Albertson will place company-owned Safeway, Vance and other stores delivery drivers – and in their place, application-based delivery service Dordash will use third-party drivers from February 27.
“While we knew the move would help us make operations more efficient, we didn’t make that decision without a little or a big thought,” Wendy Gutschel, a representative for Safeway in Northern California, told SFGate. “This decision will allow us to compete more effectively in the growing home delivery market.”
Gutschel added that the company was “working to place all affected associates in stores, plants and distribution centers.” They are also beneficial to drivers who stay until the transition is complete with an “incentive bonus”.
Los Angeles-based activist News Outlet Knock.la, who broke the first news Monday, confirmed the removal of home delivery workers after talking to two separate employees in the Southern California area.
Proposition 22, which passed with 58.6% of the vote during the November election, allowed the choice of Uber, Lift, Dordesh and Postmates to classify drivers and other workers as independent contractors and prevent them from receiving full-time employee benefits.
San Francisco was one of the few cities in the state to reject the bill, as nearly 60% of voters opposed it.
Mark Perone, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, said in a statement on Wednesday:
“As a union for grocery workers in California, UFCW calls on Albertson to stop these plans immediately and put the health of their customers first by securing the jobs of these brave essential workers at a time when our communities are most in need.”
Taylor Bennett, a Durad Ashna representative, told SFGAT that the partnership – which extends nationally – was proposed 22 years ago. In challenging times, we are committed to helping local brick-and-mortar local traders reach the best customers in their neighborhoods, ”he said in a statement.
