Massive #GroceryStore Chain Merger That Irked Courts, Is Off After Being Blocked By Federal Judges, Now The Army Of #Lawyers From One Jilted Party Are Suing The Other Proposed Partners In #Supermarket #Lawfare... One side is alleging a willful breach of contract saying other party was not doing enough to win regulatory approval for the #merger.

In The Works Since Announced In 2022, The Proposed #Merger Would Have Involved #Kroger who also operates as Fred Meyer and #QFC, as well as #Albertsons parent corp of #Safeway. Tens of thousands of #unionworkers would've been affected. Kroger, in a statement in response, said Albertsons is deflecting its own responsibility.

https://www.npr.org/2024/12/11/nx-s1-5225411/albertsons-sues-kroger-grocery-supermarket-merger

https://www.denver7.com/news/national/a-federal-judge-temporarily-halts-the-proposed-supermarket-merger-of-kroger-and-albertsons

https://oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2024/12/11/albertsons-sues-kroger-after-oregon-washington-judges-block-24-6-billion-merger/

Filing: #Kroger paid #CEO $19M in 2022, typical worker almost $29K

by Alexander Coolidge Cincinnati Enquirer
May 12, 2023

"Kroger CEO #RodneyMcMullen got a 5.7% pay raise in 2022 as his compensation package climbed $1 million to $19 million, according to a corporate filing Friday morning with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

"The head of the nation's largest supermarket retailer was paid $18 million in the previous year, according to the Associated Press' methodology for executive compensation that excludes pension value changes.

"The typical worker got an $1,800 pay raise, climbing 7% in 2022 to $28,644. The ratio of McMullen's pay to the median Kroger worker – as required to be reported by the government – was 671 to 1, a decline from the ratio of 679 to 1 in the previous year.

"Kroger earned a $2.2 billion #profit on sales of $148 billion last year. In 2022, Kroger contended with higher costs as inflation soared. Overall inflation eased in 2022, climbing 6.4% - slower than 7.2% a year earlier. But the cost of food purchased at #supermarkets and #supercenters rose at a faster rate: 11.8% - the worst calendar year increase since 1978, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

"Also last year, the grocer proposed acquiring rival #Albertsons in a $25 billion takeover bid that regulators at the Federal Trade Commission are mulling whether to approve or fight.

"In addition to Kroger stores, the Cincinnati-based grocer operates several regional supermarket chains in 35 states, including #FredMeyer, #HarrisTeeter, #Ralphs, #Marianos, #Frys, Smith's, #KingSoopers, #QFC and others. The company has nearly 2,800 stores and employs 430,000 workers."

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/money/2023/05/12/kroger-ceo-paid-19m-in-2022-while-median-worker-earned-28-6k/70211231007/

#CorporatePriceGouging #Inflation #CEOPay #ObsceneProfits #FoodInsecurity #PeopleAndPlanetOverProfits #PriceGouging

@rbreich I'm lucky to live in an area with a selection, although 90% of my shopping is #trader_joes and the rest is sometimes split between #QFC and #Wholefoods out of convenience. What we need more than ever is choice and smaller grocers. These big ol grocers with too much stuff makes it hard to shop. Not to mention the lower quality.

Fuck yeah, workers! #Kroger are greedy buggers.
‘We’re not backing down’: US grocery workers take on Kroger with strike vote
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jun/12/kroger-food-4-less-strike-vote
#fredmeyer #safeway #Food4Less #ralphs #qfc #Dillons

A badly placed cycle rack (i.e. not enough space between it and the wall) blocked by shopping carts overflown out of the cart corral. I let the store manager know that first, those carts must be removed to allow access for bigger cycles, and second, the rack must be moved further away from the wall so mutiple cycles can be locked onto it (as intended). He said he'd at least make sure carts won't block the passage. Let's see.

#BikeTooter #SEABikes #CycleParkingAudit #QFC #Northgate

Proposed #Kroger #Albertsons #megamerger affects future of #FredMeyer, #Safeway, #Vons, #Osco, #Food4Less, #HarrisTeeter #QFC stores too. Together, the two chains operate approx 5 thousand of consolidated #RetailStores under varous #BrandNames across #US and have annual revenue of more than $209 billion.

#AntiTrust issues arise everywhere, with nearly 200 #grocerystores between them in #Oregon alone, many within a mile of each other. State Attorney Generals have sought to block the massive #merger, but everyone knows #BigMoney talks loudest.

To meet #FTC requirements this week the chains announced plan to #divest at least 400 #stores to a single #SoftBank backed holding corp that operates #PigglyWiggly

https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2023/08/kroger-ceo-rodney-mcmullen-makes-case-for-proposed-albertsons-merger.html

Shooter on top of the Cap Hill QFC. Anyone know what's up? #seattle #qfc

this is fantastic

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/fred-meyer-qfc-illegally-barred-blm-pins-at-work-judge-rules/

i was there when they pulled this bullshit and to see that they refused to settle and lost makes it even better

#FredMeyer #QFC #Kroger #BLM #BlackLivesMatter #NLRB #UFCW

“Western Washington #FredMeyer and #QFC stores unlawfully barred employees from wearing #BlackLivesMatter pins and face masks at work in 2020, a National Labor Relations Board judge ruled” #WorkersRights
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/fred-meyer-qfc-illegally-barred-blm-pins-at-work-judge-rules/

“UFCW 3000 says an administrative law judge from the National Labor Relations Board has ruled in favor of a group of #FredMeyer and #QFC workers who were banned from wearing #BlackLivesMatter buttons, and other items like certain masks, to work” #UnionStrong #WorkersRights https://kuow.org/stories/grocery-store-workers-union-wins-case-for-black-lives-matter-buttons

When your office #neighbor is a #QFC grocery store that corporate #Kroger closed in 2021 to spite #seattlecitycouncil passing a pay supplement for essential workers, you’re goddamned right I am absolutely *that neighbor* who calls the out-of-state property manager every hour to see when they are planning to clear the snow off their sidewalks.
Also: this site should be #housing.

after 2020, seattle has been swarming with security guards who think they're mercenaries.

they get paid $18.50 an hour and stores like #QFC hire 3 (sometimes 4) of them full time, so they're spending at least $2,220 a week on them.

there's no way loss and damages are costing almost $9,000 a month, not to mention the cost of the frustrating and inaccessible gates and mazes they're putting up

FDA warns Hepatitis A virus contamination in frozen berries
https://www.emergencyemail.org/newsemergency/anmviewer.asp?a=18329&z=58

#FredMeyer #QFC #Costco #Kroger