Supermarket chains Kroger and Albertsons, already under scrutiny for their proposed $24.6 billion merger, are now facing a new class-action lawsuit that alleges the companies conspired against unionized workers during a 2022 strike. The suit, which was filed in Colorado, accuses the companies of entering a “no-poach” agreement which illegally undermined workers’ bargaining power.

The lead plaintiff, Valarie Morgan, is a member of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 who led King Soopers contract negotiations from 2021 to 2022. She and the other grocery workers who claim they are similarly affected are represented by the progressive legal nonprofit, Towards Justice. Morgan claims the companies colluded to prevent Albertsons, which owns Safeway stores in Colorado, from hiring workers striking against King Soopers, which is a Kroger subsidiary.

“I want to stand up for all the workers who were harmed by this corporate abuse,” Morgan said in a statement. “These companies rigged the system against us, undermining our right to fight for better pay and fair treatment through our unions.”

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In 2022, more than 8,000 King Soopers employees walked off the job as they demanded higher wages and improved working conditions. The strike ended with a new contract, but the new lawsuit contends the alleged no-poach agreement limited employees’ leverage and cost workers potential gains during bargaining. According to The........

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