UFCW Local 7 Announces Strike Vote Meetings for January 29 through February 1 for King Soopers Grocery Workers in Metro Denver, Colorado Springs, Boulder, Broomfield, and Pueblo
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 22, 2025
CONTACT: Monique Palacios
mpalacios@ufcw7.com | 303-425-0897 ext. 403
Denver, CO – On Friday, January 17th after months of negotiations, the UFCW Local 7 grocery store bargaining team announced that their contract extension with Kroger-owned King Soopers had expired at midnight. That removed the “no strike clause” prohibition in the contract. As a result, and because of the ongoing unfair labor practices of the Company, UFCW Local 7 stated they had communicated strike vote information to members.
“We have finalized our plans to hold strike vote meetings on January 29th, 30th, 31st and February 1st” announced UFCW Local President Kim Cordova. “The specific times and locations are being communicated to grocery store members directly.”
King Soopers and City Market stores presented what they said was their “last, best and final” contract proposal last week. However, the negotiations have been marred by myriad unfair labor practices, including refusal by the Company to produce information responsive to the Union’s requests, targeting workers who are supportive of the Union, unilaterally changing terms and conditions of employment for workers, and a failure to negotiate with the Union in good faith. Indeed, the Company’s supposed last, best, and final offer is itself unlawful.
A vote to authorize a strike would allow the Union President to commence a strike at any time. While the Company continues to engage in these unfair labor practices, it likewise refuses to address critical issues at the bargaining table, like staffing, safety for workers and customers, and proposals to secure health care and retirement benefits for both active workers and retirees.
“As I stated on Friday and I repeat this afternoon, workers are tired of having to apologize to customers for long lines, empty shelves, higher prices, and shuttered departments. Corporate executives are more interested in boosting share prices than solving the staffing crises and improving customer experience. The company clearly has the money to pay workers what they deserve and to address safety problems. Disappointingly, the company is just unwilling, so far, to do the right thing,” added President Cordova.
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Local 7, the largest Union in Colorado, is affiliated with United Food and Commercial Workers International Union which represents over 1.3 million workers in the United States and Canada, and is one of the largest private-sector Unions in North America. UFCW members work in a wide range of industries, including retail food, food processing, agriculture, retail sales, and health care.