February 26, 2007: As Convoy goes to press, Louisville Teamsters are getting ready to stand up to third-party outsourcing at Kroger’s Kentucky Distribution Center.

On Thursday, Feb. 15, Kroger turned over its trucking operation at the warehouse to Transervice Logistics. Over 220 Local 89 drivers are now working for Transervice without a Teamster contract.

Kroger is expected to turn over the warehouse operations to Zenith Logistics at 6 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 22. This move will leave another 580 Teamsters without a contract.

Local 89 Teamsters voted unanimously in January to strike when Kroger went third-party. Kroger lined up temps and beefed up security for the first outsourcing on Feb. 15, but Local 89 President Fred Zuckerman did not call a strike.

Strike Possible
Louisville Teamsters are prepared to hold the line against outsourcing. “Kroger won’t stop with us,” says Local 89 member Nathan Perrett. “Ralphs and other Kroger Teamsters—they’re the next target.”

This issue is not just for Kroger members. Outsourcing is a critical issue for Teamster jobs at distribution centers and warehouses. We need a national strategy to protect our jobs and our contracts.