Njengomuntu oke waphatha imali esitolo segrosa, izindaba zakamuva ukuthi i-Federal Trade Commission (FTC) imangalela ukuvimbela ukuhlanganiswa phakathi kwezikhondlakhondla zesuphamakethe u-Kroger no-Albertsons kubangele ukukhululeka. Ulwazi lwami lokuthola imali nokufaka izikhwama esikhwameni lungifundise ukuthi kubaluleke kangakanani ukuyeka ukugxilisa ingqondo embonini lapho izinkampani ezinhlanu kuphela sezivele zilawula. 60I-% yokuthengiswa kwegrosa yase-US.
Okokuqala kwahlongozwa ngo 2022, i-$24.6 ibhiliyoni lizoba ukuhlanganiswa kwesitolo esikhulu kunazo zonke emlandweni futhi kuzodala inkampani yesibili ngobukhulu e-United States (ngemuva kwe-Walmart). I umzuzi omkhulu yesivumelwano kungenzeka kube yiCerberus Capital Management, inkampani ezimele elawula i-Albertsons. Abaninimasheya sebevele bathole a $4 izigidigidi zezabelo ezihlobene nesiphakamiso ngonyaka odlule.
Izimali ezizimele zizofika ngezindleko zabathengi asebevele bekhokha 25% ngaphezulu kwegrosa kuneminyaka emine edlule. Abahlaziyi bayasho ukuthi ukuhlanganiswa kwegrosa kunomthelela ekwehleni kwamanani entengo ngoba izitolo zinganyusa izindleko lapho abathengi bengenandawo yokuthenga.
Kodwa icala le-FTC alikona nje izindleko zegrosa. Abaphathi beBiden basebenzisa uhlelo olusha lomthetho ngokugxila ekutheni isivumelwano sizobathinta kanjani abasebenzi. Isikhalo sikahulumeni siphawula ukuthi ukuhlanganiswa kuzoholela"ukunciphisa amaholo kanye nezinzuzo ezincishisiweโ kanye nokulimaza abasebenzi abasezinyunyaneni abahlomulayo uma kunokuncintisana ngomsebenzi wabo. Ucwaningo lwezemfundo luyayisekela impikiswano. UMarshall Steinbaum, uMsizi kaProfesa Wezomnotho eNyuvesi yase-Utah, wabhala ngonyaka odlule ukuthi ukuhlanganiswa kwe-Kroger-Albertsons"kungenzeka kwenyuse amandla agxilile abaqashi etafuleni lezingxoxo.โ
Isu le-FTC liza ngemuva kwengxoxo le nhlangano nabahleli be-United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW). UJoe Mizrahi unguNobhala-Mgcinimafa we-UFCW 3000, owasendaweni naye okade ekhona isikhungo senhlangano yezinguquko. Wachaza ku Kulezi zikhathi A"izingxoxo eziningiโ lapho abahleli be-"wachaza inqubo yezingxoxoโ ezikhulwini zikahulumeni. Kwesinye iseshini eWashington DC, izikhulu ze-FTC zabuza imibuzo enemininingwane mayelana nokuthi inyunyana ixoxisana kanjani nabaqashi. ."Kuzwakala njengokuhlolwa okuphambene,โ kusho uMizrahi. Lapho abahleli bethi lokhu kuhlanganiswa kungaholela ekuncishweni kwemisebenzi, izikhulu zabuza,"Kungani umuntu engakwazi ukuwela umgwaqo athole umsebenzi omusha?โ Abahleli bachaza ukuthi ukulahlekelwa imihlomulo kungase kulandele. ."Bangakwazi kodwa babe nempesheni, futhi ngeke bayithole esitolo esingezona izigqila.โ UMizrahi uthe, ngokombono wakhe, le ngxoxo ihloselwe ukusiza izikhulu"yakha icala eliqine kakhuluโ lokuvimba ukuhlanganisa.
