Kroger Employees Avoid Strike, Ink New Three-Year Deal

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Members of United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 400 voted overwhelmingly to accept a new three-year collective bargaining agreement with Kroger in West Virginia, Ohio and Kentucky that preserves their health and retirement security and increases their wages.

“This contract is an improvement,” said Local 400 President Mark Federici. “Our members will keep their current health care benefits, with no increase in weekly premiums, and won’t be forced onto the often inferior plans offered through the ACA’s health care exchanges. Kroger will pay their share of benefits in full through the life of the contract, our members’ pensions will be properly funded, and our members will all see pay increases.”

The collective bargaining agreement takes effect retroactively as of Oct. 15, 2014. It expires on Oct. 7, 2017, and covers 4,000 workers.

More than 4,000 Kroger workers could be headed to the picket line.  The largest group of union workers is voting Monday on a new three-year contract.  Right now, it looks like a strike will be avoided.  Union workers in Charleston voted to accept a new three year contract.
But not everyone is happy with it and it's not a done deal just yet.

After the contract for Kroger union workers expired on Halloween, there is now relief for many, because a group of union employees in Charleston approved a new three-year deal.

"We've been at this for over a month, or around a month now, trying to get this contract, a workable contract for our people to vote on, and it was long hours, especially in that last week, but we did it," said Theresa Haney, Russell, Kentucky Kroger worker and union committee member.

Worker pay and healthcare coverage had been sticking points in the negotiations

"We kept our spousal insurance coverage.  We've got the retirement fund all the way through for three years.  We've got a small pay wage increase, but we did get one.  I'm very happy with this contract," Larry Southern, Kroger meat cutter and union committee member.

The pay increase is especially significant for workers in Kentucky, which unlike West Virginia and Ohio, did not approve a statewide increase in the minimum wage.

"We were able to get all members of this contract under the West Virginia pay scale, which makes it very fair and honest for every employee," Haney said,.

But not everyone is thrilled.

"I think we should've struck.  We all should've gotten something.  It's going to be a long three years," said Karen Rhodes, Cross Lanes Kroger employee.

Rhodes says store employees work too hard for what they're paid and she doesn't think the union did enough to bring forward a better deal.

"We could be there four or five years and just make like $7.75 or something like that.  They don't want to pay anything.  You think you're in this big union and everything and that's just not how it is," said Rhodes.

Employees with United Commercial Food Workers Local 400 are meeting at 6 p.m. in Clarskburg.  The combined total of "yes" votes there will be added to the "yes" votes from today's meeting in Charleston and that number has to exceed the "no" votes in order for the contract to get final approval.  Otherwise, 4,000 grocery store workers could go on strike.