Union Pushes Ban on Surveillance Pricing
The United Food and Commercial Workers union is urging lawmakers to halt surveillance pricing and electronic shelf labels in grocery stores.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Unions
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The United Food and Commercial Workers union, which represents more than 1.2 million people, called on lawmakers to ban surveillance pricing and electronic shelf labels. The call comes as retailers including Walmart and Kroger replace printed price tags with digital versions that can be updated remotely.
Why it matters
The union says the practice threatens affordability and jobs for shoppers and workers across the country. The debate reflects growing scrutiny of how retailers use digital tools and personal data to set prices.
The union represents more than 1.2 million members, while New Jersey has already imposed a one-year moratorium on electronic shelf labels and Maryland requires retailers to lock prices for at least one business day. Whether federal lawmakers will adopt similar limits has not been determined.
The players
United Food and Commercial Workers union
A major U.S. labor union representing more than 1.2 million workers, largely in grocery and retail.
Federal Trade Commission
The U.S. federal agency responsible for consumer protection and antitrust enforcement, which ordered the grocery chains to submit pricing reports.
Walmart
The largest U.S. retailer, which says it does not use personal information to charge shoppers higher prices.
Kroger
One of the largest U.S. grocery chains, which is among the retailers adopting digital price tags.
The details
Retailers are replacing printed price tags with digital versions that can be updated remotely. The Federal Trade Commission has ordered several of the largest grocery chains to prepare detailed reports on their pricing practices.
Timeline
New Jersey enacted its ban on surveillance pricing and electronic shelf label moratorium earlier this year.
The Federal Trade Commission ordered grocery chains to prepare pricing reports last week.
Walmart and Target issued statements last month denying they use personal information to charge higher prices.
The United Food and Commercial Workers union called for the ban on November 4, 2026.
Policy Context
New Jersey's 2026 ban on surveillance pricing and its one-year moratorium on electronic shelf labels set an early state-level template that the union now wants applied nationally. The national debate builds on that precedent as Maryland's one-business-day price lock adds a second model for regulating retail pricing.
Shoppers may see prices change more often on digital shelf labels, and personalized discounts through membership programs remain available at Walmart and Target. Consumers can check whether their state limits surveillance pricing or requires price locks.
The takeaway
Digital pricing tools are becoming standard in grocery stores, and state rules now determine how much protection shoppers have against personalized price changes. Watching how state laws like New Jersey's and Maryland's develop will show whether federal action follows.
Further reading
Track the latest labor fights over pricing and workplace rules in our Unions section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Business Insider.
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Should lawmakers ban electronic shelf labels and surveillance pricing in grocery stores?
