MEDFORD, Ore. — From Medford to Portland, rallies are being held at Fred Meyer’s across the state Friday. It’s all over an alleged gender wage gap for employees.
Thousands of people have signed petitions that will be handed over to Fred Meyer managers at locations across the state. They’re asking the company to fix the alleged pay gap between men and women.
Oregon AFL CIO, a chapter of the national labor union organization, says the difference in pay depends on which schedule the employees are in. They say Fred Meyer has two categories of workers, Schedule “A” and Schedule “B”. Schedule “A” staff makes about four more dollars than Schedule “B” staff, and they say the Schedule “B” staff is far more likely to be women.
NBC5spoke with a Fred Meyer official earlier today, he says the men and women in their respective schedules make the same rate. Schedule “A” jobs tend to be shifts like grocery stocking and produce jobs and Schedule “B” jobs would be in the service deli or bakery.
“We don’t encourage women or men to apply for any jobs, but we just encourage all applicants to jobs that appeal to them and then we go from there, so really it’s up to the applicant,” Fred Meyer, Director of Corporate Affairs, Jeffery Temple said.
Temple adds that anyone is encouraged to apply to jobs that fit with their lifestyles, in either schedule.
The company will enter into wage negotiations with the labor union representing Fred Meyer employees next week, and they say the company is proposing a wage increase for all their workers.
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