it’s all going up. But they insist on keeping a wage scale that pays us DOLLARS less!  

Bargaining committee members shared our stories: having to choose between paying the power or the water bill that month, putting our children’s healthcare costs before our own, and struggling to afford to pay for the gas to get to work. We also shared over 100 stories submitted from UFCW 3000 grocery members under these Eastside contracts. Kroger and Albertsons can afford to pay us the wages we need so we don’t have to choose between buying groceries or putting gas in the tank.  

If Safeway can afford a 4 billion dividend, they can afford to pay us what is fair. If Fred Meyer can afford to buy Safeway, they can afford to pay us what is fair. 

While we educated the Employers on what it’s like trying to survive on these wages, we stayed strong, pushing the proposals we need: 

• Create Journey wage increases of multiple dollars over the life of the contract that gain ground on the West side.  

• Institute one wage scale for all UFCW 3000 Eastern Washington, Oregon and Northern Idaho and the same journey wage rate across all grocery scales. 

• Create raises of multiple dollars for Journey Meat Cutters over the life of the contract, a proposed dollar premium for Head Meat Cutter, and new designation of Head Butcher Block. 

• Increase the amount between steps from $0.10 above minimum wage and $0.05 between steps to $0.25 above the minimum wage and between steps so that every step sees an increase as the minimum wage increases with cost of living.  

• Reduce the length of our wage scales so our coworkers can reach the Journey rate sooner. 

• Maintain our strong healthcare plan and coverage and improve benefits without increasing employee premiums.   

All the while the employers only came up $0.10 in the third year of their wage proposal. Proposing $0.50/$0.50/$0.60. This is not enough! 

We’ll be back next week for bargaining. Next bargaining dates: February 15 and 16   

Join us and show our unity in fighting for a strong contract! 

• Become a Strike Picket Captain by telling your union rep that you are ready to help lead a strike by becoming a Strike Picket Captain. Review the training here >> 

• Sign a Strike Pledge Card. 

• Remember to fill out the Worker Research Committee survey about the state of safety and operations at your store. >> 

• Wear your union buttons at work! 

More information: 

• To get updates and join the fight to Stop the Mega-Merger, go to nogrocerymerger.com 

• For information about your health care plan with Rehn go to www.ufcwhealth.com or call  800-872-8979 

• If you have questions about the Pension contact Zenith at soundretirmenttrust.com or call 800-225-7629

• General Membership Meetings happening next week 

• ​Presentation on the rising cost of living

Stop the Merger Telephone Town Hall Call Thursday!

Attention all UFCW 3000 Grocery Store Members. You are invited to join our live Telephone Town Hall on Thursday, February 1 at 4pm to hear updates on our efforts to oppose the Kroger and Albertsons’ proposed merger, and a live Question and Answer session with members on this important topic. We will be joined by our union’s top officers, experts, and also our partners from Teamsters 38.

When your phone rings Thursday at 4pm, just answer and you will join the call. If for some reason you do not get a call or you get disconnected, you can also join us by dialing 1-888-652-0383 and entering meeting ID 7803 during the time of the call.

National Press Conference on Opposition to Kroger and Albertsons’ Proposed Mega-Merger

For Immediate Release – Wednesday January 24th, 2024

PRESS ADVISORY for Friday, January 26th, 2024 (9AM PST, 12 noon EST)

Virtual Press Conference. Register HERE in advance

Grocery Store Workers and their UFCW Local Unions Hold National Press Conference on Ongoing Efforts to Oppose Kroger and Albertsons’ Proposed Mega-Merger

What: A national press conference to update media and expose many of the troubling details underlying the proposed merger as well as debunking the claims being made by the companies about themselves, the reasons for the proposed merger in the 1st place, the troubling picture of C&S as the proposed divestiture company, and more. Short informational session will be followed by a Q and A session for the media.

Who: 

• Faye Guenther, President, UFCW 3000 (WA)

• Tom Olson, Grocery store worker and UFCW 7 member (CO)

• John Marshall, CFA, Capital Strategies Director, UFCW 324 (CA) and UFCW 3000 (WA)

Upon request, post event interviews can be arranged for media with local grocery store workers in Washington State. And interviews with grocery store members at UFCW locals in CA, WA, CO and the Washington DC/surrounding states areas can also be arranged.

