Northwest Labor Press is an independent union-supported newspaper founded in 1900. Our print version is mailed twice a month to about 45,000 members of over three dozen local unions in Oregon and Southwest Washington. Our online version has been maintained here since 1997.
Tag:
Fred Meyer
Jobs
Kroger-Albertsons merger collapses
Kroger’s costly effort to buy Albertsons fell apart when not one but two judges blocked the grocery merger. Now Albertsons is suing Kroger.
Collective bargaining
UFCW 555 reaches agreement with Kroger
The Fred Meyer boycott is over. New contracts covering 11,000 workers will raise wages $4.50 over three years for the most senior workers.
Jobs
Kroger/Albertsons merger on trial
Kroger and Albertsons are the big fish that swallowed up almost all other grocery competitors. Now Kroger proposes to swallow Albertsons.
Collective bargaining
UFCW Local 555 strikes Portland-area Fred Meyer stores
The union is now calling on customers to take part in a general boycott of Fred Meyer.
Jobs
Kroger-Albertsons merger about to hit headwinds
The merger will have to get past four separate judges in the next two months. There are signs that investors don't think it will happen.
Jobs
FTC sues to stop Kroger-Albertsons merger
In court filings the antitrust agency says letting the two giants join would harm union grocery workers in particular.
Jobs
Washington AG sues to block Kroger-Albertsons merger
More than half of Washington supermarkets are either Kroger or Albertsons owned. The merger would eliminate head-to-head competition.
Analysis
Decision nears on Kroger-Albertsons merger
If Biden’s FTC approves it, a combination of Kroger and Albertsons would create a near-monopoly. The two of them own 40 grocery chains in all.
Workers Rights
Fred Meyer: payroll problems are widespread
The payroll problems began to emerge in October 2022, just after the company implemented a new payroll system known as “MyTime.”
Jobs
Albertsons’ $4 billion dividend moves forward
Attorneys general are concerned the dividend could cripple Albertsons at the same time regulators are evaluating the company's proposed merger with Kroger.
Workers Rights
Workers sue Fred Meyer for unpaid wages
Kroger is planning to buy competitor Albertsons for $24.6 billion. But the grocery monolith can’t seem to find the cash to pay its workers.
National
Union to feds: Don’t allow Kroger-Albertsons mega-merger
Fred Meyer, Safeway, Albertsons, QFC and 40 other chains could become one company under the proposed deal.
Workers Rights
Fred Meyer settles child labor charges
An investigation by the Department of Labor found the company regularly allowing minors to load power-driven box balers at stores in Oregon.
Collective bargaining
Kroger makes a deal after a one-day strike
UFCW Local 555 calls the new contract at Fred Meyer and QFC its best contract ever. Over 3 years, wages will rise $3 an hour.
Collective bargaining
Strike set to begin at Fred Meyer, QFC
Members of UFCW Local 555 are set to strike 6 a.m. Dec. 17 at Fred Meyer and QFC stores in the Portland area, Bend, and Klamath Falls.
Collective bargaining
UFCW Local 555 to hold strike votes at Fred Meyer, QFC
Strike votes will take place in Portland, Tigard, Bend, and Klamath Falls. The union is next scheduled to meet with Kroger on Dec. 6-7.
Worker safety
Grocery stores respond to epidemic: Sneezeguards, raises, bonuses, and a hiring spree
With grocery workers on the front lines of the coronavirus response, Safeway/Albertsons is raising pay $2 an hour, while Kroger is paying $300 bonuses.
Collective bargaining
Newly ratified grocery contracts raise wages for 20,000 Oregon and Washington workers
Workers will get wage increases of up to $2.70 an hour over three years, plus a guarantee of 20 hours a week with benefits for those who want it.
Collective bargaining
UFCW reaches tentative deal after 6-day grocery boycott
If approved, the new union contracts would cover about 20,000 workers in Oregon and Southwest Washington.
Collective bargaining
UFCW cancels all Kroger contracts after aggressive action by Fred Meyer
The union will release further information about its plans on Sept. 22.
