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Malaysian Reserve
27-05-2025
- Business
- Malaysian Reserve
TEAMSTERS AT KROGER AUTHORIZE STRIKE
Local 528 Drivers Demand Fair First Contract at Forest Park Fulfilment Center FOREST PARK, Ga., May 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Drivers at Kroger's Forest Park fulfillment center have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike in response to the company's repeated refusal to negotiate a fair agreement. The workers, represented by Teamsters Local 528, are demanding a first Teamsters contract with strong wages, good benefits, and enforceable workplace protections. '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. 'This company can more than afford what we're asking for. We are ready to strike if Kroger doesn't start taking our demands seriously.' Kroger is one of the largest grocery chains in the U.S., operating over 2,700 stores nationwide. In 2024, the company raked in more than $147.1 billion in revenue and reported over $2 billion in profits. Despite these massive earnings, Kroger continues to undercut Teamsters at the Forest Park facility. 'These workers organized with the Teamsters to win better wages, real benefits, and respect on the job,' said Tom Erickson, Director of the Teamsters Warehouse Division. 'If Kroger refuses to deliver, we'll do whatever it takes to hold them accountable. We will never allow any company to shortchange our members.' The 30 CDL drivers voted by a 96 percent margin to join the Teamsters last year. Since then, Kroger has slow-walked negotiations and failed to offer a contract that meets basic standards. Drivers at the Forest Park facility are receiving strong support from local community groups, including the Concerned Black Clergy of Metropolitan Atlanta. 'It is a shameful and unjust practice to disenfranchise the very people who sacrifice daily to help a corporation like Kroger achieve and surpass its profit goals,' said Rev. Shanan E. Jones, President of Concerned Black Clergy of Metropolitan Atlanta. 'The men and women who drive and deliver Kroger's products are the same ones driving Kroger's profits. They deserve dignity, respect, and their fair share.' Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.3 million hardworking people in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Visit for more information. Follow us on X @Teamsters and 'like' us on Facebook at Contact:Colin McCullough, (856) 625-6856cmccullough@
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
TEAMSTERS AT KROGER AUTHORIZE STRIKE
Local 528 Drivers Demand Fair First Contract at Forest Park Fulfilment Center FOREST PARK, Ga., May 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Drivers at Kroger's Forest Park fulfillment center have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike in response to the company's repeated refusal to negotiate a fair agreement. The workers, represented by Teamsters Local 528, are demanding a first Teamsters contract with strong wages, good benefits, and enforceable workplace protections. "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. "This company can more than afford what we're asking for. We are ready to strike if Kroger doesn't start taking our demands seriously." Kroger is one of the largest grocery chains in the U.S., operating over 2,700 stores nationwide. In 2024, the company raked in more than $147.1 billion in revenue and reported over $2 billion in profits. Despite these massive earnings, Kroger continues to undercut Teamsters at the Forest Park facility. "These workers organized with the Teamsters to win better wages, real benefits, and respect on the job," said Tom Erickson, Director of the Teamsters Warehouse Division. "If Kroger refuses to deliver, we'll do whatever it takes to hold them accountable. We will never allow any company to shortchange our members." The 30 CDL drivers voted by a 96 percent margin to join the Teamsters last year. Since then, Kroger has slow-walked negotiations and failed to offer a contract that meets basic standards. Drivers at the Forest Park facility are receiving strong support from local community groups, including the Concerned Black Clergy of Metropolitan Atlanta. "It is a shameful and unjust practice to disenfranchise the very people who sacrifice daily to help a corporation like Kroger achieve and surpass its profit goals," said Rev. Shanan E. Jones, President of Concerned Black Clergy of Metropolitan Atlanta. "The men and women who drive and deliver Kroger's products are the same ones driving Kroger's profits. They deserve dignity, respect, and their fair share." Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.3 million hardworking people in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Visit for more information. Follow us on X @Teamsters and "like" us on Facebook at Contact:Colin McCullough, (856) 625-6856cmccullough@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New England state treasurers call on Stop & Shop to negotiate as feud with Teamsters continues
