Protestors demonstrated outside a Ralphs grocery store in Thousand Oaks on Thursday to voice their opposition to the proposed merger of Kroger and Albertsons.
The protest was organized by members of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 770, which represents grocery workers throughout Southern California. The union opposes the $24.6 billion merger of the two chains, proposed in October, which would combine two of the largest grocery companies in America.
"We're out here because we're against this merger," said Erika Bentzen, a grocery clerk, during the rally outside the 1500 N. Moorpark Road store.
Bentzen said the merger of Kroger, which owns Ralphs and Food4Less, and Albertsons, which owns Vons along with its eponymous stores, would cause a grocery monopoly in many small towns, leading to store closures and fewer places for residents to shop. The merger could also lead to price increases when inflation has already impacted the high cost of groceries, union members say.
Thursday's gathering was part of protests organized by the UFCW in a dozen states and Washington, D.C., between April 4-13. The merger would put about 100,000 union jobs at risk, the group says.
