April 18, 2007: Over 700 members of Local 89 went out on strike at the Kroger Kentucky Distribution Center in Louisville early Wednesday morning. This strike is the latest step in Local 89's fight against third-party contracting at Kroger.
In February, Kroger turned over operations of its Kentucky Distribution Center to two third-party contractors. Transervice Logistics took over trucking operations, while Zenith Logistics took over the warehouse. Local 89 members at both companies have walked out.
Local 89 members walked out after talks broke down with the two companies.
“The mood is really strong out here on the picket line,” reported Mark “Gator” Horsley, a Local 89 member on strike. “We just turned a truck around a few minutes ago, and we hear that no work is getting done inside.”
Earlier this year, Local 89 secured commitments to extend picket lines in the event of a strike. Extending the pickets would give Local 89 Teamsters a big boost in their fight—and make Kroger think twice about outsourcing at their other facilities.
Louisville Teamsters are on the front line against outsourcing—a national issue for Teamsters at distribution centers and warehouses. We need a national strategy to protect our jobs and our contracts.
Read more in the Louisville Courier-Journal.
"Kroger Workers Say They Want What's Fair": Louisville WAVE 3 TV.