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March 11, 2026
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Connecticut UFCW Locals Testify for Self-Checkout Legislation
SB 438 Would Ensure Proper Staffing, Set Standards for Staff-to-Machine Ratios in Grocery Stores
HARTFORD, Conn. – Yesterday, leadership from United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Locals 919 and 371 testified in front of the Connecticut General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Labor and Public Employees on behalf of SB 438, a bill that would require one staffed check out lane to remain open and at least one worker to monitor every two self checkout machines in operation, in addition to capping the number of self checkout machines running at any given time to eight.
UFCW Local 371 Organizing Director, Jose Anaya, a former grocery store meat manager, said the following at yesterday’s hearing:
“As someone who cared about the success of the meat department where I was a manager, it was honestly heartbreaking to watch so many expensive products be stolen through the self-checkouts and my coworkers were told not to engage or to stop the thieves. The company didn’t care what was taken, because the money they saved by not paying humans was worth it. What I didn’t even think about back then, was all of the sales tax lost by the non-food items that were stolen.
“If you think about it, self-checkouts cost the state in two ways. When people lose hours or their jobs by being replaced by robots, they end up relying more on state benefits at a time when the state is also losing out on the sales tax revenue.
“SB 438 doesn’t ban self-checkouts, it just makes it so that the front end can’t consist of only robots, but has to allow for a reasonable number of employees to also staff the check out lanes. This reduces stress on workers, protects jobs, and as a result of more supervision, it will lower the amount of lost revenue due to theft.”
UFCW Local 919 Union Representative Gabriella Holmes said the following at yesterday’s hearing:
“Retailers introduced self-checkout as a convenience, but without proper staffing standards it has created serious problems for workers and customers including increased theft, overburdened staff, and more stressful and sometimes unsafe interactions.
“Where multiple self check-outs are in operation, workers are left monitoring large areas, checking IDs, fixing machine errors, and handling customer concerns all at once. Self-checkout has reduced cashier jobs, which are projected to decline another 10 percent over the next decade, reducing stable employment experiences in our communities.
“S438 sets clear guardrails for retailers and restores convenience to shoppers. It limits stores to eight self-checkout stations, requires one staffed lane for every two self-checkout stations, and ensures no employee oversees more than two machines at a time. It allows consumers to lodge complaints through the Department of LaborP), and protects workers from retaliation.
“SB 438 ensures self-checkout is used in a way that protects workers, customers, state tax revenue, and our communities”
SB 438 is part of a larger national campaign by the UFCW to promote good jobs and affordable groceries across the U.S., with similar state bills having been introduced in Massachusetts, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Washington, and Rhode Island state legislatures. In California, the cities of Long Beach and Costa Mesa have already passed self-checkout ordinances within the last year.
BACKGROUND
- In addition to pushing for states to enact self check out regulation, the UFCW’s “Affordable Groceries and Good Jobs Campaign,” also seeks 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. Along with federal legislation, 10 states have pending legislation to ban electronic shelf labels and surveillance pricing.
- At the federal level, the Stop Price Gouging in Grocery Stores Act has been introduced in the U.S. House and Senate.
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UFCW Locals 919 and 371 represent approximately 13,000 grocery workers throughout Connecticut and are part of the United Food and Commercial Workers International, the largest private sector union in the United States representing 1.2 million workers and their families in grocery, meatpacking, food processing, health care, cannabis, retail, and other essential industries in all 50 states, Canada, and Puerto Rico. Learn more about the UFCW at ufcw.org.