King Soopers Union Employees To Vote On Strike

DENVER, CO – Local union members who work at King Soopers and City markets met Thursday and will meet again Friday to vote on whether to strike or not. Members of UFCW Local 7 called the vote after talks with representatives from King Soopers parent company Kroger broke down last week.

UPDATE: Kings Soopers Workers Will Strike: Union Votes To Walkout

At issue are unequal pay raises and benefits such as sick leave for employees, the union said. The union issued a statement saying that the latest company offer "stipulates that workers must wait up to ten years to get paid sick leave" other than emergency hospitalizations.

"The hard working men and women who handle your produce, slice your meat and prepare your food at King Soopers and City Market deserve access to quality health care and paid, first day, sick leave when they aren't feeling well," said Kim Cordova, president of UFCW Local 7 in a statement.

Meanwhile, signs advertising for temporary workers, paid $15 an hour, with no benefits, popped up again at Colorado King Soopers stores. When negotiations broke down in early March, signs advertising for temps were removed after backlash, Westword reported.

The starting salary offered to union members by the company is around $14.41, according to the union's website.

Dennis Gibson, president of King Soopers and City Market, told KUNC that the company's offer included "some wage increases, job openings and retirement benefits," the station reported.

“Despite the transformation occurring in the grocery industry, we continue to make significant investments in our associates,” Gibson said in a statement to the station. “We have come to this offer with each of our associates in mind. I am confident when our associates read through the details of this offer they will see we are making significant investments in them.”

"Authorizing strike is a difficult decision for any worker," Cordova said in a statement. "We remain hopeful the company will come to the table with an offer that provides King Soopers and City Market workers with the benefits they deserve and have earned."

About 12,000 grocery store employees belong to UFCW Local 7. King Soopers has about 159 stores in Colorado. The last King Soopers strike was in 1996.

Related: King Soopers Strike Appears Imminent: Company, Union Talks Fail

Related: King Soopers Strike Draws Closer: Union, Kroger Can't Make A Deal

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