Unions rally, corporations worry: How Kamala Harris’ campaign has divided the grocery industry

In the whirlwind first few weeks of Kamala Harris' presidential campaign, there's been no shortage of headline-grabbing moments — from coconut memes that have lit up social media to the popular consensus that "Kamala is brat". The next day, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union — which represents 1.2 million essential workers in the grocery, meatpacking, food processing and retail industries — announced “its unanimous endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris for president.” In an accompanying statement, UFCW International President Marc Perrone said Harris has always shown up for the union’s members, whether during her time representing California in the U.S. Sentate or “as part of the most pro-union administration in modern American history.” “For years, Vice President Harris has shown a real willingness to listen to our members and working people everywhere about the issues that matter most to them,” Perrone wrote. We look forward to working with our members across the country to elect her as our next president.” We need your help to stay independent Subscribe today to support Salon's progressive journalism As Salon has previously reported, one relatively recent and tangible example of Harris’ support of grocery unions is how she advocated for the continuation of “hazard pay” for grocery workers during the pandemic. “The responsibility to properly protect and support store workers lies with these executives, who must make the decision to consistently pay workers a wage that justly compensates them for the clear and present dangers of their jobs during the pandemic.” Yet while many grocery workers are for Harris, the owners of the stores where they work have expressed more complex feelings about the current Harris campaign, specifically her promise to pass the first-ever federal ban on price gouging. In her coverage of the speech, Salon’s Joy Saha noted the vice president is looking to target businesses that are illegally hiking up prices and not “playing by the rules.” However, following the speech, the National Grocers Association characterized Harris’ “proposal for a ban on grocery price gouging a solution in search of a problem.” “Our independent grocers, already operating on extremely thin margins, are hurting from the same inflationary pressure points as their customers,” NGA president and CEO Greg Ferrara said.