PORTLAND, Ore. — Fred Meyer and QFC employees picketed outside stores around Oregon on Friday over wages and benefits they say are not competitive.
"What we have here is an unfair labor practice strike," said Miles Eshaia of UFCW Local 555, the union representing local grocery store workers. KGW spoke to him at the Hollywood Fred Meyer store in Northeast Portland.
"We have members at this corner, at that corner, and at every entrance we can find," he said.
The strike started when Fred Meyer and QFC workers throughout the region walked off the job at 6 a.m. Friday.
The strike impacts more than 7,000 union members who have been working through the pandemic, Eshaia said.
"We'd strongly urge the community not to cross our picket line," he added. "You can shop at Safeways, Albertsons, those are union— the whole state of Oregon— but do not cross the line."
The strike comes amid ongoing contract negotiations with Fred Meyer and QFC parent company Kroger.
In a statement, Fred Meyer and QFC called the decision to strike reckless and said they are proposing a $36 million investment in additional wages and $30 million in annual contributions for health care benefits.
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"My heart breaks for our associates right now because this disruption by the union is coming at the worst time of the year," Fred Meyer and QFC spokesperson Tiffany Sanders said. "Our associates and their families need their paychecks. This is a time that is hard on everyone. I can only imagine the anxiety and stress it's causing."
The strike is scheduled to end at 12:01 a.m. on Christmas Eve. It could end sooner if a deal is struck but as of late Friday afternoon, there were no new bargaining sessions on the calendar.
KGW reporter Mike Benner passed by the picketers to get a look inside the Hollywood Fred Meyer and reported it was business as usual. Checkout lanes were open and staffers were stocking shelves. There were also plenty of customers.
"[I'm] getting up to date and supporting unions when they're trying to work for fair wages and fair practices," one shopper named David Shapiro said.
Shapiro educated himself about the strike but only after doing shopping inside the store. He's now pledging to avoid Fred Meyer stores.
"They should probably give them a higher wage," he said. "That's what I think."