Labor Steals Show at Kroger-Albertsons Trial as Union Strikes

Labor relations took center stage at the US Federal Trade Commission’s case to block Kroger Co.’s acquisition of Albertsons Cos. Wednesday as Kroger’s lead labor negotiator took the stand hours after the local union in Oregon went on strike, shuttering 28 stores in the Portland area until after the Labor Day holiday.

The strike is only the company’s third in the past 12 years, said Jon McPherson, Kroger’s vice president of labor relations. McPherson said that the local union is seeking an “astronomical” increase in wages and the same terms and conditions at stores in the Seattle region, ...