Irvine City Council supports job protections for grocery workers at small chains amid mergers.
On October 13, the Irvine City Council approved an ordinance aimed at safeguarding hundreds of jobs within small supermarket chains amid corporate takeovers. The measure, effective from mid-November, will protect employees from being terminated for a period of 90 days following the acquisition of their stores. While the new ownership may extend job offers during these initial days, there is no assurance that any individuals will maintain their positions thereafter.
This ordinance received considerable backing from a food workers union advocating for the organization of staff at Mother’s Market & Kitchen, which operates 12 locations across the region. Notably, a state law passed in 2015 provides protections for grocery employees affected by mergers among larger chains. However, those working within smaller establishments, including Mother’s Market and Trader Joe’s, have been subject to less rigorous protections.
The vote revealed a division within the council, with two members—Vice Mayor James Mai and Councilman Mike Carroll—voicing opposition. In contrast, Mayor Larry Agran and councilmembers Betty Martinez Franco, William Go, Melinda Liu, and Kathleen Treseder, who initially proposed the ordinance, lent their support.
Concerns leading to the ordinance’s introduction emerged in August when employees at Mother’s Market expressed anxiety regarding potential job losses due to the company’s sale by its private equity owner. The United Food and Commercial Workers, Local 324 is spearheading an effort to unionize the supermarket’s workforce, amid reports of inadequate wages—currently set at .90 per hour—persistent understaffing, and unpredictable scheduling practices.
In a troubling incident over the summer, 15 employees who participated in the unionizing effort were dismissed from their positions at Mother’s Market, a move viewed by many as retaliation for their organizing efforts.
The newly enacted ordinance aligns closely with existing state law aimed at protecting grocery workers during mergers or corporate sales. However, the Irvine measure—referred to as the Irvine grocery worker retention ordinance—seeks to address a specific gap in protections afforded to smaller grocery chains, as the existing state law applies only to larger stores exceeding 15,000 square feet in size. This initiative reflects a growing movement to enhance worker protections in the face of an evolving retail landscape.
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