Pickets Coming Down As Union, King Soopers Reach Tentative Deal

DENVER, CO —A message posted on the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 7 Twitter account on Friday morning informs striking King Soopers' workers that the pickets are coming down and that it's time to contact their store managers and get placed on a schedule for a return to work.

The tweet comes as news broke that the union has reached a tentative three-year deal with King Soopers/City Market to end its strike after 10 days of demonstrations.

More than 8,000 workers from 78 King Soopers stores walked off the job on Jan. 12, protesting the company's labor practices after contracts began expiring throughout Colorado. The strike had been scheduled to last three weeks.

According to CRP news, details have yet to be released about what is in the proposed contract, and members of the union will vote on Monday on whether to ratify the agreement. The union said details of the contract would be made public in the coming days.

"After months of negotiations and after our members walked out on strike, we have reached a tentative agreement with King Soopers/City Market that addresses the Company's unfair labor practices and ensures that our members will receive the respect, pay, and protection they warrant," Kim Cordova, the president of UFCW Local 7, said in a release.

Cordova added: "This fight will always be about the workers. I could not be prouder of our members who put it all on the line to have their voices heard."

UCFW Local 7 and King Soopers had been negotiating since the fall, and had battled over several issues, including pay and worker safety and security. Though talks had stalled this winter.

In early January, the union filed a lawsuit against the company for hiring temporary workers at a higher wage than union members, according to CPR news.

The union and owners of King Soopers agreed to resume negotiations on Jan. 13, which they did the following day.

On Tuesday, the Denver County District Court granted King Soopers a Temporary Restraining Order against UFCW Local 7 picketers, both preventing more than 10 people to picket at any location as well as intimidation from picketers.

According to the Denver Post, during negotiations, King Soopers proposed raising starting pay to at least $16 an hour, which is 13 cents above Denver's minimum wage. A spokesperson for King Soopers said the chain's average hourly wage is $18.29 an hour, according to the Denver Post.

Joe Kelley, president of King Soopers and City Market, said in a Friday release that the company looked forward to welcoming back the associates as well as the customers who chose to stay away from the store in solidarity with the workers.

"We are pleased that this agreement allows us to put more money in our associates' paychecks and secures health care and pension plans," Kelley said.

Cordova, meanwhile, thanked the community for its support, including the customers who chose to shop at other stores during the strike.

"All of us at Local 7 are proud to fight on behalf of our members who show up to work every day, keeping shelves full to feed their communities through this ongoing pandemic while barely making ends meet to feed and provide for their own families," Cordova said, according to the Denver Post. "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."

Related Stories

Colorado King Soopers Workers Formally Announce Intent To Strike

Union Representing 1000s Of CO Grocery Store Workers To Strike

King Soopers Strike Begins, Union Says 'Unfair Labor Practices'

Negotiations Resume As King Soopers Strike Continues

Court Partially Grants King Soopers Temporary Restraining Order