Kroger’s Indianapolis Employees Ratify New Contract

The Kroger Co.’s Central division employees in Indiana ratified a new labor agreement with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) Local 700.

The agreement is part of the Cincinnati-based grocer’s Restock Kroger program in which the Kroger Family of Companies is investing an incremental $500 million in associate wages, training and development across the company.

“Kroger is a place where you can come for a career with promise. A key driver of Restock Kroger is talent development, and we are committed to investing in our associates in many ways, including wages and our industry-leading Feed Your Future education assistance program,” said Tim Massa, Kroger's SVP and chief people officer. “Indianapolis is one of several markets across America where Kroger is increasing wages, and we will continue to invest in additional divisions.”

The agreement with the Central division team covers nearly 9,500 associates under the Indianapolis collective bargaining agreement with UFCW Local 700 and raises wages to $10 an hour for most clerks with regular wage increases every six months.

“We are pleased to reach an agreement that benefits our associates,” said Pam Matthews, president of Kroger’s Central division. “This new contract provides significant wage increases, maintains affordable Kroger-sponsored health care and continues investments in our associates’ pension fund for their retirement. I appreciate our associates for supporting this agreement and for the uplifting service they provide every day to our customers.”

Introduced in 2017, Restock Kroger is the grocer’s plan to “redefine the food and grocery customer experience in America,” fueled by capital investments, cost savings and free cash flow. 

Cincinnati-based Kroger operates nearly 2,800 retail food stores under various banner names, employing nearly half a million associates. The retailer landed the No. 2 spot of Progressive Grocer's 2019 Super 50 list of top grocers.