Presidents of King Soopers, union believe strike against grocer likely

Both the president of King Soopers and the union that represents the supermarket chain’s employees believe a strike is likely after union negotiators rejected the company’s contract offer. That’s where the agreement ends.

Joe Kelley, president of King Soopers and City Market in Colorado, said it appears “we’re going down the same path” as three years ago when workers called a strike in January 2022 against Denver-area King Soopers. The strike lasted 10 days.

Metro Denver King Soopers workers will vote Wednesday and Thursday on whether to authorize a strike. Votes are scheduled Jan. 31 in Colorado Springs and Feb. 1 in Pueblo.

The union is still in contract negotiations with Albertsons, which owns Safeway and Albertsons stores in Colorado.

Kelley accused Kim Cordova, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7, of bargaining in bad faith with King Soopers.

“We gave (Cordova) a comprehensive offer back on Dec. 4 that included wages, health care, pension and a number of things. We’ve been negotiating since October,” Kelley said. “She kept  promising us for two months that she was going to come back with a comprehensive wage and staffing proposal and she’s done nothing.”

King Soopers said union members should be allowed to vote on what it called its “last, best and final offer.” 

“Let the members make the decision. It’s their decision to make,” Kelley said. “It’s not Kim Cordova’s. It’s not Joe Kelley’s. If they vote and they don’t like it, take a strike vote.”

Cordova said the bargaining committee, made up of union members, rejected the offer and negotiations ended when the labor contracts with King Soopers expired Jan. 17.

“I don’t vote. They do,” Cordova said of workers.

The union believes some of the company’s health care proposals are unlawful and amount to unfair labor practices. Based on those, Cordova said the labor dispute is likely moving in the direction of a strike. She said King Soopers hasn’t responded to some of the union’s proposals.

The union’s bargaining committee has 37 members who represent stores from the Denver area and across the state. Cordova said the bargaining sessions are open to all union members.

Kelley said King Soopers has responded to more than 300 requests for information from the union. Cordova replied that UFCW Local 7 is still waiting for sales data and information necessary for a proposal on staffing levels.

“Staffing is the No. 1 issue for our members,” Cordova said.

An analysis by UFCW officials in Washington state said that Kroger, the nation’s largest supermarket chain and owner of King Soopers and City Market, has reduced employees’ hours the past several years. While hours reported to the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration rose during the COVID-19 pandemic, hours overall between 2019 and 2023 dropped 13.8% nationally and 18% in Colorado, according to the analysis by UFCW Local 3000.

Cordova said inadequate staffing has led to long checkout lines, some departments being forced to close early and not enough workers to stock shelves and ensure that prices get changed in the computer systems and in the stores.

“That’s 100% not true,” Kelley said. “We have close to 3,500 people more than we had during COVID.”

King Soopers opened a new store in Colorado Springs this week, the company’s 154th store in the state. Kelley said the company hired 300 people to staff the store. A new location will open soon in Fort Collins to replace an older store.