SUPERVALU Government Affairs Home Page
Welcome to the SUPERVALU Government Affairs website! The Government Affairs Department is working to promote the adoption of legislation and regulatory rules that are favorable to SUPERVALU, its banners, associates, and constituents. To learn more about issues that are important to SUPERVALU as well as find out more about your legislators and government in general, click on the links to the left. Click on the Get Active link to have your voice heard on issues important to SUPERVALU. Click on the ValuPAC link to learn about SUPERVALU's Political Action Committee.
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Brighter Days for Supervalu
December 22, 2011
The grocery giant invested $20 million to improve energy efficiency among its 4,300 stores, and the White House took note.
When it came time to commit to making its grocery stores more energy-efficient, Supervalu decided to go big.
Read full article here.
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Supervalu Takes "Better Buildings Challenge"
Progressive Grocer
December 2, 2011
Supervalu Inc. has joined the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Buildings Challenge, which aims to engage building operators nationwide in improving energy efficiency by 20 percent by 2020.
The announcement was made by President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton during a leadership event in Washington, D.C., attended by Craig Herkert, Supervalu’s CEO and president.
"Reducing our energy footprint and creating a more thoughtful and sustainable operation are important priorities, and we will continue to test innovative ways to build our stores with future generations in mind,” Herkert said. “These projects are good for the environment, improve our operating efficiency and create jobs — ultimately benefiting the communities we serve.”
Supervalu, which operates more than 78 million square feet of retail and distribution center space, has had a longstanding and aggressive commitment to environmental sustainability. The company invested $20 million in energy-efficiency initiatives this year alone, resulting in more than 1,300 projects.
To read full article, click here.
Supervalu, Walgreens sign on to Obama's Better Buildings Challenge
Drug Store News
December 2, 2011
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama on Friday announced nearly $4 billion in combined federal and private-sector energy upgrades to buildings over the next two years. These investments will save billions in energy costs, promote energy independence, and, according to independent estimates, create tens of thousands of jobs in the hard-hit construction sector.
As many as 60 CEOs, mayors, university presidents, and labor leaders on Friday committed to invest nearly $2 billion of private capital into energy efficiency projects; and to upgrade energy performance by a minimum of 20% by 2020 in 1.6 billion sq. ft. of office, industrial, municipal, hospital, university, community college and school buildings. This included retailers Kohl's, Supervalu and Walgreens. Best Buy made its commitment in June.
To read full article, click here.
NRF and Other Groups File Lawsuit Saying Fed Didn’t Follow Law in Setting Swipe Fee Regulations
November 22, 2011
WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The National Retail Federation, the Food Marketing Institute, the National Association of Convenience Stores and two retailers filed a lawsuit in federal court today saying the Federal Reserve failed to follow key requirements of a 2010 law when it adopted a flawed cap on debit card swipe fees that took effect this fall. NRF and the other groups say the failure has allowed big banks to continue charging unjustifiably high swipe fees and has discouraged price competition among credit card networks.
"The Federal Reserve was required by law to come up with swipe fees that were ‘reasonable’ and ‘proportional’ but what we got were neither,” NRF Senior Vice President and CEO General Counsel Mallory Duncan said. “Instead, the Fed allowed themselves to be influenced by the very banks they are supposed to regulate and raised the originally proposed cap to include expenses the law said were not allowed. In doing so, they literally gave away half the savings that could have been seen by merchants and their customers. We want them to go back and follow the law this time.”
To read full article, click here.
Voters kick state out of liquor business
The Seattle Times
November 9, 2011
Beginning June 1, grocery stores in Washington will begin selling liquor.
That's the result of a $22.7 million voter campaign that Costco Wholesale led to kick the state out of the liquor business and allow private retailers to sell spirits instead.
Of the ballots tallied Tuesday night, about 60 percent favored Initiative 1183.
Beginning next June, liquor sales will shift from the state to grocery and warehouse stores, including Costco. It means more than 900 state employees will lose their jobs, most of them workers at state-run liquor stores.
The state budgeting office figures the number of outlets selling liquor will jump from 328 to 1,428. It also expects the change to generate an average of $80 million more in annual revenue for the state and local governments over the next six years.
To read full article, click here.
Michelle Obama Urges Mayors to Adopt Chicago’s Food-Desert Fight
Bloomberg Businessweek
October 26, 2011
Oct. 26 (Bloomberg) -- Michelle Obama returned to her hometown yesterday to implore mayors across the U.S. to follow the lead of Chicago, which has shrunk the size of its so-called food deserts, where families can’t easily buy healthy foods.
