ATLANTA, April 18, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR) Atlanta Division associates working at Kroger stores in the Atlanta metro and surrounding area have ratified new labor agreements with UFCW Local 1996.
"We are pleased to reach agreements that are good for our associates. These agreements provide wage increases, affordable health care and a stable pension fund to support our associates' retirement," said Bruce Lucia, president of Kroger's Atlanta Division. "These agreements come after thoughtful and productive work by both the company and union bargaining committees. I want to thank our associates for supporting these agreements and for the excellent service they provide to our customers every day."
The contracts cover 23,598 associates working in 163 stores in the Atlanta area and 12 in Savannah.
Kroger, one of the world's largest retailers, employs more than 375,000 associates who serve customers in 2,640 supermarkets and multi-department stores in 34 states and the District of Columbia under two dozen local banner names including Kroger, City Market, Dillons, Food 4 Less, Fred Meyer, Fry's, Harris Teeter, Jay C, King Soopers, QFC, Ralphs and Smith's. The company also operates 786 convenience stores, 320 fine jewelry stores, 1,240 supermarket fuel centers and 38 food processing plants in the U.S. Recognized by Forbes as the most generous company in America, Kroger supports hunger relief, breast cancer awareness, the military and their families, and more than 30,000 schools and grassroots organizations. Kroger contributes food and funds equal to 200 million meals a year through more than 80 Feeding America food bank partners. A leader in supplier diversity, Kroger is a proud member of the Billion Dollar Roundtable and the U.S. Hispanic Chamber's Million Dollar Club.
Anonymous wrote:I want to thank our associates for supporting these agreements and for the excellent service they provide to our customers every day.
Welp, folks, seems like we'll have to scale back out work duties to send a message here. The customers can slowly screw themselves in the name of Kroger.
My God man, will you stop typing in caps? Did you break your caps lock key? Right now you sound like a retard with a serious speech and cognitive issue.
It seems that my fellow employees at my store are still in high school. I have been complaining rather loudly about our laughable new contract saying I was going to quit the Union (which I am) and that I am taking my paycheck and buying groceries elsewhere.
Well. My manager took me aside yesterday and while he did not explicitly threaten to fire me, he did say that he has no real interest in paying me to shop at another grocery store.
He went on to say that maybe it is because I sometimes shop at other chains that my wife just lost her spousal insurance. To that I say, "WTF?"
Kroger profits went up 148% from 2011 to 2012. The stock went up nearly 50% in 2013. I doubt that Kroger would notice if we all went shopping elsewhere.
In 2012, the CEO of Kroger made $8 million not counting whatever he made under the table. If we laughingly assume that he put in 40 hours a week for that year, he made almost $4,000 an hour. Executive VP's made only $2 million --- don't you just feel so sorry for them???
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I have been working for Kroger over 30 damn years and and I CAN'T AFFORD TO SHOP IN MY OWN STORE.
Well. I guess I could if I chose to not pay my utility bills, or buy gas to come to work. I guess I will have to think about that.
I really wish I had gotten out of Kroger 30 years ago. I am in my 50's now and I'm stuck. Where could I get a job now and afford to live and provide for my family even as much as I do now?
If you quit the union no one will defend you when that manager sets you up to get pushed out the door. That's how the union's protection racket works.
I recently bought groceries at Walmart. I thought twice about it but did it anyway. I felt justified because they had stuff I used to buy at Krogers but we don't have any more. That same problem had already pushed me to shop Publix a couple times a month.
Sure I'm cheap. I have to be. I'm very price conscious but I'm not giving up stuff I need just to please Krogers. They can fill our stores with whatever crazy thing they want to push that will just gather dust or end up marked down by the case load. I'm still going to buy what I buy.
A few years ago management needed to cut hours, so they fired all of the cashiers that weren't in the Union.
My shop steward said that the Union would have had to defend them if they had known to ask and then they might have kept their jobs. But then management would have cut their hours to the point that they couldn't afford to work here. So I guess it would have worked out the same.
On a side note - - -
We had one d#$%wad of a manager once who did his best to drive out all the old timers. Kept after them to work faster, do more! Got two of them injured and out on disability. He was the worst manager I have ever experienced. Dumb as a brick but thought he was the best that our company had ever seen. Told me many times that no one else at the store did a good job but him and that he didn't need any of us. He could run the place all by himself. I wanted so much to win the Lottery then and pay off all of my fellow employees just to see him try. Eventually he did something so dumb that it got the higher up's attention. They fired him but didn't have enough evidence to prosecute.
BTW management can set you up any time they like. Remember, our company has everyone living in a climate of fear. No one at your store is your friend anymore. Think high school. That's the mentality you have around you. I am experiencing that first hand.
I was complaining rather loudly about the effing contract last week. Went so far as to say I was getting out of the Union and taking my paycheck to buy my groceries elsewhere. I saw an old friend shopping just about that time and I told him about it too. His brother also works for our beloved employer. I told him to tell his brother to get out while he's young. Etc etc etc. Apparently someone heard and blabbed to my manager who was not well pleased.
He took me aside Saturday and while he didn't exactly threaten to fire me he did tell me that he had no interest in giving a paycheck to someone who would spend it at a competitor. He said that he understood my anger but that I needed to let it go. He told me that the company was prepared for a strike and that hotel rooms had been booked and flights arranged for co-managers across the country to come in and replace us until the strike was broken. He also said that it would probably end like the one in California did where everyone came back for less money. I guess he didn't know that the Union had sold us out. Used the threat of a lock-out like gun to our head telling us to sign or lose everything.
Now that I have calmed down a bit I went online and looked at the company profits for the last year or so. If every employee took their meager pay and shopped elsewhere Kroger wouldn't even notice. So there is no revenge that way either. We're screwed plain and simple.
I imagine that the next contract will have all of us old timers working 40 hours a week and collecting food stamps like Walmart employees.
It seems that my fellow employees at my store are still in high school. I have been complaining rather loudly about our laughable new contract saying I was going to quit the Union (which I am) and that I am taking my paycheck and buying groceries elsewhere.
Well. My manager took me aside yesterday and while he did not explicitly threaten to fire me, he did say that he has no real interest in paying me to shop at another grocery store.
He went on to say that maybe it is because I sometimes shop at other chains that my wife just lost her spousal insurance. To that I say, "WTF?"
Kroger profits went up 148% from 2011 to 2012. The stock went up nearly 50% in 2013. I doubt that Kroger would notice if we all went shopping elsewhere.
In 2012, the CEO of Kroger made $8 million not counting whatever he made under the table. If we laughingly assume that he put in 40 hours a week for that year, he made almost $4,000 an hour. Executive VP's made only $2 million --- don't you just feel so sorry for them???
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have been working for Kroger over 30 damn years and and I CAN'T AFFORD TO SHOP IN MY OWN STORE.
Well. I guess I could if I chose to not pay my utility bills, or buy gas to come to work. I guess I will have to think about that.
I really wish I had gotten out of Kroger 30 years ago. I am in my 50's now and I'm stuck. Where could I get a job now and afford to live and provide for my family even as much as I do now?
So is this manager going to follow you to every store you shop at that isnt kroger to see how you spend your check. I think this manager has drank TOO MUCH of the kool aid and needs to come back down to earth!
