Union officials say the merger of Albertson’s and Kroger would create situations where there is no competition between grocers. “Everyone understands the problem with a monopoly when it comes to concert tickets, but we’re not talking about Taylor Swift tickets here, we’re talking about milk, and eggs and bread and essential goods,” said Jonathan Williams, Local 400 union communications director. “We can’t allow a monopoly to take over our grocery industry.”
Outside Charleston’s Delaware Avenue Kroger, Anita Carpenter leads several dozen West Virginia union stewards representing United Food & Commercial Workers Local 400 in a chant railing against a deal being reviewed by the Federal Trade Commission that would see Kroger and Albertson’s merge.
Union officials say the merger of Albertson’s and Kroger would create situations where there is no competition between grocers. “Everyone understands the problem with a monopoly when it comes to concert tickets, but we’re not talking about Taylor Swift tickets here, we’re talking about milk, and eggs and bread and essential goods,” said Jonathan Williams, Local 400 union communications director. “We can’t allow a monopoly to take over our grocery industry.”
Outside Charleston’s Delaware Avenue Kroger, Anita Carpenter leads several dozen West Virginia union stewards representing United Food & Commercial Workers Local 400 in a chant railing against a deal being reviewed by the Federal Trade Commission that would see Kroger and Albertson’s merge.
Several dozen members of United Food & Commercial Workers Local 400 Union assembled at the Delaware Avenue Kroger in Charleston on Wednesday to show their disapproval of a pending merger with another of the largest grocery chains in the U.S.
The Charleston event was a small part of a week of national activities spurred on by the late 2022 announcement that Kroger, a grocery chain boasting 2,800 stores in 35 states was set to acquire Albertson’s, which owns a further 2,200 stores in 34 states, for $24.6 billion.
As of 2021, the chains were the two largest conventional grocery store operations in the United States in sales, according to industry news outlet Supermarket News.
If merged, pending Federal Trade Commission approval, Kroger would operate stores in 48 states and maintain a customer base of 85 million — a little more than a quarter of the U.S. population, according to the announcement news release.
“Everyone understands the problem with a monopoly when it comes to concert tickets, but we’re not talking about Taylor Swift tickets here, we’re talking about milk, and eggs and bread and essential goods,” said Jonathan Williams, Local 400 union communications director. “We can’t allow a monopoly to take over our grocery industry.
“It matters because its not only going to affect the price of groceries here, but it’ll also affect jobs in the grocery industry here. When there’s less competition for your grocery dollar, prices go up. But, similarly, when there’s less competition for the same workforce of grocery workers, wages and benefits go down.”
Such a deal also could lead to sale or closure of stores, union officials said.
Kroger already has proposed sale and/or closure of 100-375 stores in overlapping markets in an attempt to alleviate anti-trust concerns. There are no Albertson’s stores operating in West Virginia, while there are 38 Krogers in 29 locations, according to the company’s website.
Kroger employs 420,000 nationally, while Albertson’s employs 290,000, according to NPR.
“I don’t know what I would do. This is all I’ve known for 43 years,” Mark Cordle, a meat cutter and union steward from Oak Hill, said of a potential closure. “It’s how I’ve supported my family. There’s nothing else. I’ve given my whole life.”
As he spoke, union chants in familiar cadence echoed across the Kroger parking lot, emanating from a throng of union stewards gathered in front of the store representing Kroger locations from across the state. A similar event was held in Clarksburg on Tuesday.
“Hard enough to buy a meal, FTC must stop this deal,” they chanted in unison. “If grocery companies don’t compete, we cannot afford to eat.”
Those mantras, in particular, spoke to the gathered workers’ broader concerns for the market.
“They can tell farmers, producers of crops, this is what we’ll pay for your crop, for your beef and, if you don’t like it, tough luck, because us and Walmart is all that’s left,” Cordle said. “And what it’s going to come down to is, if this goes through, there’s going to come a time when people will pay whatever price for groceries Kroger wants them to pay.”
A ruling on regulatory approval isn’t expected to come down before next year, according to The New York Times.
“They’re not going to review it forever,” Williams said, “so now is the time to make our voices heard and let them know we expect them to stop this deal and protect our jobs.”
The FTC is accepting comments from the public in favor of and against the deal as it continues its review.
Demonstrations are being supported nationally by more than 100 organizations, including numerous labor unions, religious groups, civil rights organizations, farmers and anti-trust advocacy groups.
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