UFCW Local 1529 prides itself on making sure that all of its members are taken care of when it comes to their benefits, wages, and insurance. Wages are a big part of why all our hardworking members come to work–so they can provide for themselves and their families.

During the early part of 2015, UFCW Local 1529 filed a class action grievance on 1/26/15 for a violation of wages in the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between The Kroger Company and UFCW Local 1529. The CBA clearly states that any employee that has previous work history with the Kroger Company and is re-hired or any supermarket represented by UFCW with previous comparable experience will be given full work experience credit on the wage scale.

This part of the CBA was not being honored, as some Local 1529 members who had left Kroger at a top rate of pay were being re-hired, but The Kroger Company would start them off at minimum wage. This became a normal practice for the company until quite a few members started to come forward with their wage issues. The outcome was a Re-Hire Class Action Grievance against the Kroger Delta Division which affected all bargaining unit employees. As a result, UFCW Local 1529 and the Kroger Company agreed to put a posting in all stores for one month. Over 100 people responded to the posting to Kroger Human Resources and UFCW Local 1529’s business agents. After the month came to a close, UFCW Local 1529 turned all names over to Kroger Human Resources and as of right now members have been paid back pay amounting to $68,946.54.

The leadership of UFCW Local 1529 knows the importance of every line of language in the contract and how they affect all members. If the union and the Work Experience Credit language was not in place, the Local 1059 members would not have been paid correctly nor would they have received back pay. Just another example of how unions are protecting and serving as the collective voice of workers!