Kroger Subsidiary Must Arbitrate Union Beef, 6th Circuit Rules

A Kroger Co. subsidiary must arbitrate a union’s claim that it represents workers at a warehouse that handles orders from Walgreens pharmacies, a divided federal appeals court in Cincinnati ruled.

The collective bargaining agreement between Kroger Limited Partnership I, which operates Kroger stores in Tennessee, and an affiliate of the United Food and Commercial Workers covers the grievance that the union filed over the warehouse workers, the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit held in a 2-1 decision Friday.

The Kroger-UFCW battle showcases the types of labor disputes emerging in the grocery store industry, as companies move ...