In a prepared statement released earlier this week, the Teamsters said the drivers at the Kroger Romulus, Michigan, fulfillment center voted 3-1 to join Teamsters Local 337, which the union described as a "landslide." The Teamsters said the number of workers covered by the outcome of the vote was 289.
The union said the victory is the first for it at a Kroger (NASDAQ: KR) fulfillment center.
Kroger is extensively unionized, according to its 10-K report filed earlier with the Securities and Exchange Commission. "A majority of our employees are covered by collective bargaining agreements negotiated with local unions affiliated with one of several different international unions" the grocer said in its filing, without specifying the unions that represent its workers.
Spokesmen for Kroger and the Teamsters did not respond to FreightWaves queries regarding the vote or whether drivers at the fulfillment centers are covered by unions other than the Teamsters.
"I want to congratulate Kroger workers for their commitment to a better workplace" Todd Lince, president of Local 337 and the Teamsters Warehouse Division representative, said in a news release from the Teamsters. "They have set a powerful example for workers everywhere. We are incredibly proud to ...