According to Reuters on August 27th, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) of the United States claimed that the proposed merger between grocery chain Kroger and its competitor Albertsons would weaken the bargaining power of union workers. The related lawsuit began trial on Monday in a federal district court in Portland, Oregon. The trial is scheduled to end on September 13th, and the judge is expected to make a decision 10 days after the trial ends. In February of this year, the FTC filed a lawsuit to block the merger transaction, claiming that the merger would lead to concentration of ownership and an increase in food and grocery prices. Kroger stated that it will continue to fulfill the collective bargaining agreement with Kroger and Albertsons workers after the completion of the transaction, no stores will be closed as a result of the merger, frontline employees will not be unemployed, and $1 billion will be allocated to improve wages and benefits.