Latest news with #KingSoopers'
CBS News
03-04-2025
- General
- CBS News
Kroger drops off snacks, school supplies at elementary school in Aurora
Kroger, King Soopers' parent company, dropped off snacks and school supplies at Yale Elementary School in Aurora. The supplies support not only the students but the afterschool program serving students in the neighborhood. It's part of a campaign to ensure teachers and students are prepared for the upcoming Colorado Measures of Academic Success testing. "I'd say over 100 students who regularly receive food bags that they take home about every week and that's for a lot of our families. We have families who live nearby and can't travel, so they walk over for the pantry," said Yale Elementary School principal Ashley Bryant. The donations are part of Kroger's "Purpose to Feed the Human Spirit" through its Zero Hunger | Zero Waste commitment.
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
King Soopers union talks stall over the weekend
(COLORADO) — According to King Soopers and the UFCW Local 7 union, negotiations over the Valentine's Day weekend stalled, though both are citing different reasons for the break down in communication. According to King Soopers, the company requested a peaceful relations agreement, which would potentially stop picketing activities while the union and the company resumed negotiations. However, the UFCW Local 7 union said that King Soopers was 'still withholding the necessary information that the union member bargaining team needs.' PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Judge partially rejects King Soopers' request for temporary restraining order against union The union alleged that the company's executives had backtracked on commitments they made in order for a return to the bargaining table, and therefore talks had stalled. King Soopers stated in a press release that the union had rejected its peaceful relations proposal, and suggested that workers could soon see a loss of healthcare coverage due to insufficient hours worked. 'We are deeply concerned about the consequences this decision will have on our associates, who could lose their healthcare and the certainty of a paycheck as a result of continueddisruptions,' said Joe Kelley, President of King Soopers/City Market. 'Rather than working toward a resolution that benefits our associates and customers, the Union is making unreasonable demands that only serve to delay progress, create uncertainty, and, critically, put our hardworking associates at risk of losing their healthcare.' The UFCW Local 7 union assured workers that it was working to ensure healthcare for its members for April. 'We had hopes that the past 24 hours might have led to a breakthrough, but that did not take place,' said Kim Cordova, President of UFCW Local 7. 'For now, the strike will continue, and we will remain strong and show solidarity with each other and stand up to the bullying tactics of King Soopers.' Stores in northern Colorado as well as Pueblo are currently on strike, though Colorado Springs stores have not yet been included in the strike. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
14-02-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Judge partially grants limited King Soopers' restraining order amid Colorado workers' strike
On Friday, a judge partially granted a limited restraining order for King Soopers against the union representing striking workers in Colorado. The day before, the judge dismissed some of King Soopers' claims leveled against those on the picket lines. The grocery giant filed a lawsuit in Denver District Court seeking a restraining order against United Food & Commercial Workers Local 7, the union representing striking workers across Colorado. In court, King Soopers' attorneys said striking workers were engaged in "unlawful" activity and used "violence," accusing them of intimidating customers. The union previously called the lawsuit "frivolous." Denver District Judge Sarah Wallace dismissed some alleged customer complaints about accusations of racist and sexist language as "hearsay." She released her ruling on Friday afternoon. According to the ruling issued on Friday, the judge said that "peaceful labor protests and picketing are in the public interest" and the "court intends to protect the public interest." It also stated that union members are restrained from impeding the way of delivery vehicles, erecting temporary structures, or piles of trash on the sidewalk in front of King Soopers. The judge made the ruling after reviewing video security cameras provided by King Soopers. "Regrettably, we've seen more than 300 instances of picketers making choices that compromise safety over the last 9 days. We appreciate the court's decision to grant critical elements of our temporary restraining order, that supports our commitment to safety for everyone," said Joe Kelley, President of King Soopers and City Market in a statement. "To be clear, the decision to seek a temporary restraining order was not made lightly and is certainly not intended to silence associates. We've said from the beginning that we respect our associates' right to peacefully assemble. However, it is crucial that we maintain an environment of mutual respect." "Our ULP strike was announced after the grocery store members voted by 96% in late January and early February to authorize the strike. And then they have followed up their vote with 10,000 workers going out on strike and on picket lines to get the message of King Soopers' unfair labor practices to shoppers and the public," stated Kim Cordova, President of UFCW Local 7, in a statement. The two-week strike began on Feb. 6 and included approximately 10,000 workers in total covered by the strike. click here. For those wishing not to cross the workers' picket lines, you can see several other grocery stores and local chains here.
