Consumers could see empty shelves if separate Kroger driver and store\u2011staff disputes erupt into simultaneous strikes across the Midwest and South.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kroger is staring down a coordinated labor storm that could shutter delivery hubs and supermarket aisles in a matter of days. Drivers at the company\u2019s Forest\u202fPark, Georgia, fulfillment center have already voted 96\u202fpercent to strike, and 8,000 grocery clerks in Indiana have granted their union similar authority. The twin threats, coming at the height of summer grocery demand, put fresh pressure on America\u2019s largest traditional grocer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 30 commercial drivers, newly affiliated with Teamsters\u202fLocal\u202f528, say Kroger \u201cslow\u2011walked\u201d talks for months. Their wish list is simple: stronger wages, affordable health coverage, and rules that prevent last\u2011minute route changes. \u201cThis company can more than afford it,\u201d driver\u2011steward Marion\u202fJackson warned. Want to know what tips the scale?<\/em> The drivers earn about $4 an hour less than comparable regional haulers. Here you have a Top teamsters demands:<\/p>\n\n\n\n On June\u202f7, United Food and Commercial Workers Local\u202f700 rejected Kroger\u2019s four\u2011year offer by a resounding 74\u202fpercent. Cashiers, meat cutters, and pharmacy techs say wages lag Indiana\u2019s cost\u2011of\u2011living index, and proposed health deductibles would jump 18\u202fpercent. \u201cWe serve neighbors every day,\u201d one deli associate said, \u201cbut we can\u2019t afford the groceries we scan.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
What Kroger grocery clerks want in new Indiana UFCW 700 contract<\/h2>\n\n\n\n