Employees at Fred Meyer and QFC Could Go on Strike This Week

A Fred Meyer cashier strike at Christmas? It’s on the table.

Workers at Fred Meyer and QFC stores will go on strike next week against their grocery store employers if key issues aren’t resolved in bargaining sessions by then.

United Food & Commercial Workers Local 555 says the strike, which was authorized on Saturday, is an unfair labor practices strike, stemming from the union’s allegations that Fred Meyer is not paying its employees enough to keep up with increasing cost of living.

“These employers refuse to acknowledge that their workers’ wages are not keeping up with the cost of living, leaving them and their families at risk while providing food for our community,” said union secretary treasurer Sandy Humphrey.

Both stores are subsidiaries of Kroger, a Cincinnati-based company.

“A strike authorization doesn’t mean a strike. Our current offer shows our commitment to the whole person, providing wage increases, high-quality, affordable health care, and a pension benefit for retirement,” Fred Meyer said in a statement to WW. “The most productive thing the union can do is to work with the company in a manner that positively addresses these items. Our focus remains on our associates and getting an agreement at the bargaining table.”

Bargaining will continue between Fred Meyer and the union this week. The two sides have been trying to reach a contract agreement since July.

“Fred Meyer and QFC have repeatedly violated their legal duties to negotiate in good faith with Local 555, with the most blatant example being Fred Meyer’s refusal to provide information necessary for the union to negotiate a new agreement and to process grievances,” said union president Dan Clay. “The way these employers have violated the National Labor Relations Act has left grocery workers no choice but to take action.”