Grocery union poised to strike Kroger over contract concessions

grumpy1 · Guru

Contract talk

Date: May 19, 2010

ufcw 1000 has votes for the new one on this sun and mon.

meatclerk248 · Veteran Member

Local 700 in Terre Haute signed one last year. Not much changed for old timers like me but it screws the hell out of those hired after 2005.

grumpy1 · Guru

Why did they only go 1 year? Seems odd to me. But then we went only two years ,late 90`s, when kroger was having a hard time in the Dallas area. We all lost personal days and some vacation time back then.

meatclerk248 wrote:

Local 700 in Terre Haute signed one last year. Not much changed for old timers like me but it screws the hell out of those hired after 2005.

grumpy1 · Guru

Got to wonder how long kroger wants to drag out things and get serious about trying to get a contract done on time.It has taken them from early December to get one for local 1000 to vote on this 23 rd and 24 th for ratification. Houston`s locals had there contracts expire early April and they are still trying to get that done. Our local ( 540 in Dallas) has a contract that expires in June the 12 th and they have yet to want to give us a date to start any talking or meet yet.

Date: May 27, 2010

THis Union has gotten to be a waste of money. $hit still is done to the employees in one way or another to screw them. It seems like its a daily thing of "How can we make the employees miserable today".

Seems like they work for Kroger too.
Everything is written so Mrs.Howl the share holder can get a new $500 sweater for her french poodle while they throw employees scraps. And the ceo's and Zone Managers get juicy bonus's while tossing pennies at the actual laborers. Kroger doesn't value experienced workers. They only want school kids working 4pm-8pm that'll move on.

Em · Senior Member

I'm in Houston 455 they are dragging feet. Three years ago we held a strike vote but we didn't. They are stuck on health care and pension. I need a wage increase. Courtesy clerks make .10 less per hour then cashiers, but they also get tips.

grumpy1 · Guru

Now ask yourself where you would be if you had no union there to help and support the workers? The union is only as strong as its members. Every one wants to bitch and blame them but then no one wants to support them, go to meetings and work as one.

Anonymous wrote:

THis Union has gotten to be a waste of money. $hit still is done to the employees in one way or another to screw them. It seems like its a daily thing of "How can we make the employees miserable today".

Seems like they work for Kroger too.
Everything is written so Mrs.Howl the share holder can get a new $500 sweater for her french poodle while they throw employees scraps. And the ceo's and Zone Managers get juicy bonus's while tossing pennies at the actual laborers. Kroger doesn't value experienced workers. They only want school kids working 4pm-8pm that'll move on.

grumpy1 · Guru

I feel your pain as far as them dragging their feet. They have yet to even set a date to meet with Local 540 to start talks or ask for an extension and our contract expires June 12th. You did come close to a strike back then. Strike signs was made up. But the one thing I have found out is that they will not rush anything and pay will come only after the true cost of the healthcare and pension is set. Just takes time and wiser men that you and I to try to determine the cost of health care over the life of the contract, considering the inflation rate and raising cost of health care being out of control. If that is screwed up then half way into the contract you will loose pay, benefits and/or cuts to sustain it. Nobody wants that.

Em wrote:

I'm in Houston 455 they are dragging feet. Three years ago we held a strike vote but we didn't. They are stuck on health care and pension. I need a wage increase. Courtesy clerks make .10 less per hour then cashiers, but they also get tips.

grumpy1 · Guru

Contract talks are to start with local 5430 on Monday the 7th. Contact is to expire on the 12th. Nothing will get done until Houston is settled first. Just surprised the local 100 took a 4 year contract. Unless Houston and 540 takes a 4 year deal then it is bad. Always thought it would be best to the whole SWKMA workers if all the contracts expired around the same time.

grumpy1 · Guru

Local 540 got started and there was progress and going good fr both sides. They are under an extention until the end of June.

grumpy1 · Guru

Grocery union poised to strike Kroger over contract concessions

Jaclyn Trop / The Detroit News

A local grocery union's leadership is warning it may strike Kroger Co.'s 133 Metro Detroit stores if the region's largest supermarket chain doesn't soften its demands for concessions.

Negotiations for a new contract between the grocer and United Food and Commercial Workers Local 876 have focused on economic issues, including wages, pensions and health care. The union's Kroger Advisory Committee on Sunday approved going on strike if necessary after the union's executive board had OK'd the same strategy.

