4,500 Portland-area Fred Meyer workers go on strike, with union claiming unfair labor practices

PORTLAND, Ore. (KGW/KTVZ)— Thousands of Portland-area Fred Meyer employees went on strike Wednesday morning at stores around the metro area, KGW reports.

The strike started Wednesday at 6 a.m. as employees holding up signs gathered outside of stores. The strike will last until Tuesday, Sept. 3 at 8 a.m. unless a deal is reached, according to United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 555. The union represents about 4,500 Fred Meyer employees.

A sign posted at a store in the Hollywood District Wednesday morning said Fred Meyer is hiring temporary workers "as a precautionary measure due to a potential labor dispute with the local UFCW."

Earlier this month, members of the union voted to authorize a strike over alleged unfair labor practices during contract negotiations. 

The union accuses Fred Meyer management of wage discrepancies among stores and departments and unfair labor practices including withholding essential information during negotiations and not processing grievances. 

In a statement Dan Clay, president of UFCW Local 555, said the strike "is crucial to force Fred Meyer to comply with their obligations as an Employer to their Employees. 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 is happening at 28 Portland metro area stores, including Scappoose and Gresham, and encompasses grocery and meat department workers. Among those departments are cashiers and stockers, a significant portion of workers that make the stores run. 

Todd Kammeyer, the president of Fred Meyer, said in a statement Tuesday that its stores will remain open. 

“Fred Meyer and Kroger respects our associates’ right to collectively bargain," Kammeyer said, in part. "The company believes associates should have a voice in choosing what is right for them and their families because the bargaining process ultimately impacts their paychecks. From the beginning, it has always been our goal to put more money in our associates’ pockets."

Kammeyer added, "If the merger is blocked, the only winners will be non-union food retailers, such as Walmart, Costco and Amazon.”

The corporation added that Fred Meyer is one of Oregon’s largest unionized employers, with over 13,000 retail associates.

The strike comes as Fred Meyer's parent company, Kroger, and Albertsons are in federal court in downtown Portland defending their plan to merge against a Federal Trade Commission trying to block it. UFCW Local 555 recently rescinded its endorsement of the planned $24.6 billion merger. It previously had been the only union to support the deal.

The union said negotiations with Fred Meyer are currently ongoing and will continue on Aug. 29 and Aug. 30.