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Miami Herald
21-04-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
UFCW Local 7 files counterclaims against King Soopers
Dive Brief: United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 is accusing King Soopers of acting in "bad faith" and violating the 100-day stand-down agreement the two sides agreed to following a nearly two-week strike earlier this Kroger-owned banner set an arbitrary date for an offer that expired before the stand-down's scheduled expiration at the end of May, UFCW Local 7 said in papers it filed Thursday in response to a lawsuit filed by King Soopers in February. As a result of Kroger's actions, the union and its members have suffered damages including potential lost wages and benefits for workers, according to the counterclaim. Dive Insight: When UFCW Local 7 and representatives for the grocery chain met in mid-March, King Soopers proposed two nearly identical offers, "Offer A" and "Offer B". "Offer A," which offered greater wage increases for some workers, would expire if not ratified by April 12 - a date that would fall before a scheduled negotiating session in mid-April and be more than a month ahead of the stand-down's expiration, the union claims. When April 12 passed without an agreement, King Soopers withdrew its earlier offer and "instead made clear that it would only offer a new, more concessionary proposal," according to the counterclaim. "By setting an arbitrary deadline and unilaterally implementing a change in its proposals on this arbitrary date, King Soopers has frustrated the bargaining process in contradiction of its promise not to engage in such actions through the 100-day period in the Agreement," UFCW Local 7 said in the filing. King Soopers did not respond by press time to a request for comment. The counterclaim comes two months after King Soopers sued UFCW Local 7 for allegedly trying to force the grocer into unlawful multi-union bargaining in the fall and violating the National Labor Relations Act with a "continuing pattern of threatening, coercive, and restraining actions." UFCW Local 7 has called the lawsuit "baseless" and denied the allegations that it forced the grocer to bargain with other union locals. In early April, UFCW Local 7 asked the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado to dismiss King Soopers' suit. The legal battle follows unsuccessful collective bargaining negotiations for new contracts and a nearly two-week strike covering approximately 10,000 unionized workers across nearly 80 King Soopers stores in Colorado in early February. UFCW Local 7 represents approximately 11,000 King Soopers and City Market workers. King Soopers and the union ended the strike with an agreement to keep bargaining and negotiate in good faith, with the union agreeing it would not take any more strike actions for 100 days and King Soopers agreeing not to unilaterally implement any changes in the contract. "We agreed to end the strike and return to work and have labor peace for 100 days. The employer's side of that agreement was that they would not implement any new terms without our agreement, lock-out workers, and would negotiate in good faith. They have failed in that commitment," UFCW Local 7 President Kim Cordova said in a statement. Cordova said King Soopers violated the good faith bargaining process by giving the union "an ultimatum." The union claims King Soopers needs to address issues such as staffing, safety, raises and benefits, Cordova added. Copyright 2025 Industry Dive. All rights reserved.
The Independent
18-02-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Workers end strike at King Soopers grocery stores and both sides agree to resume bargaining
More than 10,000 King Soopers grocery workers across the Denver area ended their 12-day strike late Monday after union leaders said they secured some basic protections for returning workers and agreed to resume bargaining with the Kroger-owned chain. Employees and management had hit a wall in contract negotiations over staffing and health care, but it was the Kroger-owned supermarket chain's allegedly unfair negotiating practices that pushed workers to go on strike at 77 stores in Denver and its suburbs earlier this month. Kim Cordova, president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7, said the union will return to negotiations with an agreement that Kroger can't implement any offer for at least 100 days and can't lock out workers out during that time. The return-to-work agreement protects all employees from losing their health care through April. Kroger also agreed that its Jan. 16 offer is no longer its 'last, best and final' one. 'We have taken a big step forward and ensured that Kroger knows that staffing is a key concern to workers and customers alike,' Cordova said Tuesday. 'We will go back to the bargaining table and continue our fight for a fair union contract for us, our customers and the communities we serve.' After their contract expired in mid-January, the union alleged King Soopers interrogated and surveilled its members, refused to provide information needed for contract negotiations, threatened workers with discipline for wearing items expressing union support, and insisted on using $8 million in retiree health benefit funds to cover pay increases. King Soopers has denied all of the allegations, saying it acted in full compliance with the law and its collective bargaining obligations. 'Our focus remains on reaching a fair agreement that honors their hard work while ensuring we continue to provide fresh, affordable groceries for the families who rely on us," Joe Kelley, president of King Soopers, said in a statement. 'We appreciate their dedication and look forward to productive discussions in the weeks ahead.' Union leaders said they removed all picket lines Monday night to allow for an orderly transition back to regular store operations. Stores with striking workers stayed open through the strike under a limited schedule. All locations planned to return to normal business hours by Thursday. Cordova said the recent strike was just the beginning of an effort to expand staffing in grocery stores nationwide.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'A very stressful time': King Soopers defends bargaining offer ahead of Colorado strikes