"The union is truly concerned," Local 876 President Roger Robinson said in a statement. "In fact, I believe a strike is (imminent) if Kroger continues down their current path."

The union still would need the rank-and-file's approval before walking out. UFCW Local 876 last struck for nine-and-a-half weeks in 1992. It balked at Kroger's attempts to cut health benefits and subcontract stocking duties.

Kroger hired 2,000 replacement workers, who were let go when the strikers returned. The union agreed to a five-year contract that raised hourly wages less than what the grocer originally proposed and allowed some outsourced stocking of shelves.

The current three-year pact expires Wednesday night.

Union representatives didn't return calls Monday to elaborate on their demands.

Kroger officials remain optimistic that an agreement will be reached.

"Kroger and UFCW 876 continue to exchange proposals back and forth today," said spokesman Dale Hollandsworth. "The best thing for everyone is to continue to negotiate and reach an agreement that is good for our associates, good for our customers and helps keep Kroger competitive."

The move is "usually an indication that either the negotiations aren't going well or that the union feels they can gain by taking a more aggressive stance," said Charles Ballard, a Michigan State University economics professor.

From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20100608/BIZ/6080371/Grocery-union-poised-to-strike-Kroger-over-contract-concessions#ixzz0qJjsjKJ5

grumpy1 · Guru

Kroger at crossroads in union talks

Analysts say grocer is fighting to compete with other chains

Jaclyn Trop / The Detroit News

Metro Detroit's biggest grocer, Kroger Co., faces competition from Wal-Mart to Whole Foods, but its most pressing concern is talks with its labor union as negotiations enter their final week.

The current three-year contract expires Wednesday. United Food and Commercial Workers Local 876 President Roger Robinson, the chief union negotiator, said in a statement that the Madison Heights union has made progress on noneconomic bargaining issues and that Kroger and the union are discussing economic points, including wages, health and pension benefits.

Analysts expect the talks to result in more worker payment for fringe benefits, a trend seen in other contract negotiations around the country.

Higher benefits and wages will render grocers like Kroger less able to compete in the area, especially with nonunion shops such as Wal-Mart increasing their presence, they said.

"The company's ability to compete on price is compromised to a certain degree," said John Springer, associate editor of the trade publication Supermarket News.

Kroger's overhead costs are higher than its competitors' and make it difficult to compete against nonunion retailers with lower labor expenses, said David Livingston, a grocery analyst and managing partner at Milwaukee-based DJL Research.

Still, there is optimism that an agreement will be reached without a strike.

"Kroger and UFCW 876 have been exchanging proposals over the past few days," Kroger spokesman Dale Hollandsworth said. "A complete agreement has not yet been finalized, but we remain confident we can reach a good agreement for associates and one that keeps Kroger competitive."

"Economics, always the toughest aspect of contract negotiations, will be even more difficult this go-round given the poor economic climate, the uncertain financial impact of the new health care legislation on insurance plans and the hit pension plans have taken in the last two years," Robinson said.

Though the union and Kroger are tight-lipped about what is being discussed in negotiations, a Kroger worker in Oakland County said he expected the terms of the new contract to be similar to the current agreement, albeit with a possible increase in employee health care costs. The profit margin for grocers is small, he said, so workers shouldn't expect much in higher pay and benefits.

The labor discussions reportedly have been amicable, the worker said, and though the union is scheduling a strike vote as a last resort, a strike is unlikely.

But the union says it is determined to claim its share despite the national recession.

"We're trying to get a fair and just contract," said Rick Blocker, secretary-treasurer for Local 876.

jtrop@detnews.com (313) 222-2300

From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20100607/BIZ/6070317#ixzz0qJkfkN1k

grumpy1 · Guru

Local 876 Reach Tentative Contract Agreement; Covers 12K Workers

June 11, 2010 11:09 AM EDT

The Kroger Co. of Michigan, an affiliate of The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), and United Food and Commercial Workers (U.F.C.W.) Local 876 have reached a tentative agreement on a new contract, the company said today.

The tentative agreement covers over 12,000 Kroger associates who work in 118 stores in Michigan. The union plans to call membership meetings to vote on the new contract soon.

"Kroger and UFCW worked together to reach an agreement that provides our associates one of the best total compensation packages in our industry in Michigan," said Rick Going, President of The Kroger Co. of Michigan. "The agreement provides our associates with good wages, high-quality affordable health care, and pension benefits."