King Soopers and City Market workers will strike, union chief saysKing Soopers and City Market workers will strike, union chief says

King Soopers and City Market workers in Colorado will hold strike vote meetings from Jan. 29 to Feb. 1, the union announced on Wednesday. 

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United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) Local 7 President Kim Cordova said the strike is motivated by unfair labor practices by Kroger, which owns King Soopers and City Market. Staffing is the top issue, according to Cordova, who noted that staffing has decreased by 18% in Colorado stores. In its final offer, Kroger said it will focus on effective staffing and plans to add roles like sanitation clerks and hourly managers to at least 20 stores.

UFCW Local 7 also argued that Kroger’s “last, best, and final” offer includes illegal proposals. One proposal involves Kroger pulling more than $25 million from health care plans for active workers and retirees to fund wage increases. Cordova stated that Kroger needs union approval to make this move, but the Cincinnati-based grocer is insisting on proceeding without it. Kroger also wants workers to fill and pay for prescriptions exclusively through their stores, which the union claims is illegal.

Headed for a strike

UFCW Local 7 believes a strike is inevitable, as no further negotiation sessions have been scheduled. The last session was on Jan. 16. Workers at King Soopers and City Market went on strike three years ago for 10 days before a new contract was negotiated, which resulted in a $5.99 per hour wage increase. The work stoppage led to major departments in stores being shut down, and a similar scenario could unfold again if workers approve the strike.

Blame the failed merger

Late last year, courts in Oregon and Washington rejected a $24.6 billion merger between Kroger and Albertsons. UFCW Local 7 believes workers are now suffering the consequences of the failed merger because Kroger is not reinvesting in its workforce.

More details from the union

UFCW Local 7 said it has offered up to 80 different proposals to Kroger, but the grocer said the union has failed to present a final offer. Other concerns from the union are:

More details on Kroger’s final offer

It includes:

In their own words

“Workers and the consumers have paid for this failed merger, and we’ve seen the decline in hours and staffing. We shared evidence with them about how there’s not enough staff to hang the right prices and make sure the prices are correct in the stores. We gave them examples of when turkeys were overpriced because there was not enough staffing to make the corrections and customers were paying more than what was advertised.” —UFCW Local 7 President Kim Cordova.