King Soopers Files Lawsuit Against UFCW Local 7
Colorado-based King Soopers is standing up against what it calls a “union-driven agenda that prioritizes out-of-state special interests over the hardworking people who call this state home.” The Kroger-owned grocery chain has filed a federal lawsuit against United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 7, alleging that the union unlawfully forced the company to bargain with labor unions that do not represent its associates.
According to King Soopers, Local 7 is pushing for demands that it says are influenced by unions in California and Washington. “Colorado deserves better. Our associates deserve a union that fights for them, not one that’s distracted by out of state interests,” said Joe Kelley, president of King Soopers. “We urge Local 7 to return to the bargaining table and put Colorado associates first.”
The grocer has proposed what it calls a Last, Best, and Final Offer, which includes:
- $180 million in additional wages for associates
- A $4.50 per hour wage increase for top-rate associates over the life of the contract
- Pension stability to protect retirement security
- Comprehensive, affordable health care benefits
All unionized King Soopers workers across Colorado’s Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas and Jefferson counties, as well as at locations in the cities of Boulder and Louisville, Colo., went on two-week strikes starting Feb. 6, protesting what the union alleges are unfair labor practices. Those workers voted by 96% to authorize the strikes, following months of contract negotiations and the expiration of their labor contract in January. The strikes involve around 10,000 workers at 77 stores.
The union alleges the food retailer has interrogated union members about its bargaining and surveilled members in discussions with union staff; refused to provide information necessary for the union to be able to make or consider proposals in contract negotiations, including sales data necessary for staffing proposals; threatened members with discipline and sent home from work for wearing union clothing, buttons and other such gear; and insisted on gutting $8 million in retiree health benefit funds to pay for wage raises for active workers.
“This strike is about holding one of the largest corporations in America accountable when they break the law and cause harm to workers and our customers,” noted Kim Cordova, president of Local 7, which has offices in Colorado Springs, Cheyenne, Wheat Ridge, Grand Junction, Greeley and Pueblo, Colo. “We are holding this strike for a two-week period to allow everyone to understand our concerns, and give the employer time to right their wrong.”
Meanwhile, the union contends that King Soopers’ lawsuit is "baseless” and “frivolous.”
"This litigation is nothing more than an attempt to distract from King Soopers' efforts to silence its workforce and prevent workers from reaching an equitable contract that addresses major issues like staffing, safety, and health care,” the union said. “Kroger will go to any length to hide its corporate greed in price gouging and shareholder buybacks.”
Parent company Kroger has consistently refuted the union’s charges, noting that “[t]he company holds itself to the highest ethical standard and is confident that the union’s allegations of unfair labor practices are unfounded.” King Soopers has also vowed to keep stores open in the event of strikes.
UFCW Local 7 represents 23,000 union workers across Colorado and Wyoming, nearly 12,000 of whom are employed at King Soopers and City Market stores. Local 7 is affiliated with Washington, D.C.-based United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, which represents more than 1.3 million workers in the United States and Canada, making it one of the largest private-sector unions in North America.
The Kroger Family of Companies’ nearly 420,000 associates serve more than 11 million customers daily through a digital shopping experience and retail food stores under a variety of banner names. The Cincinnati-based grocer is No. 4 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2024 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. PG also named Kroger one of its Retailers of the Century.
