CLARKSBURG, WV (March 30, 2023) – Kroger union members will host events at stores in Clarksburg and Charleston to protest the company’s plans to merge with Albertsons, one of the largest grocery chains in the country.
| What: | #StopTheMerger Protests |
| When: | 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., Tuesday, April 4, 2023 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., Wednesday, April 5, 2023 |
| Where: | April 4 – Kroger #774, 198 Emily Dr, Clarksburg, WV 26301 April 5 – Kroger #778, 500 Delaware Ave, Charleston, WV 25302 |
| Who: | Kroger union members of United Food & Commercial Workers Local 400 Union |
The workers are members of United Food & Commercial Workers Local 400 Union, which is hosting another pair of protests at Albertsons-owned Safeway stores in Virginia and Washington, DC. The union will distribute reusable grocery bags, literature, and other giveaways to educate customers about the negative impacts of the proposed merger.
The events are part of a national week of activities around the country hosted by the #StopTheMerger Coalition, a national network of more than 100 organizations and unions representing over 100,000 Kroger and Albertsons workers in twelve states and the District of Columbia opposing the Kroger/Albertsons merger.
The proposed $24.6 billion deal would combine two of the largest standalone grocery chains in the United States. The coalition has raised alarm about the negative impact of the proposed merger on workers, shoppers, and suppliers such as farmers and ranchers. In mid-March, the coalition launched a new website at www.NoGroceryMerger.com.
The merger is currently under regulatory review by the Federal Trade Commission. In November, the coalition sent a letter to the FTC detailing their concerns and urging the agency to oppose the deal. “These monopolistic machinations will inevitably cause worker layoffs, impose downward pressure on wages and other job standards, raise food prices for hard-hit consumers, increase the prevalence of food deserts in lower-income communities and the number of food-insecure Americans, and squelch competition in this essential industry,” the letter read.
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United Food & Commercial Workers Local 400 Union is led by President Mark Federici and represents 35,000 members working in the grocery, retail, health care, food processing, service and other industries in Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C., West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee. www.ufcw400.org