January 19, 2006

MAJOR SUPERMARKET CHAIN JOINS CAMPAIGN FOR HEALTH CARE REFORM

(Washington, DC) – The health care system is in crisis and now, a major supermarket chain has joined the movement to help create a solution.  Kroger, the nation’s largest grocer, announced plans today to mobilize its employees and customers to participate in community meetings and online surveys sponsored by the Citizens’ Health Care Working Group.  Joe Hansen, International President of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) is one of the fourteen members of the Working Group and has been reaching out to employers such as Kroger to enlist their involvement in this national dialogue.  Kroger is the first to respond.

“We are thrilled to have Kroger’s involvement in this effort,” said Hansen.  “We have sat at the bargaining table together for years trying to plug holes in the levees of a failing health care system.  Now, we are working together toward a solution that will help all Americans.”

“Affordable, high-quality health care for all Americans is one of the most significant challenges facing our nation,” said David B. Dillon, Kroger chairman and chief executive officer.  “Thanks to the work of the Citizens’ Health Care Working Group, all of us have an opportunity to make our voices heard.”

The Citizens’ Health Care Working Group will be holding community meetings in a number of major cities – including Denver, Seattle, Los Angeles, Detroit, Phoenix and Chicago – over the next five months and conducting online surveys.  For a complete list of cities and to share feedback with the Group, please visit: www.ufcw4healthcare.org

More than 200,000 of the UFCW’s 1.4 million members are hourly Kroger employees