Indiana Kroger Workers Win Better Contract after Voting ‘No’ Twice
We had a member-driven rally where we delegated tasks. I was so proud to be a union member, something I hadn't felt in a long time. Photo courtesy Andrea Reynolds.
With 8,000 workers, the Indianapolis Kroger contract is the largest in Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 700. After keeping members in the dark about negotiations, our local union leadership dropped a concessionary contract in our laps. Wage increases didn’t keep up with inflation, and there was no contract language to address understaffing. It was obvious this contract was sending us backwards.
My co-workers and I were angry, but we weren’t sure what to do. I joined a Zoom meeting hosted through the reform group Essential Workers for Democracy. I was shocked to see how many members felt the same way about our contract and our union.
We started to hold regular meetings. We compared pay, health insurance, and staffing language with other contracts. We had phone-banking campaigns and petitions. We also started a Facebook page where members could get updates.
The first proposal was voted down by 74 percent. I started talking to everyone in my store and any sister stores I could. Those personal conversations really matter. In July we voted down a second proposal.
We had a member-driven rally. We delegated tasks like contacting local media, writing speeches, and holding up signs. I was so proud to be a union member, something I hadn't felt in a long time.
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Shortly after, Local 700’s leaders held their first-ever “town hall.” We’d been asking them to hold an open meeting for weeks. They still didn’t allow members to ask their own questions.
We received our third contract proposal in August. From the first to the third offer, we won more in wage increases, spousal coverage one year earlier, and staffing language for the first time.
We still felt this wasn’t enough. The third proposal passed by just 56 percent. It wasn't the contract everyone deserved. But it was significantly better than the first contract.
Most importantly, we have now started to transform our union from the bottom up!
Andrea Reynolds has worked at Kroger in Kokomo for 20 years. She is a member of UFCW Local 700 and a leader of local rank-and-file reform group O.U.R. (Organized, United, Ready) Local 700.
