United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), UFCW Local Unions across New Jersey, Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), and RWDSU Local 108 are celebrating the passage of the Fair Price Protection Act (A4085/S3612) through the New Jersey State Legislature, which would ban surveillance pricing and impose a moratorium on electronic shelf labels (ESLs) in grocery stores across New Jersey.
This is set to become the first law to effectively ban surveillance pricing and restrict ESLs, led by Senator Joseph Cryan (D-20), Senator Joseph Lagana (D-38), Assemblyman Chigozie Onyema (D-28), and Assemblywoman Annette Quijano (D-20), and championed by Governor Mikie Sherrill, Senate President Nicholas Scutari, and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin. Recent polling shows that New Jerseyans overwhelmingly support a ban on these technologies, which threaten to drive up grocery costs.
The presidents of UFCW Locals 152, 312, 360, 464A, 1262, the RWDSU, and RWDSU Local 108, who represent grocery retail workers in New Jersey, said:
“With costs continuing to rise, the last thing consumers need is price gouging at the grocery store. This legislation will protect families across New Jersey from having their personal data used against them to squeeze every cent they have. Our state has taken a stand and made history with this legislation.
“We applaud the Senate and Assembly for their work on this issue, and we thank Senate President Scutari, Speaker Coughlin, Senator Cryan, and Assemblyman Onyema, who championed this bill to protect consumers and grocery workers. We look forward to Governor Sherrill signing this bill into law.”
New Jersey is among 12 states that have joined the UFCW’s “Affordable Groceries and Good Jobs Campaign” to ban the predatory practice of surveillance pricing, target the encroachment of AI-driven technology in grocery stores, and deliver fair prices for families while preserving good, union grocery jobs.
UFCW International Vice President Ademola Oyefeso said:
“New Jersey is now the first state to stand up for shoppers and make clear that this predatory technology has no place in our grocery stores. The UFCW applauds Governor Sherrill for her leadership in passing this first-of-its-kind bill.
“Electronic shelf labels are nothing more than a tool for corporations to hike prices and eliminate good jobs. Any lawmaker who is serious about lowering the cost of groceries in their state needs to make banning ESLs and surveillance pricing in grocery stores a priority – Americans cannot afford to wait.”