U-Tom Olson, isisebenzi se-Safeway kanye ne-UFCW Local 7 isiphathimandla esingaphandle kweDenver sichaze ukubuyelana okufanayo phakathi kwenyunyana nabaphathi beBiden. U-Olson wahlangana noSihlalo we-FTC uLina Khan eDenver e-Denver 2023."UKhan walalela futhi wabuza imibuzo emihle,โ kusho u-Olson. ."Ngazizwa ngizwile.โ Futhi emahholo edolobha ngonyaka odlule, u-Olson wanxusa Ummeli Omkhulu waseColorado uPhil Weiser ukuthi aphikise isivumelwano sikaKroger-Albertsons. ."Uyazi ukuthi kuzobathinta kanjani abasebenzi.โ (Weiser muva nje kumemezela icala lokumisa ukuhlanganiswa okuveze ukuncishiswa kwemisebenzi nezintengo eziphakeme.)
Kodwa nakuba abasebenzi nabagqugquzeli bezabasebenzi bephikisana nalesi sivumelwano, sithole ukwesekwa kwabalingisi bezinkampani kanye nabaphathi bamabhizinisi. C&S Othengisa Isitolo Esitolo Esitolo uyathenga 400 izitolo kusuka e-Kroger nase-Albertsons emzamweni wokusiza ukukholisa uhulumeni ukuthi avume ukuhlanganiswa. U-Olson wahlangana no-C&S President Mark McGowan kulo nyaka emhlanganweni womfelandawonye UFCW wendawo Seattle. ."Angizange ngibe nomuzwa ofudumele ngendlela azizwa ngayo ngokuthintana nezinyunyana,โ kusho u-Olson. Lapho ebuzwa ngokuhlangana kwezitolo, u-Olson uthi uMcGowan uphendule ngokuthi,"Besingakulwela ngazo zonke izindlela.โ
U-Olson unokuhlangenwe nakho kwakhe ezwa imithelela engemihle yokuhlanganiswa kwezinkampani. Ku 2015, u-Albertsons wathenga iSafeway lapho ayesebenze khona njengomphathi wemikhiqizo. I izinkampani ezivaliwe okuphoqe abanye abasebenzi, okuhlanganisa no-Olson, ukuthi bathuthele ezitolo ezintsha. ."Bangena nje bathi,'Uxolo kuzomele uhambe.โโ Emsebenzini omusha ka-Olson, wayehola imali encane futhi wayengakufanelekeli ukuthola ibhonasi ayeyitholile ngaphambili njengoba wayengaseyena umphathi.
Okunye ukuhlanganiswa kusongela ngokufanayo - noma okubi nakakhulu. ."Uma okuwukuphela kwendlela yokuya kumqashi othile ofuna ukuqeda izinyunyana, kusho ukuthi abantu abaningi bazolahlekelwa yimpilo yabo kanye nempesheni,โ usho kanje.
