Update: Aug. 30 4:30 p.m.
Unionized workers at 10 New Seasons stores are also staging a temporary "warning strike" this Sunday, including the Arbor Lodge store on Interstate Ave. The University Park New Seasons store is unaffected.
Workers at the Fred Meyer on North Lombard, a store where many UP students buy their groceries, have joined thousands of other Fred Meyer unionized employees across the Portland-metro area striking over wages and alleged unfair labor practices.
The strike began Wednesday morning and will continue until Sept. 3 at 8 a.m., according to an Aug. 27 press release from the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) Local 555. The union represents grocery and retail workers in Oregon, Idaho and southwest Washington.
“A ULP strike is crucial to force Fred Meyer to comply with their obligations as an employer to their employees,” UFCW Local 555 President Dan Clay said. “Our members are united in demanding fair treatment, which can only be reached if Fred Meyer actually stands behind its public statements and is willing to fulfill all their obligations and legal requirements.”
The strike coincides with a lawsuit from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which is fighting an attempted merger of Fred Meyer’s parent company, Kroger, with Albertsons. The FTC asserts the merger would be anticompetitive and harmful to consumers.
Todd Kammeyer, the president of Fred Meyer, said in an Aug. 27 press release “The company supports our associates’ rights to collectively bargain.”
Some stores, including the Fred Meyer on North Interstate, posted signs seeking to hire temporary clerks.
Workers picketing outside Fred Meyer were seen with hats, a propped-up tent and sunglasses as temperatures are forecasted to reach above 90 degrees this weekend.
Luke Shore, who’s worked in the meat and seafood section at Fred Meyer on North Lombard for more than three years, said he is striking for higher wages and transparency from Kroger, among other reasons.
“My perspective, we're not just fighting for our rights,” Shore said. “We're fighting for workers’ rights in general. If this succeeds, that'll show people that we actually do have power over the company we work for.”
Other grocery stores close to campus, such as Grocery Outlet and Safeway, are unaffected by the strike.
Kimberly Cortez is the Editor-in-Chief of The Beacon. They can be reached at cortez25@up.edu.
Editors Note: A previous version of this story listed New Seasons as a store unaffected by the strike. However, some locations will begin picketing Sunday, Sept. 1. New Seasons workers are represented by a different union.
