Labor unions representing more than 45,000 employees for Kroger and Albertsons in Southern California have reached a tentative agreement on a new contract with the grocers, the United Food and Commercial Workers locals bargaining on behalf of the workers announced last week.
The deal, which is subject to approval by the workers, includes higher pay, larger pension contributions, health benefit and welfare improvements, and other changes. Workers will vote on the proposal over a three-day period that begins Wednesday.
The unions reached the agreement following what they said were more than 40 hours of talks with the grocers. UFCW locals 135, 324, 770, 1167, 1428 and 1442 took part in the talks that led to the tentative agreement, which would cover workers for Kroger’s Ralphs banner and Albertsons’ namesake banner as well as its Vons and Pavilions supermarket chains.
The agreement comes just weeks after workers for the grocery chains voted to authorize an unfair labor practice strike to protest what labor leaders from UFCW Locals 324 and 770 described as “labor violations throughout negotiations that have prevented workers from getting the fair contract they deserve.”
The alleged infractions by Kroger and Albertsons included “breaking the law by surveilling and interrogating employees in their stores, interfering with their discussions with union representatives, equating union support with disloyalty, and preventing them from wearing union insignia,” UFCW Local 770 said in a June 27 statement.
Albertsons said in a statement that the unfair labor practice allegations “are without merit,” adding that it remains "committed to productive discussions with the UFCW.”
“We respect the rights of workers to engage in collective bargaining and are negotiating in good faith to achieve a balanced agreement that rewards our associates, benefits our customers and is sustainable for our company in the competitive grocery industry,” the company said.
Kroger did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the allegations.
Separately, UFCW Local 8 announced last week that workers for Albertsons-owned supermarkets in Northern California that it represents will vote this week over whether to authorize the union to call a strike against the grocer “if necessary.”
