Fred Meyer Workers End Weeklong Strike in Portland Metro Area

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Fred Meyer workers at 28 stores across Portland Workers ended their week-long strike on Tuesday morning without signing a new labor contract.

The strike involving at least 4,500 employees began Wednesday, September 28 and lasted until 8 a.m. Tuesday to protest what their union, UFCW Local 555, claims is unfair labor practices.

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Negotiations between the union and Fred Meyer continued during the strike, but employees returned to work Wednesday without a deal Tuesday morning.

Union members claims that Fred Meyer refused to provide “information essential to ongoing negotiations,” leading the union to file a formal complaint against the company on August 20. The workers then announced their intention to strike Tuesday September 27.

“Our members are united in demanding fair treatment, which can only be achieved if Fred Meyer keeps its public commitments and is willing to meet all of its legal obligations and requirements,” Dan Clay, president of UFCW Local 555, said last week. “Our members overwhelmingly supported this action and the community supports us.”

The strike coincided with that of Kroger defense of a national merger with its main supermarket competitor, Albertsons, in a federal court in downtown Portland, which is expected to continue for several weeks.

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The FTC and some states, including Oregon, say the Kroger-Albertsons merger would lead to higher consumer prices, while Kroger says it would allow it to better compete with large retailers like Walmart.

KOIN 6 News reached out to Fred Meyer for comment. In response, they sent the following statement from President Todd Kammeyer:

“Fred Meyer and Kroger respect our associates’ right to bargain collectively. The company believes that associates should have a say in what is best for them and their families, because the bargaining process ultimately impacts their pay. From the beginning, our goal has always been to put more money in our associates’ pockets.

“While the company supports our associates’ decision, Fred Meyer will remain open to serve the Portland community with access to fresh food, essentials and pharmacy services.

“Protecting our associates’ right to bargain collectively is why it’s so important to secure the future of unionized grocery stores in America, and that’s exactly what Kroger’s proposed merger with Albertsons will do.

“If the merger is blocked, the only winners will be non-union food retailers like Walmart, Costco and Amazon.”

The union and the grocery chain are expected to return to the negotiating table on September 11 and 12.

Stay with KOIN 6 News as we continue to follow this story.

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