DENVER (KDVR) — The union workers of Kroger-owned King Soopers grocery stores in the metro Denver, Boulder, Parker and Broomfield bargaining units voted to authorize an unfair labor practice strike, the union announced Thursday night.
The votes took place over two days, and workers voted "overwhelmingly to approve a strike and authorize UFCW Local 7 leadership to call the Unfair Labor Practice strike." The union has not determined the exact times, dates and locations of the strike. The dates will be announced to the public and workers in advance of the strike.
“There are multiple Unfair Labor Practice charges we have filed against King Soopers over the last several months. These range from illegal intimidation of workers by the employer to the employer’s failure to provide needed information on staffing to allow for the union to prepare a comprehensive proposal to resolve the staffing crisis in King Soopers’ stores,” said Kim Cordova, President of UFCW Local 7, in a release announcing the strike vote results.
“Kroger negotiators have illegally insisted on robbing retiree health care benefits to fund wage increases for workers today. Sadly, this Company’s targeting of fixed-income retirees and other vulnerable populations only compounds its history of targeting consumers with predatory pricing," Cordova said.
The vote meetings were held Wednesday and Thursday, and UFCW Local 7 said 95% of workers in the Denver Meat Bargaining Unit voted to strike, as did 96% of workers in the Denver Retail Bargaining Unit.
Additional votes are in scheduled for workers in Colorado Springs and Pueblo on Friday and Saturday. Those votes could authorize strikes in additional locations.
“I have worked at King Soopers for 7 years, and we have been in negotiations since October to reach a new contract. Staffing in our stores is at an unsustainable level,” said Conor Hall, a deli clerk from Boulder, Colorado, in the UFCW Local 7 release. "Workers are asked to do the job of two or three people leading to bare shelves and long lines. Kroger has prevented us from reaching a contract as a result of their Unfair Labor Practices.
"The Company has left us no choice other than to call a strike. We hope that this gives us an opportunity to raise our concerns to the public because they have been falling on deaf ears with the employer.”
Union representing King Soopers workers scheduling a strike vote following failed negotiationsThe votes come after King Soopers presented what the company is calling the "last, best and final offer" and said it would put more money into workers' paychecks while keeping grocery prices down. Meanwhile, UFCW Local 7 leaders said the offer "failed to engage on the most important Union proposals" and called it "unlawful" in the union's announcement of upcoming strike votes.
King Soopers called repeatedly on the union to allow members to vote on the company's offer. The company said the union has not put forward wage proposals during negotiations, is "prematurely" calling for a strike vote, had delayed the bargaining process with "over 250 requests for information" and engaged in "single topic bargaining, neglecting other crucial matters at the negotiation table."
FOX31 reached out to Kroger, King Soopers' parent company, for comment Thursday night but none was immediately provided.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Denver metro King Soopers union workers authorize strike: Dates not yet announced )
Also on site :
- Education Ministry rehabilitates 70 schools since Assad regime’s fall
- In the wake of Myanmar quake
- The $6 billion Vatican Bank was beset by scandals, disastrous investments—and ties to the mafia. How Pope Francis tried to fix it