Still Waiting for Albertsons and Kroger to Get Serious About Staffing
We met with Kroger and Albertsons again this week for two days and progress has been very slow to say the least. In the short time we’ve met with the companies, we discussed the importance of addressing the inadequate staffing levels in the stores. However, even though the companies recognize staffing is a problem for their employees, they’re pushing back on our proposals, ignoring our experience in the stores, and prioritizing their control of operations.
This hurts us and our customers. And ultimately the companies.
We also spoke a bit about our health and welfare and made some progress, but there are still some proposed improvements that are important to us that the Companies have not addressed. We need to reduce the time it takes workers to earn eligibility to enroll in our benefit plans.
Meanwhile the companies have not yet shared their proposals on economic issues like wages. We’ve had 11 bargaining sessions. What are they waiting for?
What’s next?
Join us on an all Southern California UFCW grocery worker call on Thursday April 10 at 9:00 AM and 7:00 PM to hear exactly what’s happening at negotiations with Kroger and Albertsons and discuss future actions from the best source – us – your bargaining committee. We’ll be talking about the company’s attitude at the bargaining table, what their proposals are, and what we’re fighting for. Register for the calls with the links below:
April 10 at 9AM: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_22Iyhq8QQiOkh3vjbxdHxA
April 10 at 7PM: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_6EtR2VLPTTunXVPmp-TTEQ
Join our next campaign action on Tuesday, April 15, 2025, at 11:00 AM in La Verne, CA. We’ll be marching from Vons to Stater Bros. to show how powerful we are when we stand together. Talk to your union representative or bargaining committee members if you need transportation to the march.
Register for the march here: https://forms.gle/zTyhcqMDGusAL7kv6.
Continue to wear your buttons! We return to the bargaining table on April 3 and 4 and then again in May. In the meantime, we will continue to escalate our campaign, and the more we participate in actions like the April 15 march, stay involved in bargaining by joining calls, and stand together, the more power we have at the table to negotiate for the contract we deserve. We know we deserve better than what we’re getting from Kroger and Albertsons. And so does the public, whose support for us has been overwhelming.
If you have any questions about bargaining, or if there is anything we can help you with, please do not hesitate to reach out to your Union Representative or Bargaining Committee Member.
In Solidarity,
Your Grocery Workers Rising Bargaining Committee
