DENVER (KDVR) -- As thousands of King Soopers union members are on strike after failed negotiations, the grocery giant filed a lawsuit against the union on Friday.
UFCW Local 7, the Colorado grocery union representing employees, and King Soopers met at least 10 times between October and January but never came to a deal, leading to more than 8,500 of the grocery chain's employees walking off the job. The union voted to approve the Unfair Labor Practice strike for the Denver metro area, which began Thursday.
The union said the strike could last up to two weeks. Three days in, King Soopers announced Friday that it has filed a lawsuit against UFCW Local 7.
King Soopers claims the union's agenda "prioritizes out-of-state special interests," accusing the union of unlawfully requiring it to bargain with out-of-state labor unions, specifically in Washington and California, that do not represent its associates.
"Our associates work hard every day to serve their neighbors and families in Colorado. They deserve a union that puts them first, not one that prioritizes a strategy orchestrated by out-of-state special interests," King Soopers President Joe Kelley said in a statement. "We’re committed to a fair contract that delivers real wage increases, affordable healthcare, and pension stability—just like we always have. But we won’t be pressured by illegal actions that hurt our stores, our associates, or the communities that rely on us."
The UFCW Local 7 union said in a press release that the lawsuit is "baseless" and "frivolous," and said its filing was an attempt to silence workers' voices and distract from the strike.
The union "vigorously denies" that it is forcing the grocery chain to bargain with anyone other than UFCW Local 7, and said King Soopers actually invites competitors to sit at the table for bargaining.
“It is particularly galling that King Soopers is making such false allegations given the Company’s own track record of being caught lying about illegal coordination agreements with its competitor Safeway/Albertsons during the 2022 ULP strike by UFCW Local 7 workers,” union president Kim C. Cordova said in a statement.
Everything you need to know about the strike at King SoopersThe union said it believes the lawsuit prevents workers from reaching an equitable contract.
King Soopers said its "last, best and final offer" included:
$4.50 hourly wage increase for top-rated associates over the life of their contract $180 million in additional wages for associates Pension stability Comprehensive, affordable healthcare benefitsThe union's president did not comment on the latest negotiations as of Friday. The union said the strike could last up to two weeks depending if they can reach a deal with the grocery chain.
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