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UFCW Local 75 ratifies new contract with Kroger Cincinnati-Dayton division

Five-year agreement includes $159 million investment in wages

Russell Redman

May 27, 2021

3 Min Read
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Kroger said the new pact with UFCW 75 covers associates at 104 stores in greater Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio; northern Kentucky; and southeastern Indiana.The Kroger Co.

United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 75 members in Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio; northern Kentucky; and southeastern Indiana have ratified a new labor contract with The Kroger Co.’s Cincinnati-Dayton division.

Kroger said the five-year pact with UFCW Local 75, approved yesterday by the union after a tentative agreement was reached May 7, covers associates working at 104 stores in greater Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio; northern Kentucky; and southeastern Indiana.

“After a year of uncertainty and sacrifice due to the COVID-19 pandemic, UFCW Local 75 is pleased to have a five-year agreement with Kroger that establishes security and stability for our members, increases wages, improves contract language and maintains affordable health care,” UFCW 75 President Kevin Garvey said in a statement. “Our member bargaining committee strived to negotiate a labor agreement that provides a voice for our members on the job. This agreement provides that for 20,000 members in our communities.”

Kroger Cincinnati UFCW 75 contract vote.jpg

UFCW Local 75 members voted in favor of the new contract yesterday after reaching a tentative agreement on May 7.

During the term of the contract, the Cincinnati-Dayton division will invest $159 million in wages, according to Cincinnati-based Kroger. Depending on an employee’s classification and date of hire, pay will rise by $4.78 hourly over the span of the agreement, the company said. Also by the end of the contract cycle, the average hourly wage for an associate in the Cincinnati-Dayton division will be almost $20 per hour, plus comprehensive benefits such as health care and pension, the retailer noted.

Related:Kroger, UFCW reinforce pension benefits for Fred Meyer, QFC workers

“We are pleased to reach an agreement that supports our associates and our company. This new contract provides significant pay increases, affordable health care, and continued investments in our associates’ pension fund,” stated Scott Hays, president of Kroger’s Cincinnati-Dayton division. “This agreement comes after thoughtful and productive work by both the company and union bargaining committees. I want to thank our associates for supporting it and for the excellent service they provide our customers every day.”

The Kroger Cincinnati-Dayton division operates food stores, pharmacies, fuel centers, warehouses and offices in greater Cincinnati, greater Dayton, northern Kentucky and eastern Indiana. UFCW Local 75’s approximately 32,000 members work in supermarkets, drugstores, food processing and packing plants, and health care facilities in Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky.

Kroger previously reported that it has been investing to raise frontline associates’ wages for the past several years, including an incremental $800 million in increases from 2018 to 2020 under the company’s Restock Kroger strategy, $300 million more than the originally planned. The company said the investment lifted the average wage rate to more than $15 per hour and, including HR and retirement benefits, the average hourly rate exceeds $20. Kroger also has invested nearly $1 billion to stabilize associates’ pensions.

Related:UFCW members in West Virginia vote to ratify agreement with Kroger

“Kroger has invested more than $800 million in permanent wage increases in the last three years and is committed to continuing to invest significantly in our associates' pay in 2021,” according to Tim Massa, senior vice president and chief people officer at Kroger. “A key driver for Kroger is talent development, and we are committed to investing in our associates,” he added.

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About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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