Several thousand workers at Fred Meyer in the Portland area walked off the job early Wednesday morning, striking over alleged labor law violations and amid contentious collective bargaining negotiations.
The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555 union told The Oregonian/OregonLive on Tuesday that the strike will begin at 6 a.m. Wednesday and last nearly a week until 8 a.m. next Tuesday.
This includes virtually all of Fred Meyer’s grocery and food workers, including cashiers, baggers, warehouse workers, meat and bakery employees and online pickers – about 4,500 in total in the Portland metropolitan area. Excluded are workers in departments such as pharmacy, apparel, electronics and general merchandise, who work under a different contract.
In a statement, Fred Meyer President Todd Kammeyer said the grocer and its parent company Kroger respected “the right of our employees to collective bargaining.”
Tiffany Sanders, spokeswoman for Fred Meyer, said all stores were open on Wednesday.
In recent days, signs had been put up in several Fred Meyer stores in the area calling for temporary workers to be hired “as a precautionary measure in view of a possible labor dispute” with the union.
The affected stores stretch from Hillsboro in the east to Gresham and south to Wilsonville. Stores in Clark County are not affected by the strike.
The strike, which could last through Labor Day, comes at a time when the nation’s attention is focused on the Portland-based retailer and its parent company.
Kroger is defending its planned $24.6 billion takeover of rival supermarket chain Albertsons in federal court in Portland.
Labor relations are likely to be a central issue in the case. The Federal Trade Commission, which is seeking to block the merger, argues that it violates antitrust law because it restricts competition for union members and undermines their influence in collective bargaining.
Dan Clay, president of UFCW Local 555, was scheduled to testify in court on Wednesday.
The union is currently negotiating a new contract with Fred Meyer, but has already filed a number of complaints against Fred Meyer with the National Labor Relations Board and also filed a lawsuit in federal court earlier this month.
She accused the chain of ignoring workers’ complaints and not providing union negotiators with data used in negotiations.
UFCW Local 555 members approved the strike earlier this month. The union also withdrew its previous support for the proposed Albertsons takeover this month.
“Our members are united in demanding fair treatment. This can only be achieved if Fred Meyer truly stands behind its public statements and is willing to fulfill all of its obligations and legal requirements,” Clay said in a statement.
The union also alleged that Fred Meyer misled workers about the collective bargaining process by telling them that the pension fund had been increased without presenting such a proposal to union negotiators.
Collective bargaining negotiations between Fred Meyer and the union were scheduled to continue on Thursday and Friday.
Fred Meyer said Tuesday that the latest offer, presented to the union on Aug. 23, includes paying “ratification bonuses” ranging from $1,000 to $4,000 depending on how long an employee has been employed by the grocer. Other terms of the offer include: The company would continue to fund pension benefits and increase hourly wages by $3.50 over three years.
The last time UFCW Local 555 workers walked off the job at Fred Meyer was in 2021 in a strike that was scheduled to last a week but ended after one day when the two sides reached an agreement.
Also on Tuesday, the New Seasons Labor Union announced it would strike for a day on Sunday at 10 New Seasons Market stores in the Portland area. The union, which represents 1,100 workers, claimed New Seasons had not negotiated in good faith in the two years since it first voted to form a union.
– Kristine de Leon covers retail, small business and data companies. Reach her at [email protected].
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