Three New England state treasurers are calling on Stop & Shop to continue contract negotiations. The treasurers from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut wrote a letter, urging Stop and Shop's parent company to engage in good faith talks. 'Stop & Shop plays a vital role in our states—serving our communities, employing thousands of workers, and contributing to our local economies,' the letter said. 'We value the company's presence in our states, just as we value the well-being of the workers who make your business run every day,' it added. Last week, Teamsters Local 25 held protests outside the distribution center in Freetown. The Quincy-headquartered grocery chain is threatening to subcontract work and close its Freetown distribution center unless Teamsters workers give up their union healthcare plans, according to Teamsters Warehouse Division Director Tom Erickson and President of Teamsters Local 25 Thomas G. Mari. 'Reports that Stop & Shop has proposed eliminating union health coverage and is threatening to shift warehousing operations out of Massachusetts if workers do not accept these terms raise serious concerns about the long-term stability of the company and its relationship with employees, customers, and the communities it serves,' the letter also wrote. 'If Stop & Shop continues down this path, threatening the livelihoods of more than 900 Teamsters, we will take action. We will extend picket lines to every Stop & Shop store in New England and bring the full force of our union to this fight,' Teamsters said in a statement. Stop & Shop says if no contract is ratified Friday, they're closing the distribution center. 'The Teamsters will never let a foreign-owned corporation bully American workers into accepting substandard health care. Our members will not be intimidated. We will not back down.' This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
‘Not going anywhere': Feud between Teamsters, Stop & Shop escalates as workers protest planned cuts
The feud between Teamsters and Stop & Shop escalated Friday morning as union workers gathered outside the grocery chain's Massachusetts-based distribution center to protest planned benefits cuts. 'We're just practicing. So, this is letting the company know what it's going to look like when we do go out on strike on March 29 when our contract ends,' Teamsters Local 25 business agent Jason Lopez said at the rally. 'So, we're out here to let the company know we're not going anywhere, and if they continue to act this way we will bring the padlocks ourselves and lock the doors.' The Quincy-headquartered grocery chain is threatening to subcontract work and close its Freetown distribution center unless Teamsters workers give up their union healthcare plans, according to Teamsters Warehouse Division Director Tom Erickson and President of Teamsters Local 25 Thomas G. Mari. Early-morning picket lines formed in Freetown as workers arrived for their 5 a.m. shifts, but operations at the facility could soon come to a halt if the chain doesn't meet the demands of Teamsters. 'Ahold Delhaize — the Dutch-Belgian parent company of Stop & Shop — raked in nearly $94 billion in sales last year, but its greedy, morally bankrupt executives are demanding sacrifices from the very workers who made that success possible,' Erickson and Mari said in a statement. 'If Stop & Shop continues down this path, threatening the livelihoods of more than 900 Teamsters, we will take action. We will extend picket lines to every Stop & Shop store in New England and bring the full force of our union to this fight. The Teamsters will never let a foreign-owned corporation bully American workers into accepting substandard health care. Our members will not be intimidated. We will not back down.' A spokeswoman for the grocery chain said Stop & Shop is in the midst of a 'multi-year' strategy that includes efforts to lower prices and improve in-store experience for customers, while also reducing overall costs. By transferring work done in the Freetown distribution center to a third party, Stop & Shop would 'achieve millions in savings,' according to the spokeswoman. 'Third-party bids showed we could achieve millions in annual savings by transferring the work done at this distribution center to a third party,' the chain said in an updated statement issued Friday. 'Our own analysis showed that we could maintain operations at Freetown at a lower cost by transitioning to a more competitive health plan, while still offering our associates significant wage increases and maintaining pension benefits. The proposed health plan is the same plan that management and other associates at the facility have. We remain ready and willing to bargain and to consider union proposals that achieve our labor savings target.' Stop & Shop added that it's 'disappointed' that Teamsters Local 25 has not been willing to engage in discussions around proposals that would keep the Freetown facility open. While a strike looms, Stop & Shop noted that doesn't anticipate disruptions in product deliveries to stores. If a new contract that reaches the labor savings needed is not ratified by Friday, Feb. 28, Stop & Shop said it will move forward with an outsourcing agreement and close the facility. Teamsters is asking the public to consider shopping elsewhere while the contract dispute drags on. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
