A few weeks ago, I wrote to you about my conversation with Albert, a long time Safeway employee in Pueblo, in which he asked me to challenge the proposed merger between Kroger (which owns Kings Soopers and City Market) and Albertsons (which owns Safeway). He told me that he saw how the prior merger–between Safeway and Albertsons–hurt Colorado customers, workers, and farmers. I listened to him and many others–at 19 town halls–and have filed a lawsuit to stop the merger. Over the last year, we received profound support for not only taking this action, but also for the extensive effort we carried out to hear from Coloradans through listening sessions like this one in Colorado Springs.
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As the Grand Junction Sentinel stated:
We extend our thanks to Weiser for making this a rare example of how government is supposed to work. Weiser gave the public ample opportunity to weigh in on a critical issue. He was present at those meetings and listened to concerns with his own ears. Participants left those meetings feeling heard and confident that an informed decision would follow.
The Denver Post stated:
Coloradans have much to lose if this merger is allowed to go forward without substantial protections built in to guarantee that wages won’t be depressed, that food prices won’t soar, and that residents in communities big and small maintain reliable access to a wide variety of food products.
Recognizing the risk posed by this merger, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission followed our lead and also challenged the merger in federal court. Its action will proceed alongside ours (as well as a separate one by the State of Washington). We will all be working together to protect customers, workers, and farmers.
For those looking for a good summary of our case, I joined the podcast City Cast Denver to explain why we are taking action. You can find that program here |
Thank you for supporting this work, showing up to share your views, and helping Colorado be a shining example of government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Phil |
