Every week at All Saints Church we put our faith into action. On October 14^th, grocery giants Kroger and Albertsons announced their plan to merge and form a megacorporation. The deal, which is expected to close in 2024, would combine two of the largest supermarket chains in the country and create one of its largest private employers.

The two companies have a combined 710,000 workers, nearly 5,000 stores and more than $200 billion in sales. Together they will constitute one of the largest retailers in the country. In California they control the Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Pavilions, Ralphs and Food4Less grocery chains and outside California they control chains such as Smith’s, Fred Meyer, Kings, Haggen, Tom Thumb, Harris Teeter, Dillons, Star Market, Jewel-Osco, Shaw’s, and more.¹

The costs to consumers would be catastrophic. The profits for shareholders would be enormous. We need to make sure the Federal Trade Commission blocks this anticompetitive and disastrous deal!

Grocery corporations are already taking advantage of inflation to artificially inflate food prices — prices have gone up 11% in the past year alone.¹ The Kroger-Albertsons deal would leave Americans even more vulnerable to corporate price gouging. We’d likely see “higher prices, employee layoffs and weaker supply chains”, Senator Elizabeth Warren explained.²

Kroger and Albertsons are trying to use a weird trick to deceive consumers about what’s actually happening. They’re promising they’ll “spin off” some of the grocery stores into a separate entity that will supposedly compete with Kroger-Albertsons grocery stores.²

We saw this move back in 2014 when Albertsons acquired Safeway. Unsurprisingly, the least profitable stores were “spun off”; many failed; and giant food deserts resulted, forcing people to travel long distances for groceries or even rely on food banks for food.³ The FTC can’t fall for this head-fake. We are sending a letter to the FTC urging a thorough investigation into this proposed merger!

Sources:

1. New York Times, “Kroger and Albertsons Plan $25 Billion Supermarket Merger That May Face Hurdles,” October 14, 2022.
2. Big by Matt Stoller, “The Smash and Grab of Kroger-Albertsons,” October 18, 2022.
3. Colorado Trust, “Why Safeways Keep Closing in Colorado,” July 2, 2019.

Options to Take Action:

1. Sign on to the letters at the Action Table outside the church on Sunday morning.
2. Download a copy of the Action Letter that you can sign and mail.
3. Click on this link to the Demand Progress action.

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Click here for the California 2022 Ballot Propositions Recommendations Comparison Chart
The election is November 8. Mail In Ballots have gone out to all registered voters. If you have not received a ballot and believe you should have, then contact your county’s registrar of voters. If you live in Los Angeles County call (800) 815-2666 or email votebymail@rrcc.lacounty.gov. For comprehensive information about election-related events, propositions and measures, click here.

All Saints Church endorses Proposition 1, Measure H and Measure PCC.
Yes on 1, Yes on H, Yes on PCC.

The last day to register to vote on line is October 24, however, you can register to vote in person at a Voting Center through Election Day. And don’t forget, on Sunday, November 6th we will March to the Ballot Box! Save the date and cast your ballot at City Hall in Community with Team All Saints GOTV (Get Out the Vote)!

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If you ever need to look up your member of the U.S. House of Representatives or your U.S. Senators check here: www.house.gov and www.senate.gov.

To find contact information for your California State Senator or California State Assemblymember check here: www.senate.ca.gov and www.assembly.ca.gov.