Our Kroger Houston Bargaining Committee represents a wide array of departments, including receiving, produce, bakery, deli, drug, pharmacy, floral, meat and and front-end.
Steve Adalco is a 33-year union member working in the Bakery Department at his home store, Kroger 331. Adalco started as a sacker, transitioned to backdoor receiving, and eventually settling in the deli/bakery department. Adalco has been a shop steward for 6 years, and is currently taking part in the bargaining committee. Adalco decided to be more active with his union after a union strike in 1987.
Wyona Callaway is a 10-year union member working as a Lead Receiver at Kroger 361. Ms. Callaway is a proud mother of two daughters who are also union members. Callaway started as a front-end cashier and transitioned later to her current position. During that time, Callaway stepped up as a union steward, and she’s proudly held that title for 10 strong years!
Eddie Gabelman is a 29-year union member working as a Certified ADH Cutter at Kroger 014. Gabelman has served multiple stores over his career, with over 15 years accrued as a shop steward. His attendance and participation with his Local union has strengthened his solidarity and leadership. Gabelman is one of only a few union members asked to carry out the voice for thousands of Kroger union workers as a bargaining committee member.
Sherman Giles is a 31-year union member working as a Market Manager. Giles started at Kroger as an apprentice and later transitioned to his career as a market manager. His experience and involvement as a shop steward, E-board member, and bargaining committee member has given him the tools to educate and inform his co-workers about the importance of being united.
Linda Newman is a 15-year union member working as a front-end cashier. Newman works diligently, taking care of her co-workers and her store as a shop steward. Newman comes from a union family that gave her and many others the opportunity to have a better quality of life. She is very proud to be with other union members who are willing to make a difference for a better contract.
Joe Recio is a 44-year union member working as a Receiver and Grocery at Kroger 366. Recio started as a receiver at Kroger 173 and worked there for 10 years until he was permanently transferred to 366. There he worked in many positions across the store, such as grocery clerk, meat department, frozen, and dairy. Recio has been a dedicated shop steward for two years and will continue to offer his services to his union family.
Jimmy Williams is a 39-year union member working in the Produce Department at Kroger 302. Williams comes from a union family, and just like his grandfather, he became a dedicated union steward, representing the members at his store. Williams started as a bagger and has taken on many other roles throughout his career with the Kroger Company.
Kristy Blake is a 9-year union member working as the Drug Department Head at Kroger 149. Blake started in the fuel center after opening day at her previous store, Kroger 256, and became an immediate union member. Blake worked as a drug back-up for a year and was quickly promoted to her current drug department head position. Blake’s grown to become a leader and be more active with her union since the previous 2020 union contract.
Connie Coleman is a 17-year union member proudly working in the Drug Department. Coleman has spent her share in recent contract bargaining with her Local Union and she is proud to continue to be part of something that makes a difference. Coleman has been on the bargaining committee for 3 years and a shop steward for 15 years. Coleman started in the Drug Department where she continues to work to this day.
Tony Garcia is a 21-year union member, having worked as a Market Manager for 4 years and as a Journeyman cutter for 16 years, cumulatively working at 7 different Kroger locations throughout his career. Garcia has been a member of the E-Board for 4 years and was recently asked to become a bargaining committee member. Garcia has been a meat shop steward representing the UFCW family since 2005.
Barbara Long is a 36-year union member working as a Pharmacy Technician at Kroger 138. Long started as a deli/bakery clerk, and has also worked as a drug manager and florist for a small period before settling in her current position as a Pharmacy Technician of 23 years. Long was the steward at Kroger 107 before its closing and was later reappointed as a shop steward after transferring to Kroger 138. Long is well-respected among her peers and is always making sure her customers and co-workers are well taken care of.
Rebekah Norman is a 22-year union member working as the Deli Department Head at Kroger 743. Norman has always been a leader. Before she became a shop steward, she was helping her co-workers with information and inquiries and attending union events during the 2020 contract negotiations that led her to becoming a shop steward. Among them all, she stood up and became someone that people could rely on. She was recently invited and appointed to be part of the bargaining committee. Norman is very excited to be part of something bigger and to take that extra step to make her voice heard and that of others as well.
Tyrone Rudder is a 16-year union member working as the Lead Bookkeeper at Kroger 396. As a shop steward, Rudder is very familiar with being a part of a union; Before Kroger, he worked at Andy Frain, where he was introduced to a union and how a contract worked. During his time at Kroger, he’s worked in many departments including drug, receiving, and later, bookkeeping. It’s been a short time since Rudder was appointed a shop steward and he is now a part of something greater, the bargaining committee.
Christy Bradley is a 30-year union member working as the Lead Cake Decorator at Kroger 740. Bradley assists her co-workers as a shop steward and e-board member, and has recently been asked to be a member of the bargaining committee. Bradley started in the deli department and worked her way up to becoming the lead cake decorator. Bradley is happy to serve her customers and her community while also being a leader at her store.
Tony Cooper is a long-tenured 40-year union member working in the Produce Department. Cooper is a determined union member who has been serving his Local for the duration of many Kroger contracts. He has been a bargaining committee member for 4 years and will continue to serve on the committee until his retirement from the company. Cooper is well-prepared, knowledgeable, and action-driven to take on any challenges that both the Local and union members might have to overcome to succeed.
Joe Garland is a 40-year union member working as a Lead Receiver. Joe is very passionate about helping others in his workplace succeed and also working towards a better contract. Garland has participated in many union rallies and petitions and helped with strike vote meetings during the 2020 union contract negotiations. Garland has also assisted the Local as a Special Projects Union Representative. Garland has been on the bargaining committee for quite some time and a shop steward for 20 years.
Fay Myers is a 22-year union member working as a Floral Lead at Kroger 378. Myers started as a sacker and was later transferred to the Floral Department where she was ultimately promoted to floral lead. Myers became an immediate member upon her orientation, and now uses her knowledge to educate members as a shop steward, a position she has held for 6 years.
Michael Parker is a 38-year union member working as a front-end cashier at Kroger 190. Parker comes from a union family; During the time his father was working as a truck driver, Parker started as a sacker at Kroger 173. He worked in many different positions throughout his 30 years at that location. After a couple of store changes, he landed at Kroger 190, where he was promoted to cashier by his union representative at the time, Bill Hopkins. Parker has been serving his union as a shop steward for a total of eight years, and he is now taking that extra step as a bargaining committee member.
Tonja Schaeffer is a 14-year union member working as a front-end cashier at Kroger 748. Schaeffer started as a non-union member during which she had a confrontation with her store manager, resulting in her suspension. Local 455 helped get her job back and she signed up as a union member. During the 2020 union contract, Schaeffer became more involved with her Local union; She participated in videos, petitions, strike votes, and rallies. Shortly after, she was recommended to come out as a Special Projects Union Representative and later invited to join the bargaining committee.
