Detroit Kroger drivers join Teamsters

Drivers at the Romulus Kroger Fulfillment Center have voted by a three-to-one margin to join the Teamsters Local 337 in Detroit, the union announced on Wednesday. 

It’s the first time a group of Kroger fulfillment center workers have unionized in the U.S. according to the Teamsters. 

“We are paving the way for fairness, consistency, job security, and better working conditions not only for ourselves but for future employees,” said Alcie Duckett, one of 289 Kroger drivers who joined the union. “More workers will follow our lead at other Kroger fulfillment centers.”

The group said in the press release that it aims to bargain for “higher wages, better health and welfare benefits, a pension, and fair and consistent work rules.”

“I want to congratulate Kroger workers for their commitment to a better workplace,” Todd Lince, president of Local 337 and Teamsters warehouse division representative, said in the press release. “They have set a powerful example for workers everywhere. We are incredibly proud to have organized the first Kroger fulfillment center in the U.S.”

Lince noted that negotiations for the group’s first contract will begin after the election is certified by the National Labor Relations Board.