Isivumelwano se-Albertsons-Safeway saba yinto ebuhlungu kuMonique Hightower, ilungu le-UFCW Local. 770 eLos Angeles. UHightower walahlekelwa umsebenzi e-Albertsons lapho lezi zinkampani ezimbili zihlangana. UHightower kwadingeka aphindele kunina futhi ahlanze izindlu ukuze aphile. ."Ngiyazi mathupha ukuthi kunjani ukulahlekelwa umsebenzi, ulahlekelwe yizinzuzo zakho,โ kusho yena Kulezi zikhathi."Ngalahlekelwa [nezinzuzo] zami zokwelashwa.โ IHightower yaqashwa kabusha njengomabhalane wedeli esikhathini esingangonyaka kamuva. Kodwa isipiliyoni samfundisa ukuthi ukuhlanganiswa kungenzeka kube"isikhathi esinzima kubasebenzi njengami.โ
Ukuzwa izindaba zezimpilo eziphazamisekile kanye nokulwela ukusinda kwangikhumbuza izingxoxo esitolo sami (esingahlangene) esaqinisekisa ukuthi ubungozi bokugxila kwezinkampani bungaphezu kokwenyuka kwamanani. Lapho izintengo zezimpahla eziyisisekelo zikhuphuka 2021, uTerri osenesikhathi eside esebenza ngemali wangitshela ukuthi wayekhathazekile ngokugcina ukudla etafuleni. Lapho ngimbuza ukuthi ucabanga ukuthi yini edala ama-spikes, wakhomba amasheke okuvuselela athunyelwa ngesikhathi se-Covid-19 inhlekelele. ."Bengiyidinga leyo mali,โ kusho yena. ."Kodwa manje sesiyikhokhela ngamanani aphezulu.โ
Ukwesaba kukaTerri ukwenyuka kwamanani kwakufaneleka ngokuphelele uma kubhekwa imibiko ebonisa lokho ukungavikeleki kokudla phakathi kwabasebenzi begrosa Sekuyisikhathi eside kuyinkinga kazwelonke kuyilapho ezweni lonke ukuntuleka kokudla kuyinto ukuphakama ngokuphawulekayo. Yize osomnotho abathuthukayo benakho wabonisa ekwenzeni inzuzo kwenkampani njengomthombo wokwenyuka kwentengo, imibono kaTerri ibonise izingxoxo ezivamile ezitolo ezivela I-Vox kuya New York Times.
Izingxoxo zami emsebenzini zibonisa ukuthi ukumisa ukugxila kwezinkampani ebhizinisini lokudla kubalulekile ekuvikeleni izisebenzi ezihlangene njengoTom noMonique kanye nabasebenzi abangenaso isivumelwano sokuxoxisana ngokuhlanganyela. Lokho kungenxa yokuthi ukuhlanganiswa kwezinkampani kunikeza abaqashi amandla engeziwe kuyilapho kukhulisa amathuba okuncishiswa kwemisebenzi nokulahlekelwa kwezinzuzo - okucebisa abaninimasheya ngezindleko zabasebenzi. Umzamo we-UFCW wokumisa isivumelwano se-Kroger-Albertsons umi ukusiza bonke abasebenzi begrosa okwamanje ngenkathi inikeza imodeli yezimpi ezizayo.
Kodwa okungaphezu kwalokho kusengozini. I-Progressives kumele yenze umsebenzi ongcono wokuchaza ukuthi imithetho evuna izinkampani idala kanjani amanani aphezulu kanye nokuntengantenga kwamaholo kwasekuqaleni nokuthi izimboni ezibalulekile zingenziwa kanjani ukusiza umphakathi, hhayi nje abaninimasheya nezikhulu. Umsebenzi ubaluleke kakhulu ngoba ukuvikela izintshisekelo zebhizinisi kuvamile kuzo zonke izinhlaka zezepolitiki. Ku 2022, isibonelo, uCatherine Rampell wabhala a Washington Post ikholamu esola i"anti-corporate populist leftโ for the"i-conspiracy theoryโ yokuthi izinkampani yizo ezazinecala ngokukhuphuka kwamanani.
Icala le-FTC lisiza ukwenza kucace ukuthi amandla enkampani anjalo hhayi ithiyori yozungu. Futhi ukulwa kudinga ukubambisana okujulile phakathi kwabasebenzi, izikhulu ezikhethiwe kanye nabakhi benqubomgomo. Abasebenzi bazi kangcono kunanoma ubani ukuthi bangaxhuma kanjani ulwazi lomuntu siqu kumikhuba emikhulu yezenhlalo nezombusazwe. Okudingwa ngabasebenzi begrosa abafana noTerri akukhona ukufundisa noma ukuhlanganyela kodwa inyunyana yabo siqu ebaletha engxoxweni mayelana nomsuka wezinkinga zabo kanye nezindlela ezikhona zokuthuthukisa izimpilo zabo.
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