Local 400 Members, Community Allies Welcome New Kroger

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)When Kroger opened its first “Kroger Marketplace” store in the Mid- Atlantic Region recently, Local 400 stewards and staff were on hand at the grand opening in Chesterfield County, Va to welcome the store’s first customers. Joined by King Salim Khalfani, executive director of the Virginia State Conference NAACP, and Phil Wilay of the Defenders for Freedom, Justice, and Equality, they handed out flyers letting customers know that this is “the store that labor built” and that it will provide more than 300 good-paying jobs for workers in the Richmond area. Michael Holcomb, a member activist who works at Kroger #511, volunteered his time to thank customers for shopping union and for supporting his brothers and sisters. He also took the time to walk around the store with Khalfani and Wilay to to talk to employees, reminding them about the importance of their union and the positive impact that the existence of union-represented workers can have on a community. They were able to do this thanks to Local 400’s landmark victory in an arbitration which resulted in Kroger agreeing to give union members and representatives the right to enter any part of any new store and to talk with employees about joining Local 400, free from management interference. “We are as committed to making this Kroger Marketplace a success as management is,” said Local 400 Secretary-Treasurer LaVoris “Mikki” Harris. “We want more stores like this. By thanking people for patronizing their store, we’re making sure the company understands we are partners in its growth.” The new store—Kroger #514—was built on the site of the long abandoned Cloverleaf Mall outside Richmond. - report from UFCW Local 400