Kroger workers in area consider striking
Houston-area Kroger employees are weighing the possibility of a strike as negotiations between the union and the grocer have so far failed to reach an agreement before the current contract expires Saturday.
As the Houston Chronicle went to press Friday, talks continued while union leaders tallied the results of a strike authorization vote held over the past two weeks in the parking lots of Houston-area stores.
One of those who voted was Joe Recio, a 47-year veteran of Kroger, who said he recalls going on strike several times during those years.
“It’s not nice. It’s not great. I don’t think anybody likes it. Nobody wins. It puts stress on everybody,” said Recio, 66, who now works in the dairy department and has been involved in contract negotiations for weeks as a member of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 455, the union for Kroger workers. “But we’ve got to do what we’ve got to do, especially now.”
The company has about 12,000 store associates at more than 100 stores in the Houston area.
A vote to authorize a strike would not trigger a walkout or mean that one is inevitable, but Kroger employees are hoping it boosts their leverage during the days and weeks to come.
The company said in January, shortly after negotiations began, that its aim was to reach an agreement that is “good for their associates while keeping groceries affordable.” In February, it proposed wage increases of up to 7% over the next two years.
“A balanced and fair agreement with our associates is critical to the health and success of our company in the highly competitive Houston grocery market,” said Laura Gump, president of Kroger’s Houston-Louisiana division, in a statement at the time. A spokesperson for the company said Houston-area associates earn $16.68 an hour on average, a rate that rises to $21.69 an hour if you factor in the value of the company’s health care and pension plans.
But union members counter that many employees are not being scheduled for as many hours as they would like or the 27 hours of work a week that would make them eligible for health care coverage. They say wages as they stand are not sufficient, given persistent inflation and the rising cost of living in the Houston area.
“We all need insurance. We all need housing. We all need food. We all need the necessities, and unfortunately some of my brothers and sisters are not able to get them,” said Connie Coleman, 59, an associate at a Kroger in Katy. “They’re not taking care of the people that have taken care of the business to serve the customers and the public.”
“We’re not asking for the gold bar; we’re just asking for the shaving of the gold bar,” said Joe Garland, 63, who has worked at Kroger’s Sugar Land store since 1980. “By the end of the day, you’ve still got a brick that has ‘Kroger’ on it.”
Sherman Giles, 59, said working conditions at Kroger have deteriorated over the nearly four decades he’s worked in the store’s meat department. Morale has plummeted over the years, he said, employee stress levels have risen and the company is losing younger talent to competitors. He recalled training one talented young man several years ago who had ambitions to rise to management but ultimately left Kroger for a more attractive opportunity.
“I lost this kid. I lost him to my competition. I lost him to H-E-B. I’m just so upset about it,” Giles said. “He’s been there probably about four years now, and he is happy. I hate going into H-E-B.”
The strike vote in Houston comes as Kroger, headquartered in Cincinnati, continues to pursue a merger with grocer Albertsons, which is headquartered in Boise, Idaho, and also owns the Safeway and Randall’s brands. The companies in September announced that they would sell 413 stores as part of the $25 billion deal to help allay antitrust issues. Washington state last month sued to stop the merger, saying it would reduce competition and drive up prices, and Colorado this month did the same. Bloomberg reported this week that the Federal Trade Commission is planning a similar action.
A spokesperson for the company said it continues to pursue the merger as well as its contract negotiations with Houston-area employees.
“Kroger is proud to operate unionized grocery stores, and the merger will allow the company to continue to cultivate a best-in-class associate experience, ultimately resulting in a brighter future for our associates,” said the spokesperson. “But to be clear, current negotiations are unrelated to the proposed merger.”
Giles, for his part, reckons that Kroger has been more focused on the merger than its current associates.
“When you think about it, the reason Kroger has had so much success over the years is because we’ve been there for Kroger,” said Giles, who will mark his 40th year with the company March 3, five days before he celebrates his 60th birthday. “We’ve been there through COVID. They’ve been so successful because of us.”