On the morning of Jan. 21, King Soopers and the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 (UFCW) Union reached a “tentative” agreement on a three-year settlement deal. The agreement put an immediate end to the ten-day strike that was originally expected to last three weeks.
“We are pleased that this agreement allows us to put more money in our associates’ paychecks and secures healthcare and pension plans,” said Joe Kelley, president of King Soopers and City Market.
The strike began on Jan. 12, following failed negotiations between King Soopers and UFCW. King Soopers employees picketed outside of stores across the state, protesting unfair labor practices including low wages and poor working conditions. Workers noted receiving little hazard pay during the pandemic, while top executives received bonuses.
Kim Cordova, president of UFCW, explained further that requests for increased security have been ignored since 2018, with the issue coming to a head in the March 2021 shooting that killed 10 people at a Boulder King Soopers.
“We are fighting because the company is cutting our wages, cutting our hours, taking our benefits away, which has been happening since the start of the pandemic,” said striker Noah Segura in an interview with 5280.
UFCW paid the strikers $160 for an eight-hour day of picketing, incentivizing workers to stay on strike. The money comes from the UFCW union member dues and from donations from the local community. Zach Willbanks, a strike captain at a Lakewood King Soopers, explained how the pay from UFCW motivated the employees to continue the strike.
“Right now I am making more money to be out here on the line than in the store by about $300,” Willbanks said.
One picketer who spoke to CBS4 Denver similarly noted that the only incentive to return to work would be a wage increase equivalent to what UFCW is paying them to strike.
“We are hoping to get a better contract to make what we are making out here in [the store]. We deserve it,” the picketer said.
Kelley described the union’s actions as “putting politics before people” in a statement made during the strike.
“Creating more disruption for our associates, their families, and Coloradans, rather than negotiating for a peaceful resolution, is irresponsible and undemocratic,” Kelley said.
On Jan. 18, King Soopers filed for a temporary restraining order against picketers on accounts of aggressive behavior towards customers and store employees who continued to show up for work. The report filed with the request contained accounts of blocking store entrances and fire lanes and incidents of “abusive, derogatory and racist language” being shouted at customers.
One King Soopers customer recalls his experience of entering the store to pick up a prescription.
“I just didn’t think it was right for them to boo people that were going in and yelling at them,” he said in an interview with Fox31 Denver.
The same day a Denver judge issued a temporary restraining order in response to King Soopers’ request, limiting each store location to 10 picketers or less and prohibiting picketers from shouting any closer than 20 feet at a customer. The full court order applies to the Denver metro area and can be viewed here. Cordova denies the allegations, calling King Soopers’ legal actions against the union “bullying tactics.”
Community support, however, remained strong since the strike’s beginning. Parking lots of King Soopers stores stayed relatively empty throughout the strike, with many locals opting to shop at Safeway despite higher prices. Some stores are now dealing with empty shelves caused by the increased volume of customers.
On Jan. 19, King Soopers released data explaining the reasoning behind their final offer given before the beginning of the strike, providing new statistics behind the $170 million wage investment offer. The statement cited that the offer made by King Soopers allowed for employee wages higher than the wages made by first responders and social workers in Colorado.
Two days later, despite little progress made during the first week of negotiations, UFCW accepted a revised offer from King Soopers. Details of the offer were made public on Jan. 24, following pending ratification votes from the union.
Cordova, who said only days earlier that King Soopers “refuses to bargain” is pleased with the offer.
“We didn’t ask for this fight, but the Company chose to put profits over people for so long and failed to listen to the workers who made its success possible. Now, our members have the contracts they deserve and can be proud of,” said Cordova.