“Think about all the neighborhoods that could be transformed, because people want to live in communities where they have resources,” Obama said in Chicago following a summit hosted by Mayor Rahm Emanuel on strategies to increase the availability of healthy, affordable food in underserved communities. “And a grocery store -- a good-quality grocery store -- is the first step.”
The mayor also said the city has commitments for 36 food stores to be added in the next couple of years, including 17 traditional stores such as SuperValu, Roundy’s, Aldi and Wal- Mart, and 19 expanded Walgreens drugstores.
To read full article, click here.
To read SUPERVALU announcement for Chicago, click here.
To read additional articles on the Chicago meeting with the First Lady visit our HFFI page, click here.
Supervalu joins White House push to open stores in poor areas
Star Tribune
July 20, 2011
WASHINGTON - The giant Supervalu grocery chain became a key player in First Lady Michelle Obama's national battle against childhood obesity Wednesday with a promise to open 250 supermarkets in urban and rural areas that currently don't have easy access to fresh fruits, vegetables and meat.
To read full article, click here.
To read SUPERVALU announcement, click here.
To visit our HFFI page, click here.
Pharmacy Groups File Brief in U.S. Supreme Court on Right of Pharmacies to Challenge Medicaid Cuts
National Association of Chain Drug Stores
August 4, 2011
Alexandria, Va. – Pharmacy groups filed a legal brief today with the U.S. Supreme Court supporting the right of pharmacies to challenge Medicaid cuts that violate a federal patient access law. The brief was filed by the American Pharmacists Association (APhA), National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS), National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA), and the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations (NASPA) in the case of Douglas v. Independent Living Center of California.
The initial lawsuit – filed by pharmacies and other healthcare providers – argues that a 10 percent Medicaid reimbursement cut in California violates the federal patient access law which provides that Medicaid reimbursement rates must be “sufficient to enlist enough providers so that care and services are available under the plan at least to the extent that such care and services are available to the general population in the geographic area….” The proposed cuts would threaten access to care for Medicaid patients.
To read the full news release, click here.
FMI Expresses Extreme Disappointment in the Federal Reserve Ruling
ARLINGTON, VA—June 29, 2011— In its final rule issued today on the subject of interchange fee reform, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve undermined the intended benefits of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act as it relates to debit card swipe fees. This ruling prolongs the struggle for small businesses to bring parity to the debit card market.
“Today the voice of big banks drowned out the cries of consumers and Main Street merchants in the ears of the Federal Reserve,” says Leslie G. Sarasin, president and chief executive officer of FMI. “This ruling is inconsistent with the proposed ruling issued last December and utterly fails to be true to the spirit of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act passed more than a year ago. It will not provide sufficient reform for businesses that are currently fighting high debit swipe fees. Merchants and customers across America are the big losers today.”
To read the full news release, click here.
To read more on the ruling:
Federal Reserve Debit Swipe Fee Rules Reflect the Power of Wall Street Banks- NGA Press Release
Banks convince fed to raise swipe fee limit- Washington Post
Trade Groups Blast Fed. Reserve Swipe Fee Ruling- Progressive Grocer
US Department of Labor announces proposed rule concerning reporting on use of labor relations consultants
The DOL proposed rulemaking will require the disclosure of most routine communications and advice involving employers, consultants and attorneys on matters relating to employees and their rights to organize and bargain collectively. Such routine communications are currently non-reportable under LMRDA's "advice exemption".
To read news release, click here.
Justices Rule for Walmart in Bias Case
New York Times
June 20, 2011
The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Monday that a huge class-action lawsuit against Wal-Mart Stores alleging sex discrimination cannot proceed, reversing a decision by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. The lawsuit could have involved up to 1.6 million current and former Wal-Mart employees and billions of dollars in damages.
The plaintiffs can still pursue their suit on their own, but not as a class action, the court ruled, meaning that much less money would be at stake. The court said the proposed class would be too unwieldy and diverse and that there were other problems with the way the case was filed.
To read full article, click here.
House Republicans vote to cut funds to implement food safety law
Washington Post
June 16, 2011
Arguing that the U.S. food supply is 99 percent safe, House Republicans cut millions of dollars Thursday from the Food and Drug Administration’s budget, denying the agency money to implement landmark food safety laws approved by the last Congress.
To read the full article, click here.
