On strike! Thousands of Portland grocery workers

Portland, Oregon

Thousands of grocery workers in Portland, Oakland, at 28 Fred Meyer stores walked out at 6 a.m. on Aug. 28, beginning a week-long strike. Workers are demanding better wages and pension plans in addition to good faith bargaining. On the third day of the strike, workers told this reporter that Fred Meyer’s sales have plummeted 69%.

Luke Shore (center) said “It’s extremely important to not cross the picket line. Workers need to be paid fairly in order to survive in the current economy.” WW photo: Lyn Neeley

Kroger bought Fred Meyer in 1998 and also owns Albertsons and Safeway in Oregon. Kroger is the largest supermarket chain in the U.S. and the country’s fifth-largest retailer.

Inside the Fred Meyer stores, the meat, bakery and deli departments have closed. Stores are opening two hours later than usual. Outside, the parking lots are nearly empty, and strikers are getting lots of supportive honks from passing cars. They are telling potential customers to “take a U-turn and shop elsewhere.”

A group of strikers at the Lombard location said, “We are asking people to not shop or get gas at Fred Meyer stores during the strike except to pick up prescriptions.” One striker added, “We are in a pharmacy desert, and they are encouraging people to pick up their medications.”

Fred Meyer is one of Oregon’s largest unionized employers with 13,000 workers. The United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 555 said Fred Meyer has breached labor relations law and refused to provide essential information during the negotiations. The union created a website asking customers to shop in other grocery stores during the strike. Union leaders say the strike will last until Sept. 3 unless a deal is reached before then.