Yes and no. Most Kroger stores have a union contract guaranteeing wages and working conditions, but some don’t. UFCW represents workers in 2/3 of all Kroger stores nationwide, but we believe ALL Kroger associates deserve union representation.
The union has also commissioned a timely report on the poverty, food insecurity and homelessness affecting Kroger workers in multiple cities, providing crucial context for the hard line that the bargaining unit has struck at the urging of their members.
Congratulations to the 9,000+ full and part-time Delta Division Kroger workers who just secured wage increases, guaranteed raises, and affordable healthcare! Customers and workers came together to tell Kroger that one good job should be enough. Together, they are improving their lives, their jobs, and the company they work for.
Why are Kroger employees going on strike in Colorado?
More than 8,000 Kroger grocery workers have gone on strike this week in Colorado to push for higher wages and health care benefits, as a new study revealed that 75 percent of employees are food-insecure.
Thousands of workers at Kroger subsidiaries King Soopers and City Market are expected to go on strike this week in Colorado if the employees’ union and the company don’t make headway on a new collective bargaining agreement.
How has the economy affected Kroger employees?
9 out of 10 workers report that their wages have not increased as much as basic expenses; adjusted for inflation, since 1990 Kroger clerks have seen an 11-22 percent decline in wages. Nearly two thirds of Kroger workers face frequent economic hardship, particularly workers in their 20’s, with over 50 percent unable to afford rent.
Yet another inquiry we ran across in our research was “Are Kroger employees food insecure?”.
Over three quarters of Kroger workers are food insecure, over 7 times the national average. This means they cannot afford a healthy, balanced diet, they run out of food between paychecks and they regularly skip meals.
Customers and workers came together to tell Kroger that one good job should be enough. Together, they are improving their lives, their jobs, and the company they work for. Are you ready to improve your job and get real benefits?
The chain said the survey’s claim that “more than two-thirds of Kroger workers struggle to afford food, housing or other basic needs” was untrue. Kroger provides “competitive wages” and offers jobs to “underserved populations” that provide upward mobility, it said.