The union that represents King Soopers employees said Friday that after months of negotiations, its contracts with the supermarket chain have expired and votes authorizing a strike could be announced as early as Monday.
The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7, which represents members in Wyoming and Colorado, agreed to extend the contracts, originally set to expire Jan. 5. The contracts were extended, but bargaining sessions lasting into the night Wednesday and Thursday produced only an offer that would require concessions from workers, the union said in a statement.
“We started meeting with the company in October with clear goals of necessary wage increases so workers could afford to live in our state, maintain decent health and retirement benefits, and resolve a staffing crisis that is causing daily strife for workers and customers alike. The company’s proposal fails on all fronts,” said Kim Cordova, UFCW Local 7 president.
Union leaders are communicating with workers and are in the process of scheduling strike votes. The union said votes could be announced Monday.
A statement by King Soopers accused union negotiators of “stall tactics and creating uncertainty.” The company said its final offer included significant investments of up to a 6% increase in the first year of the contract and “promises to support, protect and invest” in employees’ interests.
Cincinnati-based Kroger owns King Soopers and City Markets in Colorado. The last strike against King Soopers was in January 2022 when thousands of employees across metro Denver walked off the job. An agreement was reached 10 days later, followed by an agreement between the union and workers at Safeway and Albertsons stores in Colorado.
The latest contract talks followed the collapse of a proposed merger between Kroger, the country’s largest supermarket chain, and Albertsons. Separate decisions in December by a federal court in Oregon and a state court in Washington sided with opponents of the consolidation.
Albertsons then called off the $24.6 billion merger and announced a lawsuit against Kroger that claims the supermarket giant didn’t do enough to win approval of the plan. Kroger disputed Albertsons’ assertions.
Cordova blamed the unsuccessful negotiations with King Soopers on the company’s demand for concessions from workers, including a choice between immediate cuts in health care benefits or future cuts in excess of $47 million; the elimination of seniority-based scheduling protections; and the outsourcing of union jobs to gig workers.
Union leaders in Colorado and other states recently complained that Kroger and Albertsons spent billions of dollars on the failed merger and share buybacks to benefit shareholders at a time when stores need more workers and repairs and customers need a break from high prices.
Kroger said on its website Friday that its proposal to UFCW Local 7 included continued low-cost heath care for employees and their families and joint labor-management committee meetings to discuss staffing concerns
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