Kroger, Albertsons Face Lawsuit Alleging Collusion During Strike

Kroger Co. and Albertsons Cos., grocery giants trying to cement a $24.6 billion tie-up, are accused in a state-court lawsuit of colluding on employee hiring during a 2022 union strike at a Kroger subsidiary’s stores in Colorado.

The companies are accused of entering into an illegal no-poach agreement that hurt the workers’ leverage and tainted the collective bargaining between Kroger management and the local chapter of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union.

The wage increases ultimately won at the time “were lower than they would have been if the negotiation had taken place in a market that was ...