DENVER — After their final scheduled bargaining session Thursday night, it appears King Soopers/City Market and the union representing their employees were unable to agree to a new contract. UFCW Local 7 released a statement Friday morning saying their employers abruptly walked out of the room and did not return.
“UFCW members are proud to serve King Soopers and City Market customers,” said UFCW Local 7 President Kim Cordova. “We are committed to making King Soopers and City Market a better place to work and shop, but we can’t do that without a partnership with the company.”
In a statement sent to Denver7, UFCW Local 7 said the latest proposal from King Soopers was unacceptable, and Local 7 members will likely make the tough choice to authorize a strike. The statement said the latest contract proposal from King Soopers and City Market includes no raises for nearly half of workers, fewer full time jobs for our community and no access to sick leave for thousands of workers.
More than 12,000 workers represented by UFCW Local 7 work at 109 King Soopers and City Market stores in Colorado. Their current contract ended January 12, 2019 and Local 7 has been engaged in bargaining for new contracts since mid-December.
King Soopers issued the following statement:
“We want to set the record straight on labor negotiations. It’s unfortunate the facts have been misrepresented. Our associates and customers deserve the truth. Our team has made themselves available to continue negotiating with the union. As negotiations continue our stores and associates will serve our communities as they always have. To be clear our offer makes significant investments in our associates: Increase in wages, incremental investments to the employee pension plan, continued investment to best in class healthcare at no additional cost. We know our associates are the heart of King Soopers/City Market and we will continue to negotiate with them and our communities in mind.”