Njengomntu owayesakuba yi-cashier yevenkile yokutya, iindaba zamva nje ukuba i-Federal Trade Commission (FTC) imangalela ukuvala ukudibanisa phakathi kwezigebenga zevenkile enkulu i-Kroger kunye ne-Albertsons ibangele ukuba kubekho isiqabu. Amava am okufumana imali kunye nokufaka ibhegi andifundise indlela ekubaluleke ngayo ukuyeka ukugxila ngakumbi kwishishini xa iinkampani ezintlanu sele zilawula. 60Ipesenti yeentengiso zegrosari zase-US.
Kucetywe kuqala kwi 2022, i-$24.6 Isivumelwano sebhiliyoni iya kuba yeyona nto idityanisiweyo yevenkile enkulu kwimbali kwaye iya kudala eyona nkampani inkulu yegrosari eUnited States (emva kweWalmart). I umxhamli omkhulu yesivumelwano kusenokwenzeka ukuba Cerberus Capital Management, inkampani yabucala equity elawula Albertsons. Abaninizabelo sele befumene a $4 ingeniso yebhiliyoni ezinxulumene nesindululo kunyaka ophelileyo.
Umoya wezabelo zabucala uza kuza ngeendleko zabathengi abasele behlawula 25I-% ngaphezulu yeegrosari kuneminyaka emine eyadlulayo. Abahlalutyi bathi ukuba ukudityaniswa kwegrosari kufakโ isandla ekunyukeni kwamaxabiso kuba iivenkile zinokunyusa iindleko xa abathengi bengenayo enye indawo yokuthenga.
Kodwa ityala le-FTC alikho malunga neendleko zegrosari kuphela. Ulawulo lweBiden lusebenzisa inkqubo entsha yomthetho ngokugxila kwindlela isivumelwano esiya kubachaphazela ngayo abasebenzi. Isikhalazo sikarhulumente siphawula ukuba ukudibanisa kuya kukhokelela"ukuthoba imivuzo kunye nezibonelelo ezincitshisiweyoโ kunye nokwenzakalisa abasebenzi abangamalungu emanyano abaxhamlayo xa kukho ukhuphiswano ngomsebenzi wabo. Uphando lwezemfundo luyayixhasa ingxoxo. UMarshall Steinbaum, uNjingalwazi oNcedisayo wezoQoqosho kwiYunivesithi yase-Utah, wabhala kunyaka ophelileyo ukuba ukudityaniswa kwe-Kroger-Albertsons"kusenokwenzeka ukuba andise amandla agxininisiweyo abaqeshi kwitheyibhile yeengxoxo.โ
Isicwangciso se-FTC siza emva kwengxoxo ethe le arhente yaba nayo nabaququzeleli abaphuma kwiManyano yaMazwe ngaMazwe ngabasebenzi bokutya noRhwebo (UFCW). UJoe Mizrahi nguNobhala-noNondyebo we-UFCW 3000, indawo yasekhaya ekwakhona iziko lentshukumo yohlaziyo. Wachaza ukuba Ngale maxesha โ"iingxoxo ezininziโ apho abaququzeleli"yacacisa inkqubo yothethathethwanoโ kumagosa karhulumente. Kwenye iseshini eWashington DC, amagosa eFTC abuza imibuzo eneenkcukacha malunga nokuba imanyano ixoxisana njani nabaqeshi.โ"Kwavakala ngathi luvavanyo oluphambeneyo, โutshilo uMizrahi. Xa abaququzeleli bathi ukudibanisa kungakhokelela ekuncitshisweni kwemisebenzi, amagosa abuza,"Kutheni le nto umntu engakwazi ukuwela nje isitalato aze afumane umsebenzi omtsha?โ Abaququzeleli bachaza ukuba ilahleko yezibonelelo inokulandela.โ"Banako kodwa banomhlalaphantsi, kwaye abazukufumana loo nto kwivenkile engaqhelekanga.โ UMizrahi wathi, ngokwembono yakhe, le ngxoxo yayijoliswe ukunceda amagosa"yakha eyona meko inamandlaโ yokuthintela ukudityaniswa.
