Labor Laws and Unions

There are many different organizations that are unionized. One of these organizations is Kroger. Before getting into how the union helps the organization and all about unionization, let’s get a little bit more background information on the organization itself. When a person stops to think about Kroger many people think of it as just a grocery store. However what many people do not know is that as of January 28, 2012 Kroger operated under banners including Kroger, City Market, Dillons, Jay C, Food 4 Less, Fred Meyer, Fry's, King Soopers, QFC, Ralphs and Smith's. Kroger has 2,424 stores in 31 different states. Another thing that most people do not know is that in some of their markets they also operate a walk in medical clinic called The Little Clinic. Customers can walk in and get seen my ARNPs and certified physicians assistants. The clinic can treat things such as the flu, bronchitis, ear infections, sinus infections, and some minor injuries. Kroger is bigger and is more than most people realize. Because Kroger is so large and there are so many different things that operate under them there are plenty of things that can go wrong. Kroger has already faced some legal issues stemming from Ralphs grocery stores and Fred Meyers. There were allegations that Ralphs was participating in improper accounting practices and there was also a settlement due to illegal hiring practices. These are just two examples of legal issues that Kroger has already faced, and given the fact that they are operating so many different things there is without a doubt more legal issues to come. These legal problems could be anything from working in an unsafe environment, being denied overtime to sexual harassment. There are plenty of things that prevent workers from these types of problems, and the unions are there to help take care of the employees. In order to reduce the chances for litigation the first thing that employers should remember is that employees file lawsuits out of anger and because they want money and there is one thing that an employer can do to prevent this. That is to treat the employees with respect and make sure that the employees are taken care of. Obviously this is not going to prevent things like sexual harassment and discrimination from happening, and these are common things that an employee would sue for and take to court. In order for these kinds of things to be understood the first place to start is education. It is important to let employees know what their rights are and it is also important for them to understand the rules. Unfortunately nobody can control what a person does and this of course can lead to possible litigation. However, as long as employees know the rules and what they are supposed to do it will make it a lot easier for employees to do what they need to do. Now that the background information has been given, along with possible legal issues that Kroger can face and things that can be done to help minimize litigation, it is time to address unions and how they affect Kroger. Unions are a very touchy subject for many people. After doing a lot of research, it shows that unions can actually be worse for Kroger more than it is good. For instance, unions are there to help employees. If an employee is fired for a reason that they may think is unfair, even if it was not, then the union can fight to keep that employees job. This could potentially cost Kroger more money and even a better employee because now they have to keep this particular employee, even if there is somebody who could be more productive and a better employee out there. However, the one benefit that unions can provide for Kroger is employees that stay dedicated to the store because they fight for the employees and their rights. Unions are more for the employees than they are for Kroger anyways and employees can always guarantee that the unions will be there for them. The first step in starting a union is for