Two weeks after finalizing a three-year labor contract, Ralphs is looking to fill 1,200 openings throughout Southern California.
The hiring is part of an effort by the Kroger Family of Companies to hire 23,000 new employees nationwide. Most of the openings are for retail sales positions, although the grocery giant is also hiring pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and warehouse workers.
Sounds like an awful lot of openings, but Ralphs spokesman John Votava put it in perspective:
“When you look at Kroger nationwide, we have almost 2,800 stores in 35 states, as well as several distribution hubs,” he said. “About half a million associates work under the Kroger umbrella.”
Ralphs will hold an online hiring event Saturday, April 30 and job seekers can also visit their local Ralphs supermarket to apply.
“People can just come into the stores,” Votava said. “We’re doing this to ramp up quickly, so someone could be hired in as little as three days.”
Ralphs employees in Southern California currently earn an average of $19 an hour. When healthcare and pension benefits are added in that jumps to $25 an hour, the company said.
Under the new three-year contract, workers will also receive a $4.25-an-hour wage increase over three years, plus increased dental and vision coverage. The pay increase will come in tiers. They’ll receive an hourly hike of $2 this year, $1 next year and $1.25 in 2024.
Southern California employees with Ralphs, Albertsons, Vons and Pavilions approved the new labor contract on April 14. It immediately went into effect for more than 47,000 grocery workers at 540 Ralphs, Albertsons, Vons, and Pavilions stores across Central and Southern California. Their previous contract expired March 6.
The agreement was reached after months of tense negotiation and advocacy by tens of thousands of California’s essential grocery workers, including a marathon 30-hour bargaining session.
Pio Figueroa, a food clerk at Ralphs in Laguna Beach, deemed it a “huge victory for workers.”
“We proved that anything is possible – especially when we organize and unite for better wages and workplaces,” Figueroa said after the two sides reached an agreement.
Ralphs hedged its bets leading up to the contract approval.
“We hired a bunch of temporary workers in case of a strike,” Votava said. “We have since offered them full-time positions, but many have declined. Some are maybe taking their next step in education. We tend to gain a lot of people over the summer and then lose them as school starts back.”
Ralphs said its employee discounts on groceries, electronics, entertainment streaming services and travel allow workers to save hundreds of dollars a year. The grocery chain also offers free “well-being” counseling sessions, on-demand role-specific training and resources, flexible scheduling and an advance pay option.
The Kroger Family of Companies’ continuing education program offers up to $21,000 in tuition reimbursement for both part-time and full-time associates.
Source: Orange County Register
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