PORTSMOUTH, Va. - Many people attended a rally outside of the Portsmouth Kroger on Frederick Blvd. Wednesday afternoon.
“I’m demanding for better pay," employee Dakayla WIlliams said. "I’m demanding for respect. I’m demanding for them to get back in tune with their moral code.”
According to a press release from United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW), in ten days time, more than 1,000 Kroger employees signed a petition to support an increase in pay - specifically seeking a $15 minimum wage.
“Kroger isn’t the only company making billions of dollars off the backs of working American," Jonathan Williams, the Communications Manager for UFCW. "It doesn’t make sense that someone should have to scrape by week to week trying to get more hours, trying to make a decent life for themselves.”
The release claims the reason behind the push for a higher minimum wage comes from workers saying they can't afford to survive on the company's current pay. The release continues to say workers feel Kroger could easily afford to pay them higher wages because of the $2.4 billion dollars in profits the company made last year.
News 3 reached out to Kroger for reaction, they sent us the below statement.
"While the union has a right to share its point of view, it is unfortunate that the UFCW Local 400 wrote in their press release that they were seeking a “confrontation” with Kroger today.
Just a few weeks ago Kroger signed a UFCW Local 400-approved contract covering associates in nearby Roanoke in which both parties agreed on wage rates.
Wages are only one part of the total compensation package that we offer associates. We are proud of the competitive wages we pay associates as well as the good quality, affordable health care and retirement benefits."
Union activists say they were not seeking a confrontation with Kroger management.
Following the rally, Kroger workers and UFCW Local 400 presented store management with a petition of over 1,000 signatures requesting the pay raise.
