Dear Kroger Local 400 Member:
By now I’m sure you are well aware that UFCW Local 400 has been in negotiations with Kroger management for a successor contract. Several major retail food contracts between UFCW Local Unions and Kroger have had to be extended past expiration due to complicated bargaining issues like medical/ hospitalization benefits, pension funding, and wage increases. In fact many Kroger negotiations across the country have continued beyond the contract’s expiration. Unfortunately, we find ourselves in a similar situation in Kroger Richmond/Hampton Roads negotiations.
Our negotiations put us in a difficult position of having to bargain over health care benefits with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Because this legislation plays a significant role in the delivery of your medical hospitalization benefits it is imperative that we move forward on an informed basis as the decisions we make now will remain with us for the life of a new contract.
To allow time to make informed decisions on such important issues, your current contract has been extended for a short period of time and the contract meetings scheduled for August 28, 2014, in Richmond and Norfolk have been postponed.
The decision to extend the current contract and cancel the meetings was a difficult one, however as stated above, the issue of your medical/ hospitalization benefits is complicated and we cannot afford to make uninformed decisions on this issue. For this reason, an extension of our current contract would protect all of your current terms and conditions of employment while we continue to work protect your medical benefits, pension and wages for the life of a new contract.
I appreciate your patience, your understanding, and your commitment to see negotiations conclude successfully and encourage you to contact your Representatives if you have any further questions regarding the status of negotiations.
1-800-638-0800/301-459-3400
Sterling Ball extension #289 James Stancil extension #202
Thank you for your continued patience and solidarity, Sincerely,
Mark P. Federici
President