Kroger and Albertsons extend merger timeline, grocery store workers and union hold presser

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -  Almost a year and a half after the plan was first unveiled, the timeline for a proposed merger between Kroger and Albertsons has been extended.

While the companies work to figure out the final details, shoppers like Tim Anderson are worried about what could happen if Albertsons, the parent company of Safeway, and Kroger, the company behind King Soopers are allowed to merge.

"Last thing we need is higher prices for groceries," said Anderson.

Some shoppers see prices going up, saying the move would create less competition in the grocery industry. 

 "It's just too high for my pocket," said Anderson.

However, others think quite the opposite. 

"Hopefully it helps kind of bring the prices down because then they won't be in competition with each other.," said another shopper.

The companies had expected to finalize the merger early this year, but they are still awaiting approval by state and federal regulators.

Last week, Kroger announced that the merger could take until late in the summer.

Friday, union workers with United Food & Commercial Workers International held a press conference to remind the public they are still very much opposed to the mega-merger.

"Honestly, we really hope that they'll just stop wasting money on lawyers and walk away from this transaction," said John Marshal,  CFA, Capital Strategies Director, UFCW 324 (CA) and UFCW 3000 (WA)

One grocery store worker in Colorado said the Albertsons-Safeway merger back in 2015 created other issues, which has caused a lasting impact on the stores.

 "We still have major problems with staffing, safety and security...Instead of spending all this time and money on a bad merger idea, they should be investing more in wages, training, staffing hours, and reduced prices," said Tom Olson, Grocery store worker and UFCW 7 member (CO). 

Kroger released this statement below regarding some of these claims.

“It is unfortunate to see continued misleading information being used to substantiate a false argument against the Kroger and Albertsons merger.

The facts are clear – this merger is inherently pro-union, and we have the track record to prove it. Kroger added more than 100,000 good-paying union jobs since 2012 and invested $1.9 billion to grow associate wages and industry-leading, comprehensive benefits since 2018. Additionally, both Kroger and C&S committed that no stores will close and no frontline associates will be laid off as a result of the merger. 

Opposing the merger only serves to further strengthen larger, non-unionized retailers like Walmart and Amazon, who continue to grow unchecked.”

Kroger spokesperson

    Since the earliest talk of this merger, Kroger has maintained that no stores will close and no frontline workers will be laid off as a result of the pending merger.

It's a claim that has been met with skepticism from union workers.