Hundreds of UFCW Local 400 members who work at Kroger stores in the Roanoke, Va., area recently ratified a new contract that raises wages and protects benefits. Ballots were tallied via a Zoom video conference to allow members to witness the count.
The two-year agreement provides competitive pay raises above minimum wage and reduces steps on the pay scales. The agreement also protects existing health care and retirement benefits.
“We are proud of the achievements we made in this contract,” said Kristy Lee Vance, a 22-year Kroger employee from Fries, Va., and member of the union Bargaining Advisory Committee, which helped to lead negotiations. “Many of my coworkers will be seeing significant pay increases over the life of the contract, putting us in an even better bargaining position in two years when this agreement is up for renewal.”
The contract also reflects significant increases to the minimum wage championed by UFCW Local 400 in Virginia. “This contract is another example of how our union uses every tool at our disposal to put money in our members’ pockets,” said UFCW Local 400 President Mark Federici. “For many years, we have led efforts to increase the minimum wage in Virginia, and this year we finally achieved it. Now, these statutory wage increases are reflected not only in the pay scales for our members in Virginia, but our members in West Virginia and Tennessee will also benefit under this contract.”