The agreement approved by Denver-area King Soopers employees after a 10-day strike is an industry-leading contract that fixes longtime problems, said Kim Cordova, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7.<\/p>\n
Union members voted Monday to ratify the contract, officially ending the labor dispute that involved more than 8,000 employees in Boulder, Parker and the Denver area. Employees at King Soopers and City Market stores in other parts of the state will vote on the contract Wednesday through Monday.<\/p>\n
“The work that our members did by going out on strike and taking a stand against King Soopers’ unfair labor practices, it\u2019s really going to set the bar and the standard, hopefully, for workers around the country to really strive for that kind of change,” Cordova said.<\/p>\n
Kroger, King Soopers’ parent company, also has contracts with union members in New Mexico, southern California and the Seattle area that are up for renewal.<\/p>\n
The three-year agreement includes hourly pay raises of $2 to $5.99, more investment in workers’ health care plan and a faster path for part-time workers to become full time, Cordova said. The contact addresses a two-tier pay structure that paid lower wages to people hired after 2005, she added.<\/p>\n
Cordova declined to disclose what percentage of the Denver-area union members voted Monday, but she said more than 95% of those who turned out voted in favor of the agreement.<\/p>\n
King Soopers agreed to add 500 new full-time positions within 90 days of contract ratification, responding to union members’ complaints of understaffing. Cordova said the positions will be filled by promoting part-time workers under new provisions aimed at making it easier for people to move to full time.<\/p>\n
Last week, Marcey Goldis, a 29-year King Soopers employee, voiced frustration with not getting a chance to read the proposal before the day of the vote. On Tuesday, she said she was satisfied with the contract.<\/p>\n
“Some people aren’t happy about it. Some of them think we could have gotten more,” Goldis said.<\/p>\n
Comments on the UFCW Local 7 Facebook page included complaints about the size of the raises and that employees didn’t get bonuses for approving the contract. King Soopers offered bonuses of $2,000 to $4,000 for ratifying the agreement but yanked the offer later in the negotiations.<\/p>\n
Cordova said the proposed bonuses came with “poison pill” provisions. She said the $27 million that would have paid for the bonuses were added to the wages of employees at the top of the pay scale.<\/p>\n
“I think we got a pretty darn good, fair contract,” Goldis said. “I\u2019m happy with my (health care) insurance and the pay raise.”<\/p>\n
The insurance premiums will stay the same this year and rise by $1 to $3 a week in 2023 to enhance disability benefits.<\/p>\n
Joe Kelley, president of King Soopers and City Market, said in a statement Monday that the company’s goal from the start was “to put more money in our associates\u2019 paychecks.”<\/p>\n
The UFCW Local 7 began negotiating in October with King Soopers and City Market, both owned by Cincinnati-based Kroger, and Albertsons, which owns Safeway and Albertsons stores. The talks between the union and King Soopers, Colorado’s largest grocery chain, broke off Jan. 6. Union members in the Denver area voted to authorize a strike and took to the picket lines Jan. 12.<\/p>\n
The last strike by Colorado grocery store workers was against King Soopers in 1996. That dispute lasted 42 days. Safeway and Albertsons stores ended up locking out their employees during the strike.<\/p>\n
After talks with King Soopers stopped, the union extended negotiations with Albertsons and Safeway. Cordova said the union will schedule bargaining sessions with the company.<\/p>\n
Leading up to the strike and on the picket lines, union members said safety during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and in the face of rising crime were important. The union said it wanted armed security guards to protect employees.<\/p>\n
Under the new contract, there will be some guards in stores, Cordova said. King Soopers managers and the union will meet to decide where guards will be located.<\/p>\n
“All of the areas are different and the needs are different,” Cordova said.<\/p>\n
The agreement makes clear that employees have a right to defend themselves if attacked, Cordova said. <\/p>\n
Union members said the company hasn’t backed them up when customers have refused to wear masks. Cordova said the company has agreed to enforce mask mandates.<\/p>\n
Cordova said the support of the community was strong, with many people refusing to cross the picket lines. She said King Soopers, which advertised for replacement workers, struggled to keep stores open and closed some departments because of lack of adequate staff.<\/p>\n
The UFCW Local 7 and King Soopers settled a lawsuit the union filed at the end of December that accused the company of unfair labor practices, including using third-party staffing agencies to do union-covered work.<\/p>\n
“No more. They have six months to get them out of there,” Cordova said.<\/p>\n