As United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 members along the Front Range prepare to strike Thursday, King Soopers officials are claiming the union leadership is using "unchecked power to create uncertainty." Union employees at Pueblo's two King Soopers grocery stores voted Feb. 1 to approve a strike, joining their fellow United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 members in solidarity in claiming unfair labor practices by the stores' Kroger-owned leadership. Starting at 5 a.m., Feb. 6, about 10,000 workers from 77 stores will begin a two-week strike in Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas and Jefferson counties as well as the cities of Boulder and Louisville. Dates for a strike at Pueblo's King Soopers stores located at 102 W. 29th St. and 3050 W. Northern Ave. as well as the Colorado Springs stores have not been set yet. In a video message to employees, Joe Kelley, King Soopers and City Market President said, "I know this is a very stressful time." He said the union has called for a strike before the National Labor Relations Board has ruled on the union's claim of unfair labor practices. He accused the union of using "unchecked power to create uncertainty," as well as forcing customers to go to stores like Safeway where costs are 10-12% higher than King Soopers, "all because of reckless tactics." Kelley said the grocery chain has offered "real wage increases" for top-rate clerks, department heads, and pharmacy techs of $4.50 per hour during a four-year span, which calls for a $1.50 per hour raise the first year and $1 per hour increases in the remaining three years. 'It is time to put aside their unreasonable demands, false rhetoric and headline-seeking tactics and work towards a fair and timely resolution that increases associates' pay while keeping groceries affordable,' Kelley said in a press release. 'We want to make a fair investment in our union associates and this work stoppage only further delays adding more money to their paychecks.' The release reported that King Soopers has put multiple wage proposals forward but the union has not responded with a single wage proposal of its own. The grocery chain's last, best and final offer included an investment of up to 23% in wage increases over the life of the contract for its most tenured associates. The company reported the average hourly wage for a full-time associate at King Soopers is $22.68. When factoring in health care and pension benefits, the total compensation equates to $29.48 per hour, "far exceeding Colorado's average hourly rate of $17.02 for cashiers, as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics," according to the King Soopers press release. A total of 97% of the Pueblo Retail Bargaining Unit membership cast votes Saturday in favor of a strike, while 100% of the workers in the Pueblo Meat Bargaining Unit, whose contract expires Feb. 15, also voted to strike. Visit for bargaining process updates. More: Union workers at Pueblo King Soopers stores plan to join Front Range strike Chieftain reporter Tracy Harmon covers business news. She can be reached by email at tharmon@ or via X at Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: King Soopers denies Colorado union's unfair labor practice claim
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
King Soopers workers in Colorado plan two-week strike starting Thursday
Workers and community members form a picket line outside a Denver King Soopers, after United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 began a strike over stalled labor negotiations on Jan. 12, 2021. (Chase Woodruff/Colorado Newsline) About 10,000 King Soopers workers from 77 stores in Colorado plan to go on strike for two weeks starting Thursday, after 96% of union members across the state voted to approve the action. United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 workers have been in contract negotiations with King Soopers, which is owned by grocery giant Kroger, since October. The contract union members have been working under expired at the end of January. Kroger also operates City Market stores in Colorado. The strike comes after the union filed several Unfair Labor Practice complaints with the National Labor Relations Board related to issues with negotiations. The complaints allege King Soopers illegally interrogated union members about bargaining, refused to provide data related to pricing and staffing the union needed to consider proposals in negotiations, and threatened union members with discipline for wearing union gear, among other violations. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'These are serious charges against Kroger-owned King Soopers. They have, and continue to, break the law and are trying to force us to accept a new contract that takes us backward,' Connor Hall, a Boulder King Soopers deli worker who is on the union bargaining team, said in a statement. 'That's not going to happen. Meanwhile we have real problems with low staffing, and low wages that make the jobs so bad that many of us can't even afford to shop where we work.' UFCW Local 7 negotiators want higher staffing levels and wages to meet the cost of living in Colorado. The union said Kroger proposed cuts to health care benefits, as well as the pension program and retiree health care benefits to pay for 'meager wage increases for a few workers.' The union represents about 12,000 Kroger employees in Colorado and Wyoming. Representatives for Kroger did not respond to a Newsline request for comment. More than 8,000 Colorado King Soopers workers went on strike for just over a week in 2022 during negotiations on the three-year contract that expired at the end of January. A King Soopers worker filed a class action lawsuit in November alleging Kroger and Albertsons, which operates Safeway stores in Colorado, illegally colluded by entering into a 'no-poach' agreement during the strike. The previous contract had a 'no strike clause,' but after it expired, the union initiated strike-authorization votes around the state. Workers plan to strike at unionized King Soopers stores in Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, and Jefferson counties, as well as in Boulder and Louisville, after voting to authorize a strike last week. Workers in Colorado Springs and Pueblo voted over the weekend to authorize a strike, so those stores are not included in the strike starting Thursday, but could be included in potential expansions. 'This strike is about holding one of the largest corporations in America accountable when they break the law and cause harm to workers and our customers,' UFCW Local 7 President Kim Cordova said in a statement. 'We are holding this strike for a two-week period to allow everyone to understand our concerns, and give the employer time to right their wrong.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
