UFCW Union Local 7 Issues Response to Kroger and Albertsons Public Release of Proposed Divestiture Store List
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 9, 2024
CONTACT: Elizabeth Battiste
Public Affairs Director, UFCW Local 7
ebattiste@ufcw7.com | 720-364-1925
“The merger is not a done deal.”
UFCW Union Local 7 Issues Response to Kroger and Albertsons Public Release of Proposed Divestiture Store List
Denver, CO – United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 7 President Kim Cordova today issued the following statement in response to the list of 485 grocery stores – including 91 in Colorado and 5 in Wyoming – Albertsons plans to divest to C&S Wholesalers in its attempt to merge with Kroger, Inc.
“The proposed mega-merger puts our members’ jobs and our communities' wellbeing at risk. If successful, the merger would have devastating impacts across our country, as made evident by the hundreds of stores included on the divestiture list released today. We cannot entrust our grocery stores – which are integral to our communities and our workers – to the untested, inexperienced C&S Wholesale Grocers.
“Kroger and Albertsons have known what stores they plan to divest for months, and the last-ditch release of the list today is an underhanded attempt to influence the courts and create the perception that the mega-merger is close to final, creating more uncertainty for our members.
“The merger is not a done deal. We will continue to do everything we can to stop it.”
A joint statement from UFCW Locals 7, 324, 400, 770, and 3000 was also released:
“Today’s announcement changes nothing. The merger is not a done deal, far from it. We remain focused on stopping the proposed mega-merger for the same reasons we have stated since it was first announced over 20 months ago – because we know it would harm workers, it would harm shoppers, it would harm suppliers and communities, and it is illegal. The merger proposal was rejected in January and February by the Attorneys General from the states of Colorado and Washington and the Federal Trade Commission. We applaud their actions. They have been in possession of this proposed divestiture list, made public today by the companies, for months and that did not change their opposition to the proposed merger. These legal challenges to the proposed merger are moving forward with hearings beginning at the end of July and scheduled to go through September.”
More information on the effort to stop the merger can be found at www.NoGroceryMerger.com.
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The Stop the Merger campaign includes over 100 national, state and local organizations representing diverse interests who share a common goal: to stop the proposed Kroger-Albertsons grocery merger because of its negative impact on our nation’s communities. For more information visit www.NoGroceryMerger.com