Grocers at odds with workers over Black Lives Matter buttons
EVERETT — Workers at Fred Meyer and QFC should be able to wear Black Lives Matter buttons on the job, the National Labor Relations Board says. Retail giant Kroger, which discouraged some workers from doing so, is reviewing a settlement agreement.
Tom Geiger, a spokesperson for the union that represents the Kroger employees, said members were asked to remove buttons that said “Black Lives Matter,” after the union handed them out in August 2020. The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 21 alleged Kroger failed to bargain over a change in workplace conditions and prohibited workers from taking action together — both violations of federal labor law.
The NLRB found merit in both claims, said Region 19 Director Ronald Hooks. Hooks, who heads the NLRB’s Northwest Regional Office in Seattle, said the Division of Advice found that “both of those acts by the employer constituted violations” of federal labor law.
Memos from the Division of Advice, which offers guidance in difficult cases, are not typically available to the public while the case is open. Hooks said Region 19 received the memo in mid-September and is negotiating a settlement with Kroger.
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