CBS News
14-02-2025
- CBS News
Decision expected on King Soopers' restraining order request amid Colorado workers' strike
Things were tense in a Denver courtroom Thursday afternoon after a judge dismissed some of King Soopers' claims leveled against striking workers. The grocery giant filed a lawsuit in Denver District Court, seeking a restraining order against United Food & Commercial Workers Local 7, the union representing striking workers across Colorado. In the courtroom, King Soopers' attorneys said striking workers were engaged in "unlawful" activity and used "violence," accusing them of intimidating customers -- including when one worker allegedly wore a clown mask -- blocking crosswalks, delaying deliveries, blocking handicapped spots, and one instance of alleged physical violence. They went on to say that propane tanks, tents, and other personal belongings issues created safety issues for those in the area. The company made similar claims in public statements earlier this week but fleshed those claims out in the courtroom, where cameras were not allowed. The union previously called the lawsuit "frivolous." The judge dismissed some alleged customer complaints about accusations of racist and sexist language as "hearsay." The union's attorneys said that while there might have been one instance of violence, the union itself and the rest of the striking workers can't be legally responsible for the actions of an individual. The union disputed the company's claims and defended its workers, saying they did not create an unsafe environment for customers. Denver District Judge Sarah Wallace said she wanted to rule on the matter as quickly as possible, since the two-week strike is already on its 7th day, and could issue a ruling as early as Thursday night or Friday morning. This lawsuit comes just days after the company filed a separate federal lawsuit claiming that the union used "threatening, coercive, and restraining actions, taken for unlawful purposes in violation of the National Labor Relations Act."
CBS News
08-02-2025
- Business
- CBS News
King Soopers claims Colorado union used illegal negotiating tactics, leading to strike, in new lawsuit
King Soopers/City Market filed a federal lawsuit in Colorado against United Food and Commercial Workers Local Union No. 7 (UFCW Local 7) on Friday. This comes amid the beginning of the two-week worker strike across the state. According to the lawsuit, this action is being taken due to damages King Soopers says it's suffering, "as a result of [the] Defendant's continuing pattern of threatening, coercive, and restraining actions, taken for unlawful purposes in violation of the National Labor Relations Act and actionable in federal court under Section 303(a) of the Labor Management Relations Act." In response to the new lawsuit the workers union released a statement that said in part, "UFCW Local 7 learned that earlier this afternoon King Soopers filed a baseless lawsuit against the Union. The Union is confident it will successfully defend against the suit, and that King Soopers' claims will not survive initial scrutiny by a court." King Soopers' parent company asserts UFCW Local 7 is violating, "with a purpose of forcing King Soopers to bargain with unions other than Local 7, culminating in repeated threats of strikes and calling and supporting an unlawful strike by Local 7 members against King Soopers for prohibited purposes under Section 8(b)(4) of the NLRA." The other unions Local 7 is accused of unlawfully collaborating with included Teamsters Local 38, UFCW Local 324, UFCW Local 770 and UFCW Local 3000 to, "consolidate their bargaining and other efforts to force multi-union bargaining on King Soopers and other employers without bargaining relationships with the labor ... unions." The complaint asserts the activity between fellow unions began on or before October 2024. CBS News Colorado has reported about ongoing negotiations for months between Local 7 and King Soopers. Fruitful negotiations continued to elude both parties, and that led to an overwhelming majority of workers in the Denver metro area and Colorado Springs/Pueblo areas voting for a labor stoppage. In the complaint, King Soopers' parent company also claims Local 7 and the other unions sent a letter to confirm the intention of unlawful practices to King Soopers' lead negotiator. King Soopers is requesting relief from the court in the form of payment from Local 7 for costs, expenses and damages sustained due to the labor strike deemed unlawful by the plaintiff. It also wants to be awarded payment for attorney's fees and costs incurred by the strike, as well as any relief the court might grant the plaintiff. King Soopers is being represented by the Taft Stettinius & Hollister in both Denver and Colorado Springs areas. Nowhere in the new lawsuit does the plaintiff call for the stoppage of the strikes taking place outside various King Soopers locations in the state. King Soopers released adjusted hours of impacted grocery stores as a results of the worker strike this week. As of online publication, there was no indication other union workers outside of Colorado were striking under the purview or guidance of Teamsters Local 38, UFCW Local 324, UFCW Local 770 or UFCW Local 3000. However, there was some indication that workers for those unions had a presence in Colorado in support of the workers represented by Local 7, who are currently striking.
