Union Workers to Address Ahold Meeting

AMSTERDAM — Three Martin’s and Giant Food employees from Virginia are expected to speak about efforts to organize workers at Ahold’s annual meeting here Tuesday.

The workers said they would denounce what they called Giant-Carlisle’s “actively campaigning to prevent workers from exercising the same fundamental rights that many of their U.S. and Dutch counterparts enjoy.”

About 65% of Ahold’s U.S. workforce is represented by local unions of the United Food and Commercial Workers, but the Giant-Carlisle division, including Martin’s stores, is not organized.

“It does not make sense and seems unfair that we all work for the same company but some employees do not have the same rights as other employees,” said Stafford, Va., resident Michele Hepner, a UFCW Local 400 union member who has worked at one of Ahold’s unionized stores for the past 37 years. “Ahold must treat all its workers fairly, and that is the message I intend to share with the shareholders at the meeting.”

The union sent three members to the meeting last year with a similar message.