Grocery Workers On Strike

A loyal Fred Meyers employee who wished to remain anonymous talked about the tough reality of big corporations being driven by money concerns, at the expense of their employees. 

On Aug. 28, about 4,500 Fred Meyers employees filed an unfair labor complaint against Freddie’s and walked out… beginning a weeklong strike for all those employees. This strike affected 28 stores across Portland. Several employees said in interviews across the news media that they did not feel respected or valued for their work, and felt they were not being fairly compensated.

The person I personally interviewed pointed out that employees who have worked at Fred Meyers for 20 years or more “have worked incredibly hard for the wage they have.” Now, newly hired workers are being offered the same wage despite not having similar experience or showing years of commitment.
The weeklong strike also came in light of the proposed Fred Meyer (parent company Kroger)  merger with Albertsons. The employee with whom I spoke said the merger had been paused (in part) due to the Unfair Labor Practices (ULP) strikes across Portland and, the employee union is standing in the way of this merger until all parties agree to a compromise. (A ruling on the proposed merger by a federal judge in Portland who heard testimony in September will weigh heavily on the matter.)

The same Fred Meyer employee shared with me that her own store is undergoing lots of remodeling, but one thing is really bothering her. Multiple cabinets where items are held for customers age 21 and over are broken and have been for the longest time, she said. The store managers “have thousands and thousands of dollars for this remodel but not enough money to fix these cabinets that are a safety hazard?” she said.

This employee has worked for the company for over 20 years, only to feel she isn’t being fairly compensated, including in retirement funding. To be given her own retirement money as a “bonus for her years served with the company” doesn’t sit right, she said. “It isn’t fair our own money is being given back to us” as if it were a real benefit, she said.  

During the strike, most meat, bakery and deli departments were closed, and stores were opening two hours later than usual. I noticed that strikers outside the stores were encouraging possible customers not to shop at Fred Meyers during the protests. People on foot or in cars that stopped were encouraged to support the strike by refraining from going inside.

In the short run, this strike action ended without a new labor contract, but the protest showed strength and how committed these workers are to change at Fred Meyer.

The arguments on both sides are vastly different, as to what changes need to be made and what should not happen. On one side, people say there are unfair labor practices; the other side says that the workers are fairly compensated, that employees have been treated with respect.

In the long run, will change be willingly agreed upon, or will it be forced? Significant changes will likely happen whether both parties agree, or not.

Did this protest change the hearts and minds of those who sit higher up? We’ll have to wait and find out.

Lindsay Leeman