When: Friday January 26, 2024: 9 AM PST, 12 Noon EST

Where: Pre-register here in advance of the press conference HERE >>

Contact: Tom Geiger, UFCW 3000, 206-604-3421

Grocery East Join the next Contract Action Meeting

Join us for a Contract Action Team (CAT) meeting to review our action plan to win a fair contract! At these meetings, we will have an in depth discussions about our next steps to win better wages and the contract we all deserve.

Pendleton/Hermiston: February 1, 2024 5pm – 6Pm

Pendleton Convention Center 1601 Westgate, Pendleton Ore 97801

Spokane: February 7, 2024 10am – 11am or 5:30PM – 6:30PM

UFCW 3000 office, 2805 N. Market St. Spokane, WA 99207

Yakima: February 7, 2024 5:30pm – 6:30pm

UFCW 3000 office, 507 S 3rd St Yakima, WA 98901

Wenatchee: February 8, 2024 5:30pm – 6:30pm

UFCW 3000 office, 330 King St, Suite 4. Wenatchee, WA 98801

Tri cities: February 8, 2024 5:30pm – 6pm & February 28, 2024 5:30pm – 6:30pm

UFCW 3000 office, 2505 Duportail St, Suite D. Richland, WA 99352

Update on Our Efforts to Protect Workers and Customers from the Proposed Kroger-Albertsons Merger/C&S Divestiture

We wanted to provide you with an update on our efforts to oppose the proposed merger between The Kroger Company (parent company of Fred Meyer and QFC) and Albertsons Companies, Inc. (parent company of Safeway, Albertsons and Haggen stores) and their proposed divestiture of stores to C&S Wholesale Grocers.

1. On Monday, January 15, Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed a lawsuit in King County, Washington court to block the proposed merger. Our UFCW 3000 endorsement of this legal action and a quote from UFCW 3000 grocery store member Yasmin Ashur who works at the Port Orchard Albertsons was part of the news coverage in the Seattle Times news article linked above and other news stories nationwide.

2. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is continuing its review of the proposed merger, and we continue to work closely with them. Many analysts feel it is more than likely that the FTC will challenge the merger. Our local union, in coalition with other local unions from across the United States, has provided extensive information about the proposed merger to the FTC. We remain hopeful that the FTC will also challenge the proposed merger. Both the courts and the FTC have the power to potentially block the merger from being completed.

3. Recently, Kroger and Albertsons have announced a delay to the merger timeline, until potentially as late as August. No doubt this delay is in response to both news of the lawsuit and the pressure campaign mounted by a broad swath of consumer groups, unions, farmers, ranchers, and others committed to preventing the harmful effects of this merger.

JOIN US!

All our grocery store members are invited to join us for a webinar on Tuesday, January 23. Please go to the link below to register for your preferred webinar:

MORNING MEETING:

Tuesday 1/23/24

8 AM

EVENING MEETING:

Tuesday 1/23/24

5 PM

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Additional information:

• This is far from a done deal: Kroger and Albertsons cannot sell stores to C&S Wholesale Grocers unless and until a merger were approved by regulators, and now, because of the Washington State lawsuit, the courts.

• Contrary to comments made by these companies, this proposed merger is not at all necessary. Nor does their announced divestiture plan remedy our concerns. Both Kroger and Albertsons are doing well financially and making strong profits.

• The proposed merger is really about greed. These two companies have already profited so much from the labor of grocery store workers all while often under-staffing stores and over-charging customers. Instead of investing in improved working conditions and reduced prices, they have prioritized high CEO pay, large dividends, including an Albertsons $4 Billion give away in early 2023, and massive stock buy backs.

