Food 4 Less Workers Unite: Hundreds Rally in Demand of Equity, Fair Pay and Safe Stores for Essential Grocery Staff

BALDWIN PARK — During the first week of March, hundreds of essential Food 4 Less and Foods Co. grocery store workers and their supporters from Southern and Central California rallied at a Baldwin Park Food 4 Less to launch their contract campaign, advocating for equity, fair pay, and safe stores ahead of their June 8 contract expiration.

Emerging from a four-year battle against the COVID pandemic, these workers from seven different United Food and Commercial Workers or UFCW Locals in California are gearing up for a united contract negotiation with Kroger, the parent company for Food 4 Less/Foods Co. Workers are demanding fair wages, improved benefits, equity and increased safety standards for both employees and customers.

The rally was held on the same day that Kroger released their most recent earnings for 2023, where it was revealed that revenue was up 6.44% year over year, and Kroger’s stock had higher earnings per share in the last fiscal year than they did in any other year over the last decade. Kroger also reported an average hourly wage for workers of just under $19, compared with the over $19 million it paid Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen in 2022. 

Kroger-owned Food 4 Less stores, frequently situated in lower-income communities of color, maintain prices that are often comparable to higher-end Ralphs stores. Yet, the disparity in wages, especially for the predominantly Black and Latino workers at Food 4 Less and Foods Co., highlights a reality where these essential workers are cost-burdened, facing housing insecurity, and struggling to provide food for their families despite playing crucial roles in providing food access to their communities.

“This contract campaign is about equity and fairness. We’ve been undervalued and understaffed for way too long,” said Stayce Martin, a cashier at a Los Angeles Food 4 Less with 30 years of service. “We’re not only providing for our communities, but we’re building wealth for Kroger with our labor. It’s time that we get a fair contract that recognizes us as the essential workers that we are.”