UTom Olson, umsebenzi we-Safeway kunye ne-UFCW Local 7 Igosa elingaphandle kweDenver lichaze ukubuya nokuphuma okufanayo phakathi komanyano kunye nolawulo lweBiden. U-Olson wadibana noSihlalo weFTC uLina Khan eDenver 2023."UKhan wamamela kwaye wabuza imibuzo elungileyo, โutshilo uOlson.โ"Ndaziva ndisiva.โ Kwaye kwiiholo zedolophu kulo nyaka uphelileyo, u-Olson wabongoza iGqwetha lika-Colorado uPhil Weiser ukuba achase isivumelwano se-Kroger-Albertsons.โ"Uyayazi indlela okuya kubachaphazela ngayo abasebenzi.โ (Weiser kutshanje umemezele isimangalo sokumisa umanyano olucaphula ukucuthwa kwemisebenzi kunye namaxabiso aphezulu.)
Kodwa ngelixa abasebenzi kunye nabaququzeleli bezabasebenzi bechasile isivumelwano, ifumene inkxaso kubadlali benkampani kunye nabaphathi bezoshishino. C&S Iigrosari zeWholeyili uyathenga 400 bangaliboni ukusuka e-Kroger nase-Albertsons kwilinge lokunceda ukukholisa urhulumente ukuba avume ukudityaniswa. UOlson wadibana noC&S uMongameli uMark McGowan kulo nyaka kwintlanganiso yomanyano lwabahlali be-UFCW eSeattle.โ"Andizange ndifumane mvakalelo eshushu malunga nendlela aziva ngayo ngokuthatha unxibelelwano lomanyano,โ utshilo u-Olson. Xa ebuzwa malunga nokudibanisa iivenkile, u-Olson uthi uMcGowan uphendule ngelithi,"Besiya kulwa nawe kwinyathelo ngalinye.โ
U-Olson unamava akhe okuva iimpembelelo ezingalunganga zokudityaniswa kweenkampani. Kwi 2015, uAlbertsons wathenga iSafeway apho wayesebenze njengomphathi wemveliso. I iinkampani ezivaliweyo nto leyo eyanyanzela abanye abasebenzi, kuquka no-Olson, ukuba bafudukele kwiivenkile ezintsha.โ"Bangena nje bathi,'Uxolo, kuza kufuneka uhambe.โโ Kumsebenzi omtsha ka-Olson, wayefumana imali encinane yaye wayengakufanelekeli ukufumana ibhonasi awayeyifumene ngaphambili ekubeni wayengasenguye umphathi.
Olunye udibaniso lusongela ngokufanayo - okanye okubi ngakumbi.โ"Ukuba ekuphela kwenketho kukuya kumqeshi othile ofuna ukuphelisa iimanyano, abantu abaninzi baza kuphulukana nenkathalelo yezempilo kunye nomhlalaphantsi wabo,โ utshilo.