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Keeping up the Effort to Protect Workers and Customers

Our efforts over the past year and a half, from actions at the store level, to meeting with regulators, to helping to educate the public and generate hundreds of TV, radio and newspaper stories across the nation, have and continue to have an impact. We can’t let up now. The proposed Kroger-Albertsons merger would no doubt be disastrous for consumers in the form of higher prices, for workers in the form of lost jobs, lower wages, and crippling losses to pension and health benefit plans, for farmers and ranchers who will lose a major buyer of their products,  and for thousands of Americans who would find themselves living in food and drug-store deserts without adequate access to everyday necessities. If you haven’t done so already, please tell the FTC and you can also write to Washington’s Attorney General to thank him for his recent lawsuit and let him know why you oppose the proposed merger.

WA Attorney General files lawsuit to block Kroger-Albertsons mega merger

We have been clear and strong in our opposition to the proposed Kroger and Albertsons merger from day one. Attorney General Ferguson has been a leader in the effort to protect workers and consumers and he led the effort last year to try to stop Albertsons' $4 billion payout to wealthy shareholders. That was important. The announcement today of his lawsuit to stop the merger itself is welcome news.

 “As a grocery store worker and leader in our union, I feel very supported to have Attorney General Ferguson taking action to protect us from this bad merger proposal. Workers, shoppers and our communities need to prevent this proposed mega-merger from taking place,” - Yasmin Ashur, UFCW 3000 grocery store worker from the Albertsons in Port Orchard, WA.

Grocery East Bargaining Update

Our union member Bargaining Committee had our second bargaining session with the Employers to fight for a safer workplace, maintain and strengthen our benefits, and improve wages.

Over the two days of bargaining, we came to several Tentative Agreements:

• Greater Workplace Safety. We secured an agreement for a Master Safety Committee, which will allow us to raise safety issues that are not being addressed at the store level, up to the corporate Management level. We also established yearly walk-through trainings for emergency situations, including natural disasters and active shooter situations.

• Increases to Leaves of Absences for personal illness/pregnancy from 6 months to 9 months.

• The ability to keep our information updated so that we can get critical information about our wages, benefits and working conditions.

We continued to trade proposals over important contract language items, including:

• Funding for Workforce Training, so we can get the training we need and expand the Meat Cutters Apprenticeship Program around the state of Washington.

• Worker Severance and Retention language to ensure that, in the event of any merger or sale of the companies, the Employer must retain workers for a set period and compensate workers fairly if there are lay offs or terminations.

• Allowing workers to accept tips from customers.

We also proposed the following IMPROVEMENTS to our contract:

• Improve vacation accruals and lower qualifying threshold for vacation. We proposed vacation accruals be based off the average of hours worked in the previous 12 months. This will help ensure that no worker gets less vacation per week than they normally work per week. Additionally, we proposed to lower the threshold to qualify for vacation from 1000 hours to 800 hours worked in a year.

• Increased scheduling notice so we can better plan our lives.

• Add Presidents Day as an additional holiday.

• Align past experience credit among all contracts so workers can claim more hours upon hire.

We proposed the following UPDATES to our contract:

• Align notice of technological changes in the store with other UFCW 3000 grocery store contracts.

Finally, we made a comprehensive economic proposal that would:

• Create Journey wage increases of multiple dollars over the life of the contract.

• Institute one wage scale for all UFCW 3000 Eastern Washington, Oregon and Northern Idaho and the same journey wage rate across all grocery scales.

• Gain ground on Puget Sound clerk wage rates, because the cost of living is high everywhere!

• Create raises of multiple dollars for Journey Meat Cutters over the life of the contract, a proposed dollar premium for Head Meat Cutter, and new designation of Head Butcher Block.

• Increase the amount between steps from $0.10 above minimum wage and $0.05 between steps to $0.25 and above the minimum wage and between steps so that every step sees an increase as the minimum wage increases with cost of living.

• Reduce the length of our wage scales so our coworkers can reach the Journey rate sooner.

• Maintain our strong healthcare plan and coverage and improve benefits without increasing employee premiums.

• Fund our pension and increase contributions and benefits for future earned benefits.

• Institute resort store pay premiums for Chelan, Leavenworth, Sandpoint and CDA.

• Award $800 longevity bonuses for workers with more than 10 years of service.

• Create premiums for short staffing & Person-In-Charge pay.

