Fred Meyer, QFC Parent Company Kroger Reach Settlement With Grocery Workers

Oregon grocery workers at Kroger banners, Fred Meyer and QFC stores reached a settlement and have halted a strike protesting hazard pay cuts implemented at those stores nearly 18 months ago.

As a result of the tentative agreement, UFCW Local 555 called off the strike for Fred Meyer and QFC, which was scheduled to run through Christmas Eve.

UFCW Local 555 said in a statement that they “are pleased that Fred Meyer and QFC have recognized the ongoing hazard to its workers, with a settlement agreement that provides significant wage increases, added workplace protections, a secure retirement and quality healthcare.”

Details of the tentative agreement are not public yet, but UFCW Local 555 said in a statement that “this settlement offer, if ratified by the membership, will be the best contract in UFCW 555 history.”

Votes will take place in the next two weeks and on Dec. 19, UFCW 555 said in a statement that it “will hold contract ratification votes for Fred Meyer and QFC in the Portland Metro area, Bend, Newberg and Klamath Falls this week, with exact dates and times to be determined. These votes will be for grocery, meat, CCK and non-food contracts. Other area contracts will be voting the following week.”

Fred Meyer and QFC stores are back open and in a Dec. 18 statement said they are thankful for their associates. “We are so grateful to our Fred Meyer and QFC associates for everything they do for our customers and our community. That’s why we’ve invested in their wages, healthcare, and retirement,” said Dennis Gibson, president of Fred Meyer in a statement. “We will continue to do everything we can to balance investments in wages and overall well-being while keeping food affordable for our customers. We remain committed to our people and our Oregon community.”

Kroger communications in a Dec. 17 statement suggest the banners—at least on a corporate level—were not supportive of the strike and called it “reckless." 

The Kroger Co. announced that beginning Jan. 1, it will eliminate some benefits for unvaccinated workers as the grocery chain tries to get more of its workforce vaccinated.