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Colo. Safeway Workers Reject Deal; King Soopers Workers Give OK

Safeway employees in Colorado said Tuesday that they have voted to reject the retailer’s “last, best and final” contract offer and that they will ask the company to return to the bargaining table for a fifth time.

Jon Springer, Executive Editor

December 16, 2009

1 Min Read
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JON SPRINGER

DENVER — Safeway employees in Colorado said Tuesday that they have voted to reject the retailer’s “last, best and final” contract offer and that they will ask the company to return to the bargaining table for a fifth time.

Workers at King Soopers, Kroger’s Colorado-based chain, in the meantime voted to approve a similar contract, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 here said.

According to the union, some Safeway units also voted to reauthorize a strike. The threat of a strike last month prompted the “last, best and final” offer from employers. The sides have been negotiating since April to replace a contract that expired May 9. Safeway workers have voted to reject three previous contract offers from Safeway.

A Safeway spokesman wasn’t immediately available for comment.

“The workers have stayed united and made every decision by majority vote to improve the contract offer,” UFCW Local 7 attorney Crisanta Duran said in a statement. “The workers are the union, we respect their decisions, and we hope Safeway will, too.”

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About the Author

Jon Springer

Executive Editor

Jon Springer is executive editor of Winsight Grocery Business with responsibility for leading its digital news team. Jon has more than 20 years of experience covering consumer business and retail in New York, including more than 14 years at the Retail/Financial desk at Supermarket News. His previous experience includes covering consumer markets for KPMG’s Insiders; the U.S. beverage industry for Beverage Spectrum; and he was a Senior Editor covering commercial real estate and retail for the International Council of Shopping Centers. Jon began his career as a sports reporter and features editor for the Cecil Whig, a daily newspaper in Elkton, Md. Jon is also the author of two books on baseball. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English-Journalism from the University of Delaware. He lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. with his family.

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