• Make a quicker path to Journey for Meat Cutters that complete the Meat Apprenticeship program.

• Ensure full back pay to date of expiration.

Next bargaining dates: January 10, 11 and 12

Join us and show our unity in fighting for a strong contract!

• Sign a Strike Pledge Card.

• Remember to fill out the Worker Research Committee survey about the state of safety and operations at your store. >>

• Wear your union buttons at work!

• More information:

• To get updates and join the fight to Stop the Mega-Merger, go to nogrocerymerger.com

• For information about your health care plan with Rehn go to www.ufcwhealth.com or call  800-872-8979

• If you have questions about the Pension and the Sound Health and Wellness Trust contact Zenith at soundretirmenttrust.com or call 800-225-7629

Update on Proposed Kroger/Albertsons merger

To all of our members and #StopTheMerger coalition partners and allies:

We wanted to share a brief update with you on where things stand with the proposed Kroger/Albertsons merger and our collective efforts to stop this harmful deal.
 
First off, we want to clarify where things stand right now. Despiterecent news reports to the contrary,the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) does not need to make a decision this week.
 
The bottom line is this: based on the information we have now, we expect the FTC to make a decision on the proposed merger early in the new year. This is consistent both with our understanding of the process and with public statements made by FTC chair Lina Khan.
 
Once the FTC has completed its investigation of the merger deal, there are three possible outcomes:

1. The FTC can seek to stop the transaction by filing a preliminary injunction in federal court and the case will go to administrative trial. We believe our campaign has in part made this the most likely outcome and the trial will take many months to conclude.
   or

2. The FTC can enter into a negotiated consent agreement with the companies and allow the deal to go forward under certain conditions, e.g.divestitures. This is how past mergers of this kind have been treated under previous administrations, but we believe it is unlikely in this case under the Biden administration.
   or

3. The FTC closes its investigation and allows the deal to move forward unchallenged. We believe this is the least likely scenario.

Secondly, we’d like to draw your attention to some recent activities and developments:

• A new report was issued by economist MarshallSteinbaum from the University of Utah demonstrating how the deal could dampen labor power and thus lead to devastating outcomes for workers. You can download the report and view our press release highlighting it, which was picked up in a few media stories.

• This week, our union siblings at the Teamsters International union have come out against the companies’ plans to divest hundreds of stores to C&S. You can read their press release here.

• Last month, our friends at American Economic Liberties Project hosted a great virtual event on the “disaster in the making” that is this merger, featuring workers, independent grocers, farmers, and consumers that the proposed merger would directly impact. Check out the video on YouTube.

• Today, UFCW members in Southern California will meet with California Attorney General Rob Bonta and shared their stories about previous mergers in the grocery industry and their concerns with the proposed merger between Kroger and Albertsons.

Lastly, we’d like tothank all of you for being a part of this effort to protect workers and our communities from the devastating impacts of this proposed mega-merger.As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions or suggestions.
 
In solidarity,
#StopTheMergerCoalition
www.nogrocerymerger.com

Town Hall Call Monday: Important Union Update on Kroger/Albertsons Merger

Important Union Update on Kroger/Albertsons Merger

On Friday, Kroger and Albertsons announced plans to sell at least 413 stores across the country to C&S Wholesale Grocers (C&S) as part of the mega-merger of the two companies.

Our coalition of local unions have strongly opposed the proposed merger between Kroger and Albertsons since day one. Our position has not changed because of the recent news from Kroger and Albertsons of their plans to sell some stores.

Important point right off the bat -- this sale is not happening now and it’s contingent on the overall merger being approved, a merger we are fighting. As a result, this sales deal only moves ahead if and when the federal regulators who are reviewing the overall merger approve it. We don’t think this sales deal will appease the Federal Trade Commission or the various State Attorneys General that have expressed concerns over the merger.

An additional 237 stores may also be sold to C&S as part of the deal, depending on the results of the regulatory review of the merger with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

The stores would not change hands unless and until the FTC approves the overall Kroger/Albertsons merger.

