Denver King Soopers/City Market workers go on strike

King Soopers workers hit the picket lines early Wednesday in freezing temperatures with signs and hopes their efforts could prompt a change.

The strike began at 5 a.m. after union representatives for United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 rejected King Soopers/City Market's “last, best and final offer” late Tuesday. 

Richard May has worked at King Soopers for over two decades in the meat department, and throughout his years of service he has seen "lots of faces" come and go as he's unloaded, unpacked and packaged meats for families across the metro area. 

But on Wednesday afternoon, May wasn't behind the meat counter. Instead, he stood along South Hampden Road in south Denver with a sign draped over his Denver Broncos sweatshirt and in his hand. 

"We'll do what we have to do to make our lives better," May said as several people driving by honked to show their support of the strike. "And we'll do it together."

On Tuesday morning, Scott Siddons was serving lattes to King Soopers customers at the Parker store on Lincoln and Jordon roads. At 5 a.m. Wednesday, he assumed his "picket captain" duties in front of a store with one other picketer. A store manager and security guards told them to stay out of customers' way, and off the sidewalk in front of the store entrance. They argued that the Girl Scouts are allowed to be on the sidewalk.

"We'll have about 4-5 picketers out today," Siddons said, noting half the store's workers were nonunion members. 

Michael Smith, 24, a deli worker at the Stroh Ranch King Soopers in south Parker, said he expected to have 10 to 20 picketers throughout the day.

"We're just informing customers about how Kings is doing unfair labor practices," said Smith. 

For example, corporate has brought vendor Boar's Head into the grocery stores to stock the shelves, taking jobs from union workers. 

Smith and other picketers stood outside the stores Wednesday and informed shoppers about union jobs being lost and other information that led to the strike. They also handed out pamphlets on how customers can help the union and provided a list of alternative grocery chains to shop.

Some ignored the picketers, but for others like Javier Menchaca, it was enough to to make them turn around and go elsewhere. 

"I don't want to support a company that doesn't support their workers," Menchaca said. "The workers make a company who they are, so if they aren't treating them right why should we support them?"

Smith said workers at the Stroh Ranch King Soopers have been trying to get security for their store since 2018. On Wednesday, guards showed up in preparation of the strike.

"They've got security guards in there like they're expecting a riot," he said. "We're not here to get in customers' way. We're not mad at anyone."

Smith said one worker already crossed the picket line, but he's 80 years old and close to retirement. 

"That $16 per hour hiring wage hasn't hit us. They pay us $12.35 because we're unionized and they haven't changed the wages yet." 

The strike is expected to last until Feb. 2. 

Union members will get $800 to picket 40 hours a week. There's also an option of $100 per week for nonpicketers who don't cross the line, Smith said. 

"This means a lot to me personally. I went on disability and that's all through the union," said Smith. 

King Soopers officials, meanwhile, ramped up the rhetoric early Wednesday, calling for union leaders to let members vote on the company's "last, best, final offer" Tuesday. 

“Local 7 is putting politics before people and preventing us from putting more money in our associates’ pockets,” Joe Kelley, president of King Soopers/City Market, said in a news release. “It’s time for (UFCW Local 7 President) Kim Cordova to put our associates, her members, first instead of denying them the opportunity to vote on this unprecedented investment. Creating more disruption for our associates, their families, and Coloradans rather than negotiating for a peaceful resolution is irresponsible and undemocratic.”

Shopper Dawn Perez, 48, of Parker said Tuesday evening that she would not return to her neighborhood store on Parker and Cottonwood roads until the strike was over. 

"I'm a former Local 7 member. I won't cross," Perez said. "These corporations are making a lot of money off these workers' backs. And they only offered 13 cents over minimum wage?"

Perez referred to the $16 an hour starting wages Kroger offered Tuesday, which is 13 cents above Denver's minimum wage. 

"I've watched all the news, but I don't know if I can trust either side," said Perez. "But we stocked up anyway and are not coming back until they pay their workers."

Business

King Soopers strike imminent after 'last, best and final offer'

• Dennis Huspeni dennis.huspeni@gazette.com

The strike caps an acrimonious period of “unfair labor practices” accusations being tossed from both sides after the union’s 8,700 grocery workers in metro Denver stores voted overwhelmingly to strike. The union represents about 17,000 of The Kroger Co.’s 22,500 employees in Colorado.

The union’s contract with King Soopers expired Saturday.

Colorado Springs stores, and others not in metro Denver like those on the West Slope, are not impacted by the strike as their workers have different contract timelines.

Union representatives are hoping the strike will have a debilitating effect on the grocery chain, Cordova, the union president, said previously.

Labor shortages already have hit King Soopers, which like other stores has had some employees out of work because of COVID-19 or because they chose to quit as part of the Great Resignation that's swept the nation. It’s not clear if the strike will force full-store shutdowns or adversely impact customers' shopping experience. The Denver Gazette witnessed longer-than-normal lines Monday night and Tuesday mornings at metro Denver stores. There were also security guards present, where there had been none before, and prominent “Seeking Temporary Workers” signs advertising $18 an hour jobs.

King Soopers officials vowed Wednesday not to close any stores. 

Cordova said the union could pull workers from stores all at once or pick and choose from which stores to pull workers and do so incrementally.

“We know what we’re doing, our members and us know what stores we’ll be selecting, what stores go out at what time,” Cordova said. “We can pull them out at any time we want. … There’s a lot of strategy around this.”

Local 7 and King Soopers began negotiations in October, but talks became contentious last week after the votes Jan. 1 and 3, where union members in Denver and Colorado Springs, respectively, overwhelmingly authorized a strike.

"I'm not coming back until they pay those workers fairly," said Vicky Caler, 63, of Parker at a King Soopers Tuesday evening. "From day one of the COVID, they've been there like first responders, police and firefighters. They should get paid." 

Caler said she'd shop at other grocery stores until the strike is over. 

Other shoppers said they might skip King Soopers stores just to avoid the hassle. 

"We'll probably go to Safeway or Walmart," said Steve Santi, 49, of Parker. "It's the path of least resistance, and it's hard to tell which of the two sides is right."