TIGARD, Oregon (KPTV) – Workers at Fred Meyer stores in the Portland area have approved a strike this week, accusing the grocery chain of unfair labor practices, the union said Saturday.
The United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 555 said the vote was held across the region between Aug. 13 and 16 and authorized a strike against unfair labor practices. The union, which represents about 4,500 workers at Fred Meyer stores, said the vote was in response to “multiple” unfair labor practices by Fred Meyer, a subsidiary of The Kroger Co.
The union also said it no longer supports a merger between Kroger and Albertsons.
“We have changed our position based on new information gained through the bargaining process,” said Dan Clay, president of UFCW Local 555. “Korger’s continued failure to meet its obligations in the current contracts despite being given every opportunity is disappointing. Their abhorrent decisions at the bargaining table have disappointed both their workers and their customers. We had no choice but to file a federal lawsuit on this matter and withdraw our support for the merger.”
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The union also accused Kroger of issuing a “misleading” statement saying Fred Meyer had kept its promise of pay increases to employees.
“They have not agreed to any pay increases other than those negotiated by UFCW 555 as a result of the one-day strike in 2021,” said Miles Eshaia, a spokesman for UFCW Local 555. “They have a proven record of failing to meet their obligations and failing at the bargaining table. In fact, we were forced to file a federal lawsuit asking the courts to force Fred Meyer to meet its obligations in the current contracts with UFCW 555. For this reason, we no longer support the Kroger-Albertsons merger for Oregon, Idaho and Washington.”
When FOX 12 reached out to Kroger for comment, Fred Meyer spokeswoman Tiffany Sanders responded with the following statement:
“Given our track record of investing in wages, the union’s move to request strike authorization is premature.
“Our priority is to maintain a healthy business that allows us to increase our employees’ wages while keeping our doors open to provide our customers with affordable food and essential goods.
“We urge the union to resume negotiations scheduled for Monday and work with us in good faith to achieve the best possible outcome and stability for its members, our valued employees, without causing unnecessary disruption.”
The union said it would continue negotiations with Fred Meyer on Monday and had not yet set a date for the strike.
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