Workers at numerous Denver metro area King Soopers have voted to strike, but the grocery chain has assured customers that stores will remain open.
The employees are focused on more healthcare benefits along with worries about new technology impacting staffing levels and increased workloads.
Before the vote, Kim Cordova, the president of the union known as the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 7 spoke to KUNC and said the issue is just as much about the workers as it is about the customers.
“Our members have become professional excuse makers and apologists for this, the largest grocer in the United States, you know, ‘I'm sorry products not on the shelf. I'm sorry that you're waiting in long lines,” said Cordova.
Following Thursday night’s vote to authorize a strike, King Soopers sent out the following statement, assuring customers that stores will stay open and that they will continue to work with the UFCW Local 7 to come to a compromise.
“While we respect our associates' rights to participate in a work stoppage, any associate who chooses to continue to work is welcome,” said Joe Kelley, President of King Soopers in a statement. “We believe our associates would be better served if the Union worked with us to reach an agreement that would not risk leaving our associates without a paycheck. We remain open to continuing to meet with the Union to reach a resolution.”
In its statement, King Soopers said the National Labor Relations Board has determined that the company did not commit “an Unfair Labor Practice during these negotiations.”
According to the UFCW Local 7 page, the strike has been authorized for stores in Denver, Boulder, Broomfield and Parker locations.