Senate clears way for cap on debit card fees
StarTribune
June 8, 2011
WASHINGTON - The Senate let stand Wednesday rules that would dramatically reduce the fees large banks and credit unions charge retailers to process debit card sales.
To comply with recent financial reforms, the Federal Reserve was required to limit so-called swipe fees in an effort to keep banks from reaping billions of dollars in profits at the expense of small businesses and consumers. The Fed proposed a 12-cent cap per transaction -- a 70 percent cut in the average debit card fee.
The move sparked an expensive lobbying effort between retailers and bank and credit card companies as the Senate considered whether to delay the action. ... Retailers welcomed the Senate's decision.
"The banks were hoping to derail the new rule over the long term," said Mike Erlandson, director of government affairs for Minnesota-based SuperValu, one of the nation's biggest grocery chains that lobbied for the fee limits.
To read full article click here.
To read additional articles on the vote click on links below:
Banks Defeated in Senate Vote on Debit Card Fees-New York Times
Retailers Win Debit-Card Fee Vote in Senate- Supermarket News
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Join Congressman Erik Paulsen for Pizza and Policy on May 16th, 2011
"Update from Washington D.C."
Supervalu associates are invited to attend a Pizza & Policy event featuring Congressman Erik Paulsen on Monday, May 16, from 11:45 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the EVIC Store Support Office in Room 1053. Congressman Paulsen represents the third congressional district, which includes Eden Prairie, and will present, “Update from Washington: Budget battles, health care debates and our economy – what does it all mean for us?” The presentation will be followed by a question and answer session.
Pizza will be available starting at 11:45. This event is presented by the SUPERVALU Government Affairs Department.
To read Congressman Paulsen’s Bio click here.
To see a list of cities in the third congressional district click here.
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U.S. Senator Kay Hagen (D-NC) (second from right)
with NACDS Board of Directors, including SVU Pharmacies
President Chris Dimos and NACDS President Steve Anderson.
2011 NACDS RxIMPACT Day on Capitol Hill
Thursday, March 17, 2011
SUPERVALU Pharmacies' President Chris Dimos and other SVU pharmacy team representatives joined 350 pharmacy advocates to meet with lawmakers at the 2011 NACDS RxIMPACT Day on Capitol Hill to urge the importance of pharmacy in improving patient health and reducing costs.
To read the full article, click here.
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Bringing Fresh and Healthy Groceries to the Most Underserved Chicagoland Neighborhoods
March 2011
Chicago Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel
Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicagoland citizens celebrated the grand opening of five Save-a-Lot grocery stores in the South Side of Chicago. A “Dollar-Cutting Ceremony” held on March 3 at the new Stony Island location included a $25,000 donation to support the Greater Chicago Food Depository.
According to Bill Shaner, Save-A-Lot's CEO and president, "These locations are a perfect match with our strategy of bringing affordable groceries and more fresh-food options to neighborhoods with few existing grocery stores." Save-a-Lot hopes to forever change the label of “food deserts” in these underserved communities, bringing new access to healthy and affordable groceries.
Click here to read a Chicagoist article on the opening.
Click here to read more about the Save-A-Lots stores.
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Seat Gains and Losses: Census 2010 Results
Results from the 2010 Census meant a loss of Congressional seats in ten states and a gain in eight others. Under mandate by the U.S. Constitution, the Census counts the number of people living in the U.S. every ten years. These counts determine how 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives will be distributed in the next election.
Click here to read a USNews article about the Reappointment of Congressional seats.
Click here to read a New York Times article which includes an interactive map of the apportionment.
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To view the November 2nd Election Results click here.
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ValuPAC
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You can make a difference and engage with our Government Affairs program by joining ValuPAC. Click here to learn more. All eligible associates have an opportunity to make payroll or check contributions to ValuPAC to support candidates for elected office who will promote public policies that create a prosperous environment for SUPERVALU. Craig Herkert, CEO and President, SUPERVALU |
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Government Affairs Mission
Our mission in the Government Affairs Department is to:
Promote the adoption of legislation and regulatory rules that are favorable to SUPERVALU, its banners, associates, and constituents.
• Maintain relationships with federal, state and local elected officials as well as agency representatives and community leaders.
• Provide counsel on external communications as they relate to government affairs role in public affairs for SUPERVALU.
• Engage actively in the larger community.
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Staff:
Mike Erlandson, Vice President of Government Affairs
Elise Diedrich, Manager of Government Affairs
Nicole Hyatt, Legal Administrative Assistant
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