On June 12, 2018, hundreds of Kroger associates and their supporters held a rally outside of the Kroger Mid-Atlantic Division corporate office in Roanoke, Virginia.
The protest centered around a Kroger store in Norfolk, Virginia, where dozens of long-time employees could lose their jobs as a result of the company’s recent purchase of eight Farm Fresh stores in the Hampton Roads region.
In March 2018, Kroger announced plans to buy eight Farm Fresh stores in the Hampton Roads region, renovate them, and reopen them as Kroger stores. But one of the locations Kroger purchased is directly across the street from an existing store in Norfolk, Virginia.
Now, it is only a matter of time before the store closes and employees are concerned about the future of their jobs. Many have worked at Kroger for years – even decades. They have asked if they will be allowed to transfer to the new store across the street, but after several months, Kroger still refuses to give them straight answers.
Every employee in the store signed a petition demanding answers and delivered it to their store manager. A week later, they invited Kroger to answer questions and address their concerns at a public town hall. Dozens of store associates showed up, but Kroger refused to send a representative.
Having exhausted all proper channels, on June 12, 2018, hundreds of Kroger associates and their supporters held a rally outside of the Kroger Mid-Atlantic Division corporate office in Roanoke, Virginia.
The protesters delivered five grocery carts of petitions to the Kroger office. The petitions were signed by Kroger associates and customers from throughout the region, as well as fellow union members from other grocery chains, and called on the company to meet with associates and assure them that they will have the opportunity to transfer to the new store across the street without losing the benefits they have earned.