After Ralphs employees protested the gradual elimination of the grocery store “award payment” chain to work through the coronavirus outbreak, Kroger’s parent company said on Friday that it would give a new one-time bonus for all foodstuffs, supply chains, manufactures, pharmaceuticals, and calls every hour. central worker.
Employees and union supporters gathered outside Ralphs stores in Vermont and 3rd Street on Friday morning to protest against the company’s decision to end a $ 2-hourly salary increase on Saturday. Protesters say risky working conditions that win them extra pay have not changed much.
Shortly after the protests, Kroger, who owns Ralphs and several other grocery chain chains, announced a new “thank you” bonus of $ 400 for full-time employees and $ 200 for part-time employees.
“The new Thank You Pay Bookends, Appreciation Pay was first given to frontline colleagues for their efforts at the start of the pandemic in March. This also follows several Heroes Bonuses paid in April to mid-May, with employees receiving their final payments on May 23, “Ralphs spokesman John Votava said in a statement.
John Grant, president of UFCW Local 770, representing more than 20,000 wholesale workers in Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo, said that the bonus was not enough, and that the company change was certainly an effort to “get out of the room with more graceful.”
“The one time bonus does not reflect the critical and dangerous grocery store employees involved. They do not appear ‘one time,’ they appear day after day,” he said.
About 25 people gathered to protest Friday, including Grant, he said. He said it was part of a wider protest by unions in California as well as other Western countries including Oregon and Colorado.
There were small demonstrations outside Ralphs and Kroger’s Food 4 Less stores in Canoga Park, Ventura and West Hollywood, Grant said.
Kroger did not respond to questions about his decision regarding bonus payments.
