Consolidation in the grocery business has workers uneasy about their jobs. Finding a new job isn’t straightforward either, as store chains compete and dwindle.
Congressman Derek Kilmer is home in Gig Harbor talking with grocery workers about new legislation that would do away with non-compete clauses. Kilmer got involved earlier this year when Haggen stores were slated to close, putting the workers’ jobs at risk.
“And it got worse because it turns out there was contractual language that inhibited the ability of competing stores – Safeway and Albertsons – from hiring those workers.”
That meant even fewer places to look for work. The Federal Trade Commission granted a waiver for this particular case. But Kilmer wants to guarantee it doesn’t happen again.
After a merger between Safeway and Albertsons forced the sale of stores, the smaller Haggen’s quickly gobbled up markets along the West Coast. Haggen has since had to unload failed stores, including locations in Tacoma, Gig Harbor and Port Orchard.
