A Washington state anti-trust lawsuit to block the proposed merger of Kroger and Albertsons is set to begin Monday.
Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed the lawsuit, contesting a merger of the two largest supermarket companies in the state, saying it would severely limit shopping options for consumers and eliminate vital competition that keeps prices low.
Ferguson will join members of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, at a rally being held outside Seattle City Hall during the court’s noon recess on Monday.
Other participants will also speak at the rally including U.F.C.W. 3000 President Faye Guenther, MLK Labor Executive Secretary-Treasurer Katie Garrow and Yasmin Ashur, a Port Orchard Albertsons worker.
Earlier this year, King County Superior Court Judge Marshall Ferguson rejected a motion from Kroger and Albertsons to dismiss the lawsuit.
“Free enterprise is built on companies competing, and that competition benefits consumers,” said Attorney General Ferguson in a statement released after the decision. “My legal team and I will continue working to protect Washington consumers and workers from increased prices and fewer choices.”