Dear UFCW Local 455 Kroger Members,
For 20 years, Kroger workers in Houston received progressionary pay increases every six to nine months. In 2018, the Company’s bargaining objective changed nationwide, and they began to implement a new wage system for their employees. This change resulted in millions of dollars in lost wages and had a significant impact on the lives of our members.
Today, Kroger workers are losing pay in two ways: wage reductions administered by the Company and lost hours. Workers are not only seeing their hourly wages reduced when they fall from their original wage tier, but they are also losing opportunities to work as hours are reduced or eliminated from our stores.
Wage Reductions: Workers Are Earning Less for the Hours They Work
The Company knows that when an employee is reduced from their wage tier, the Company saves money. The chart below describes the amount of lost wages to workers and the resulting savings to the Company each year.
In 2024, 129 employees dropped from their original wage tier, followed by 218 employees in 2025 and 115 and counting in 2026. That means approximately 462 workers have lost wages, totaling an estimated $4,867,746 in savings for the Company over the last 3 years.
*Based off of 38 hours worked per week.
462 Workers Affected ≈ $4.87 Million in Lost Pay
Taken from the pockets of the workers who make Kroger’s profits possible. Workers deserve wage protection, fair progression, and no reductions in earned pay!
Lost Hours: Workers Are Losing Opportunities to Work
Since 2023, Kroger workers have lost a significant number of hours across different departments in stores throughout the Houston area. Meat case closures, produce juicing, maintenance floor scrubbing, Pepsi/Gatorade, apparel, and Murray’s hours have been reduced or cut, representing lost opportunities to work and lost pay that you and your family will not get to see again.
Between 2023 and 2025, approximately 68,243 hours were lost, resulting in approximately $1,770,324 in Company savings. This figure does not include the additional savings from department closures.
Approximately 68,243 Hours Lost ≈ $1.77 Million in Lost Pay
These are hours that could have been worked by Kroger employees and provided income to workers and their families. Instead, those hours have been reduced, eliminated, or moved away from our bargaining unit.
The Bottom Line: Less Pay + Fewer Hours
Workers are being hit from both sides.
WAGE REDUCTIONS
Workers are earning less per hour when they are moved out of their original wage tier. Your bargaining committee and the Local do not believe that the local grocery companies in the area take away money in this fashion from their employees based off of our research and collection of worker experiences.
LOST HOURS
Workers have fewer hours available to work as departments are closed, programs are eliminated, and bargaining unit work is reduced.
Both result in less money in the pockets of Kroger workers and their families.
What Our Members Are Experiencing
“My pay was cut by $2.75/hr. Due to reductions in hours in my department, I could not get enough hours to keep my pay.”
Joyce H. • Store K138
“I worked reduced hours after breaking my leg due to my physician’s instructions. Despite having a doctor’s note, Kroger reduced my hourly compensation by $2.60/hour.”
Mark S. • Store K014
“I lost $3/hr because there weren’t enough hours. It took a whole year to get back to my original pay of $19.50. I lost over $6,000 despite 30+ years as a loyal worker.”
Sohail K. • Store K179
“With a new baby in the house we struggle to pay bills every day. Missing just one day of work meant I could not cover a bill that month. I was only 0.4 hours short of the 38 hour requirement. As a result, Kroger cut my pay from $18.00/hr to $15.75/hr.”
Tanja S. • Store K138
“After losing my husband in 2023, I was approved for short term disability. When I returned to work I fell below the 38 hour requirement needed to keep my pay and I was cut from $18.00/hr to $15.75/hr, after 16 years of service.”
Lauren D. • Store K149
“As a full-time Kroger employee, I believe the 38-hour requirement needed to maintain our pay rate is unfair. After I took time off for medical issues, Kroger still reduced my pay by $3.00/hr.”
Melanie B. • Store K389
We Want to Hear From You
How have changes in your hours and wages affected your life?
Send us a brief note on how lost hours and reduced wages have affected your life.
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