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Drivers at Kroger’s Forest Park, Ga., fulfillment center have voted to authorize a strike if the company does not agree to contract terms with the Teamsters union.
Last year the drivers voted to join Teamsters Local 528, but the two sides have not been able to agree on terms of an initial contract, the union said.
“Kroger needs to stop dragging its feet and deliver a real offer that respects the work we do,” said Marion Jackson, a Kroger driver and Local 528 shop steward.
The union said it is asking for “strong wages, good benefits, and enforceable workplace protections.”
A spokesperson for Kroger could not be reached for comment.
Georgia is the second Kroger facility to join Teamsters
Last year the 30 drivers at the fulfillment center voted by a 96% margin to join the Teamsters, making it the second Kroger warehouse to gain Teamsters representation. In May of last year, 296 Kroger drivers at a fulfillment center in Romulus, Mich., voted to join the Teamsters local there.
The latest vote comes as the Teamsters have been gaining traction in grocery warehouses in the past year, including new representation at multiple UNFI facilities in recent months.
In addition, Albertsons drivers who are members of Teamsters Local 745 in Dallas also recently voted to authorize a strike after the union said the company’s contract proposals could pave the way for self-driving trucks.
Other strike authorization votes scheduled
The threat of a strike at the Kroger facility in Georgia comes as several United Food and Commercial Workers locals are also planning strike authorization votes in the coming months that could impact Kroger, Albertsons, and other retailers.
More than 70,000 workers at stores in Washington, California, and Colorado are considering a strike as their contract negotiations drag on, according to a statement from UFCW Local 3000 in Des Moines, Wash., which has scheduled voting on a potential work stoppage for June 3-5. The union said Kroger and Albertsons have agreed to strengthen workers’ pension plans and make other concessions, but workers are still seeking wage and health benefit improvements, increased staffing levels, and the elimination of outsourcing for certain produce work.
Workers in Southern and Central California are seeking some similar promises from the retailers in their contract negotiations, where strike votes are also planned for early June.