New law protects consumers from predatory pricing by banning surveillance pricing in grocery stores and instituting a moratorium on electronic shelf labels
NEWARK, N.J. – Today, the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) International Union, UFCW Local Unions across New Jersey, Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), and RWDSU Local 108 are applauding New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill for signing the Fair Price Protection Act (A4085/S3612) into law. The new law is the first-of-its-kind in the United States to ban surveillance pricing and impose a moratorium on electronic shelf labels (ESLs) in grocery stores across New Jersey.
The presidents of UFCW Locals 152, 312, 360, 464A, 1262, the RWDSU, and RWDSU Local 108, which represent grocery retail workers in New Jersey, said:
“With today’s landmark bill signing, Governor Sherrill and the Garden State have kick-started the fight against AI-powered price gouging in grocery stores. By imposing a moratorium on electronic shelf labels, New Jersey is protecting grocery workers and consumers from harmful technology aimed at squeezing every last dime out of hardworking families.
“UFCW and RWDSU members know how disruptive ESLs are, which is why we thank Senate President Scutari, Speaker Coughlin, Senator Cryan, and Assemblyman Onyema, who championed this bill.”
UFCW International Vice President Ademola Oyefeso, who attended the bill signing in Newark today, said:
“By signing the Fair Price Protection Act into law, Governor Sherrill has declared that price gouging on groceries has no place in New Jersey and that stopping electronic shelf labels is a key component in this fight. New Jersey leaders see ESLs for what they are: a tool to hike prices.
“As large grocery chains across the country rush to outfit their stores with this technology, we commend New Jersey lawmakers for their leadership on this issue. We hope this law will serve as a catalyst for states across the country to shield shoppers from AI-driven predatory pricing and protect good, union grocery jobs.”
The Fair Price Protection Act is the first law in the U.S. 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.
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. New Jersey’s legislation is the strongest effort to date.
Email press@ufcw.org to speak with a spokesperson about the threat that ESLs and surveillance pricing pose to fair grocery prices and good, union jobs.
BACKGROUND
- Polling found that 61 percent of New Jersey voters think ESLs and 67 percent think surveillance pricing will cause grocery prices to increase. Support for proposed legislation in the state cut across party lines, with 65 percent in favor of banning this technology in grocery stores. More than 73 percent worried about the cost of groceries for their households.
- ESLs enable retailers to change prices instantaneously, and corporations are racing to deploy them. Walmart, for example, plans to replace traditional paper price tags with digital ones across all of its stores by the end of 2026. The corporation also recently secured patents to use shoppers’ personal data to update prices at scale.
- ESLs also threaten the livelihoods of grocery workers. These systems could replace the skilled work of grocery clerks or, at the very least, leave them to explain a company’s actions to rightfully angry shoppers. The UFCW represents more than 800,000 grocery workers across North America. UFCW members are essential to keeping our communities fed, and they know how disruptive ESLs could be for workers and shoppers alike.
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The UFCW International is the largest private sector union in the United States, representing 1.2 million workers and their families in retail, grocery, meatpacking, food processing, healthcare, cannabis, and other essential industries. UFCW members serve our communities in all 50 states, Canada and Puerto Rico. Learn more about the UFCW at ufcw.org.
The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) represents 100,000 members throughout the United States. The RWDSU is affiliated with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW). For more information, please visit our website at www.rwdsu.org, Facebook: /RWDSU.UFCW Twitter: @RWDSU.