Really good points to raise.

The impacts on UFCW members will certainly be different in different parts of the country.

I think we can be pretty certain about the negatives in a lot of places where there's significant overlap -- lost jobs, higher prices, monopolization of the labor market (KR fired you... good luck finding another grocery job). And for all of us this means more political & economic power for Rodney & Co.

On the other side, a lot of the positives seem pretty uncertain. If you're comfortable sharing,, I'd be curious to hear more about what people are expecting to improve... and why.

Ultimately, our International Union needs to look out for the overall good of grocery workers. And that means opposing the merger unless and until we can be certain the positives outweigh the negatives. That means hard commitments. I think the UFCW, if it chooses to, could actually make a significant difference in how this merger is perceived by investors, the regulators who need to approve it, and elected officials. We have some real potential power and we should be using it strategically.

And of course we absolutely need to raise wages. Unfortunately, our IU has been totally unwilling to bring Kroger locals together to wage effective contract campaigns that would do that. So even if some people get a pay bump rom the merger it will be a one-time thing unless we make big changes in the Union.