Isivumelwano se-Albertsons-Safeway yayingamava abuhlungu kuMonique Hightower, ilungu le-UFCW Local. 770 eLos Angeles. UHightower waphulukana nomsebenzi wakhe eAlbertsons xa ezi nkampani zimbini zadityaniswa. UHightower kwafuneka abuyele kunina aze acoce izindlu ukuze aphile.โ"Ndiyazi ngokwam ukuba kunjani ukuphulukana nomsebenzi wakho, uphulukana nezibonelelo zakho,โ utshilo Ngale maxesha."Ndikwaphulukene [nezibonelelo] zonyango.โ IHightower yaphinda yaqeshwa njengonobhala wedeli malunga nonyaka kamva. Kodwa amava amfundise ukuba ukudityaniswa kunokwenzeka ukuba kube yimpumelelo"ixesha elinzima kubasebenzi abafana nam.โ
Ukuva amabali obomi obuphazamisekileyo kunye nokulwela ukusinda kwandikhumbuza iingxoxo kwivenkile yam (engadibanisiyo) eyaqinisekisa ukuba ingozi yoxinaniso lwenkampani ihamba ngaphaya kokunyuka kwexabiso. Xa amaxabiso ezinto ezisisiseko enyuke 2021, uTerri oligqala eligcina imali wandixelela ukuba wayenexhala lokubeka ukutya etafileni. Xa ndambuza ukuba ucinga ukuba yintoni ebangela izipikili, wakhomba kwiitshekhi zokuvuselela ezithunyelwe ngexesha le-Covid-19 ingxaki.โ"Bendiyidinga la mali,โ utshilo.โ"Kodwa ngoku siyihlawula ngamaxabiso aphezulu.โ
Uloyiko lukaTerri lokunyuka kwamaxabiso lwaluthetheleleka ngokupheleleyo ngenxa yeengxelo ezibonisa oko ukungakhuseleki kokutya phakathi kwabasebenzi begrosari kudala yingxaki yesizwe ngelixa kulo lonke ilizwe ukungakhuseleki kokutya kunjalo Kuvuka ngokubalulekileyo. Nangona iingcali zezoqoqosho zinenkqubela zikhomba ukwenza inzuzo yenkampani njengomthombo wokunyuka kwamaxabiso, iimbono zikaTerri zibonise iingxoxo eziphambili kwiindawo ezisuka face kwi ENew York Times.
Iincoko zam emsebenzini zibonisa ukuba ukuyekisa ukugxila kwishishini lokutya kubalulekile ekukhuseleni abasebenzi abamanyeneyo abafana noTom noMonique kunye nabasebenzi abangenaso isivumelwano sokusebenzisana. Kungenxa yokuba ukudityaniswa kweenkampani kunika abaqeshi amandla angakumbi ngelixa kwandisa amathuba okucuthwa kwemisebenzi kunye nelahleko yenzuzo - ukutyebisa abaninizabelo ngeendleko zabasebenzi. Iinzame ze-UFCW zokumisa isivumelwano se-Kroger-Albertsons limi ukunceda bonke abasebenzi begrosari ngoku ngelixa bebonelela ngemodeli yamadabi exesha elizayo.
Kodwa okungakumbi kusesichengeni. Abaqhubekisi phambili kufuneka benze umsebenzi ongcono wokucacisa ukuba imithetho evumelana namaqumrhu ibangela njani na amaxabiso aphezulu kunye nokudodobala kwemivuzo kwasekuqaleni kunye nendlela amashishini abalulekileyo anokwenziwa ngayo ukuze akhonze uluntu, hayi nje abaninizabelo kunye nabaphathi. Lo msebenzi ubaluleke kakhulu kuba ukukhusela umdla weshishini kuxhaphakile kuluhlu lweengcali zezopolitiko. Kwi 2022, umzekelo, uCatherine Rampell wabhala a Washington Post ikholamu egxeka"anti-corporate populist ekhohloโ ukwenzela"iyelenqeโ lokuba iinkampani zazibekekโ ityala ngokunyuka kwamaxabiso.
Ityala le-FTC liyanceda ukwenza kucace ukuba amandla oshishino anjalo hayi ithiyori iyelenqe. Kwaye ukuzilwela kufuna intsebenziswano enzulu phakathi kwabasebenzi, amagosa anyuliweyo kunye nabaqulunqi bomgaqo-nkqubo. Abasebenzi bazi ngcono kunaye nabani na indlela yokudibanisa amava ngamnye kwiindlela ezinkulu zentlalo nezopolitiko. Into efunwa ngabasebenzi begrosari abafana noTerri ayikokufundisa okanye ukuhlanganisana kodwa yimanyano yabo ebazisa kwingxoxo malunga nemvelaphi yeengxaki zabo kunye neendlela ezikhoyo zokuphucula ubomi babo.
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