UFCW 3000 Telephone Town Hall Planned for Monday

We are planning a live Telephone Town Hall for our grocery store members on Monday, September 11 at 5 PM to share updated information and to address your questions. When your phone rings Monday at 5, just answer it and you will join the call. If for some reason, you don’t receive a call, you can call in to join us by dialing 1-877-365-5237 and entering meeting ID number 7585.

As of now, according to Korger and Albertsons, about ¼ of the stores to be sold to C&S, if and when the merger is completed, are in Washington state. The exact stores have not been identified at this time. There are no further details on store divestments available at this time. We will continue to keep you updated as more information becomes available. We will use every available resource to enforce our contracts with Safeway and Kroger and protect our members.

#StopTheMerger Coalition

We remain opposed to the Kroger/Albertsons merger for the negative impact it will have on our members, customers and communities. That’s why we’ve partnered with more than 100 unions and organizations nationwide in the Stop The Merger Coalition to urge the Federal Trade Commission to oppose this deal. Visit NoGroceryMerger.com to learn more and take action today.

NoGroceryMerger.com

Send a Message to the FTC

The Federal Trade Commission has the power to block this merger. Take action now by sending a message to the FTC to let them know we stand united in opposition to the Kroger/Albertsons merger.

Send a Message

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.

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

UFCW Local Unions Disappointed by Washington State Supreme Court Ruling to Allow Albertsons Massive $4 Billion Dividend as Part of Proposed Mega Merger

UFCW Local Unions React to Washington State Supreme Court Decision on Massive $4 Billion Albertsons Dividend as Part of Proposed Mega Merger

Jointly Issued Press Statement by :
UFCW 3000 of WA & Northern ID
UFCW 400 of MD, DC, VA, WV, KY, OH, & TN
UFCW  7 of CO & WY
UFCW 770 of Southern CA
UFCW 5 of Northern CA
UFCW 324 of Orange County, CA and Southern Los Angeles County
UFCW 367 of South Puget Sound, WA
Teamsters 38 of Snohomish Country, WA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 17, 2023

Contact: Tom Geiger, UFCW 3000, 206-604-3421

UFCW Local Unions Disappointed by Washington State Supreme Court Ruling to Allow Albertsons Massive $4 Billion Dividend as Part of Proposed Mega Merger

“We are disappointed to see a ruling that favors a small number of ultra-wealthy shareholders over the many thousands of essential workers and millions of Americans who will be left to suffer the consequences of the outright financial looting of Albertsons. Despite this setback that allows the $4 billion dividend to be issued, the delay allowed the United States Senate to scrutinize the dividend payment as well as the mega-merger, and alerted the public to the disastrous consequences if the merger were to go through. We applaud Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson and his staff for their efforts fighting to protect our members and the communities we serve. Our unions will not stop working to protect our members and our communities from the harmful impacts of this proposed mega-merger of Kroger and Albertsons. It is now even more important that the Federal Trade Commission take swift and decisive action to block the acquisition.”

Background:

From the first day the proposed merger was announced, UFCW Local 5, UFCW Local 7, UFCW Local 324, UFCW Local 367, UFCW Local 400, UFCW Local 770, UFCW Local 1442, UFCW Local 3000 and Teamsters 38 have been taking action to intervene and stop this devastating deal. 

On November 1st, Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed a lawsuit in state court seeking to stop the payout and a temporary restraining order was granted through December 9th.

On Tuesday November 29 the US Senate Judiciary Subcommittee held a hearing to scrutinize the proposed Kroger/Albertsons mega merger, along with an alarming, up to $4 billion “special dividend” announced by Albertsons in connection with the merger agreement. In a letter to the Federal Trade Commission urging the agency to intervene, more than two dozen antitrust experts and local unions representing Albertsons’ workers decried the payout as “nothing less than an out-and-out looting of the company” and a brazen attempt to destabilize the company ahead of regulatory review of the merger. 

On December 9th, the Superior Court Judge in King County Washington ruled against issuing a preliminary injunction, but delayed the effect of the decision until December 19th to allow time for an appeal by the WA AG to be considered by the State Supreme Court. On December 16th, the WA State Supreme Court issued a ruling granting the State AG’s Injunctive Relief and extended the Temporary Restraining Order on the Albertsons dividend until further order of the court.

