Kroger Continues to Break Agreement, Refuses to Bring Newly Unionized Stores Under Contract
We met with Kroger’s management team about integrating the newly-unionized stores into our union contract for the Richmond/Tidewater region in accordance with our agreement. But Kroger is continuing to break its promise and is refusing to bring these stores under the union contract like they have in the past.
In response, UFCW Local 400 has filed a grievance against Kroger for its flagrant violation of our contract and we are now escalating the grievance to arbitration to compel Kroger to uphold its agreement.
Read the following letter from UFCW Local 400 President Mike Wilson to Mid-Atlantic President Kate Mora to demand Kroger stop disrespecting its associates and honor their choice to unionize:
Michael Wilson
President, UFCW Local 400
8400 Corporate Drive, Suite 200
Landover, MD 20785
November 5, 2026
Kate Mora
President, Kroger Mid-Atlantic Division
140 Eastshore Drive, Suite 300
Glen Allen, VA 23059
To Kate Mora:
Kroger associates throughout the Richmond and Tidewater areas have made it clear: they want to be Union members with UFCW Local 400. Despite your continued anti-Union campaign, flagrant violations of our existing agreements, and failure to engage in integration conversations in good faith, associates continue to sign cards and petitions, engage with their coworkers and customers, and demand that you respect their choice and their voice.
Your continued disrespect for your associates, our members, has not deterred us. Since you refuse to engage in good faith integration discussions, we filed a grievance in August to enforce our previous agreement that newly built or acquired stores in the Richmond and Tidewater contract area come under our existing agreement. You refused to even meet with us on our grievance, so we are now taking it to arbitration.
You are treating your associates at store 540 in Virginia Beach with an even greater level of disrespect, refusing to recognize their choice to be part of UFCW Local 400 after they have signed cards indicating their choice multiple times. Again, you refused to meet on our grievance regarding that violation of our existing agreements, so we are headed to arbitration.
While we have no further talks currently scheduled, we remain open to further integration discussions or discussions on settling our grievances. You may be able to use anti-Union delay tactics, but we will not allow you to deny your employees their right to be Union or to avoid your commitments to bring them into the existing Collective Bargaining Agreement.
We demand that you respect your associates’ choice, end the anti-Union campaign, recognize 540 as part of the bargaining unit the same way you have in every other store, and engage in serious, good faith integration discussions to bring all of these stores under the existing Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Sincerely,
Mike Wilson
President, UFCW Local 400