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Stop the Kroger Albertsons Merger and the Cash Grab - Add your name!

Stop the Kroger Albertsons Merger and the Cash Grab - Add your name!

We would like to send an email to the FTC’s AntiTrust division and add your name to the growing list endorsing the letter we sent on 11/3 expressing concern about this proposed merger.

On November 3, 26 organizations, including UFCW 3000, wrote a formal letter to the Federal Trade Commission raising serious concerns regarding the proposed merger of Kroger and Albertsons. That letter concluded with the following:

 “The bottom line is that this proposed merger is bad for workers, bad for consumers, bad for communities, bad for the economy—indeed, bad for everyone not associated with Cerberus Capital Management or owning shares in these two companies. We urge you to take immediate action to stop the special dividend payment and block this merger altogether.”

WA Court Put the Brakes on Albertsons’ Proposed $4 Billion Dividend

Press Release from UFCW 3000, UFCW 367 and Teamsters 38

For immediate release: 11/3/2022
Contact: Tom Geiger, 206-604-3421

WA Court Put the Brakes on Albertsons’ Proposed $4 Billion Dividend

Seattle, WA – When Albertsons announced in mid-October that it had agreed to a purchase by Kroger, a handful of essential grocery store workers’ unions came out quickly and condemned the proposal saying it would hurt workers and shoppers. We called on federal and state regulators to stop the merger. And then the Attorney General of Washington filed a lawsuit in King County Superior Court to halt the payment of the $4 Billion Albertsons dividend that would be the 1st step of the merger agreement. Attorneys General in CA, IL, and DC filed a similar suit in the District of Columbia.

Today, after hearing the case presented by the WA Attorney General and a slew of attorneys from Albertsons and Kroger, the Court ruled to put a temporary restraining order on the payment that Albertsons had announced would happen on Monday November 7.

UFCW 367, UFCW 3000 and Teamsters 38 reacted: “We applauded these Attorneys General when they filed their lawsuits, and we applaud Attorney General Ferguson and his team for presenting a strong case today and, at least temporarily, putting a pause on Albertsons’ $4 Billion payout for rich stock holders instead of investing in lowering prices, improving store safety and increasing the wages of the workers in the store who made the stores function all during covid.”

Essential Grocery Store Workers Say: Stop Albertsons’ Dividend Payment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 22, 2022
Contact: Tom Geiger, 206-604-3421
Union members and leaders available for media interviews

Seattle, WA – On the heels of the proposed merger between grocery giants Kroger and Albertsons, on Tuesday, Albertsons announced that it will pay out a $4 billion dividend to shareholders November 7, 2022. The 64,000+ hard-working members of UFCW 3000, UFCW 367 and Teamsters 38 strongly oppose this dividend payout and are calling upon elected officials and regulators to stop this payment and the resulting devaluation of the company at a time when consumers are facing crushing inflation.

“Taking billions in assets out of a company that is running well, employs hundreds of thousands of essential workers, and provides daily necessities for millions of customers is a bad idea for the workers as well as customers,” said Joe Mizrahi, Secretary Treasurer of UFCW 3000. “That $4 billion could be much-better spent to lower prices of food for consumers facing unprecedented levels of inflation, pay workers more or invest in safer stores for workers and customers. Our essential grocery store members will do everything we can to stop Albertsons from squeezing workers and customers to the bone to shower executives and shareholders with billions.”

UFCW is looking to regulators and elected officials to join us in putting public pressure on Albertsons to invest this $4 billion in workers and lower prices for families, rather than enriching executives and shareholders.

“Our stores are already underfunded,” said longtime grocery store worker Kyong Barry who works at the South Auburn Safeway/Albertsons store in Washington State and is a member of UFCW 3000. “Albertsons just wants to pay out stockholders and bosses instead of investing in workers like me or keeping our stores safer for customers. Paying $4 billion to stockholders is ridiculous when skyrocketing food prices are forcing people in our communities to go hungry. Albertsons should be lowering prices instead of padding our bosses’ pockets.”

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