King Soopers strike, week 2: What the union and the store say

DENVER – The King Soopers strike has begun its second week. Since its inception, the grocery chain has requested and been granted a temporary restraining order limiting the number of workers on strike outside stores, organizers of Denver’s Martin Luther King. Jr. Marade announced his rejection of King Soopers’ sponsorship, and both sides have been at the table trying to find a deal.

Kyle Clark sat down Thursday for separate interviews with King Sooper̵[ads1]7;s President Joe Kelley and the president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7, Kim Cordova.

These are excerpts from the interviews. You can see the interviews in full below.

The answers are edited for length and clarity.

A week into the strike, does it make an impact?

It is. I think it affects the negotiations. Also the company’s business. The support we receive from customers has been overwhelming.

If the King Soopers proposal right now is so bad, why not let union members vote?

The strike is about unfair work practices, which the company has not reconciled.

We have a member-led negotiating committee that will decide whether the company’s proposals are acceptable or not. Part of the problem, which is related to the unfair work practices, is that we still lack information from the company to cost and evaluate proposals. One of the big things is over health care. Our consultants do not agree on forecasts with each other and any of the budgets. While the company tells the workers and tells the media that they will put enough money into our health plan, otherwise there will be no trouble, our actuaries look at it differently.

Has the curfew made the strike seem less and less effective to the public?

No, and in fact it has gathered the troops, the neighbors and the supporters.

We had no idea they were going to do this. I mean, it’s typical of Kroger’s playbook, but they never raised a single issue at the negotiating table. Apart from what they said in court, they have never raised any issue with me. This is King Sooper’s way of trying to silence the workers.

Do you regret any of the behavior you think happened on the dash lines?

Their claims are just claims. We’re going to court, we have to appeal it. I have not seen everything they accuse workers of, but what I do know is that the aggressive behavior we have seen is from the company’s side. They will not put security guards in front of our stores to protect our members on any given day of the week, and that is one of the controversial points that we try to deal with and address here in negotiations.

Just last year during the pandemic, these were the heroes who worked for King Soopers. And now they are trying to create this narrative that the people who were essential heroes now have bad behavior.

One of the people in the last year or two who has praised your workers as frontline heroes was Governor Jared Polis. Are you surprised by the lack of support from the governor for your strike?

I’ve had a couple of conversations with the governor. What is conveyed to me is that he supports us. He hopes that we will be able to get a fair and good contract. I hope he comes out stronger. We have had enormous support from other elected leaders, but yes, we want to see Governor Polis out here supporting workers, not a brick-and-mortar store. Kroger is a Cincinnati-based company, and these are local people. We are your neighbors. We are part of the community he represents.

What will determine how this ends, and how much of it has to do with what consumers and audiences do?

Some things are – what we can not get at the negotiating table, we have to try to push in legislation, hopefully to help with security issues in the store. But I think what needs to happen is that the company just needs to get to the table, do the right thing, soak up their pride, and let’s get back to working to serve our community. I will tell you, if they get a bad contract, it will not help on staffing issues. The workers are tired. They reevaluate the relationship with their employer.

SE: Full interview with UFCW Local 7 President Kim Cordova

RELATED: King Soopers granted temporary restraining order for striking employees

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RELATED: Marade organizers say they removed King Soopers as a sponsor in the middle of the strike

A week into the strike, does it make an impact?

First of all, we came to the table with some basic things we wanted to achieve. First and foremost, we must invest in our people, which has been a long time coming, and I am delighted that we are trying to do just that. We need to focus on keeping groceries affordable for everyone here in Colorado. And at the same time, we must ensure that we run a sustainable business.

So it makes an impression. We have made some progress, especially in the last couple of days, and I am optimistic.

King Soopers gave what it described as a last, best and last offer before the strike started. Does that mean you do not put more offers on the table while negotiating?

We have. The union has returned with a number of offers, and we have done the same. All this is part of negotiations, right? I think the important piece that we are trying to get out, and we told our employees right out of the gates after we presented to the union, that we are putting $ 170 million in salary increases on the table. This is the largest wage increase in the history of King Soopers and City Markets in 75 years. By the way, our employees deserve it. They have been waiting a long time.

On top of that, we also have an industry-leading health plan. We also have a pension. Only 9% of companies in America still have a pension, and our employees have a solid one, and they are thrilled to have it. And lastly, we have reimbursement for tuition of up to $ 21,500.

We think we have a very comprehensive and fair offer on the table. I think we are making some progress, and I am optimistic that we can get this matter put to the vote very soon.

How do you think your employees feel about the restraining order?

We have a number of our employees on strike. We also have a number of our employees who are still working. We also have hundreds of people who have come in from outside Colorado from other unions.

First and foremost, the reason we received the order – and obviously the court agreed with us – our first obligation is the safety of our employees and the safety of our customers. There were some activities that happened that the court agrees were illegal and absolutely unsafe – blocking the front doors, not letting people drive through the parking lots, there were some threats, and what have you got. This is more about the safety of our employees and the safety of our customers than anything else, and the courts clearly agreed with us.

You also asked for and received a reduction in the number of picketers who may be on the line, even though they are the most peaceful people in the world. Is it not about making the strike look small?

That is certainly not true. We own a lot of our property, it is private property. If we wanted to push, we would ask everyone to leave the property. What the staff did and what the people who came in from the city had done since – they are out on the sidewalk by the street, perfect. There are still 10 or 12 or so people in front of our doors, or at least on the sidewalk in front. It is okay. I’m fine with people’s rights to sign up and tell customers their opinions. I just want it to be safe, I want it to be neat, and I want it to be organized.

The only thing I’m not happy about is that the union is instructing these people to send them to competitions that do not pay their salaries. It does not make much sense. But the point is, when we’re done with this whole thing, I’ll welcome all our employees back with open arms. I look forward to seeing them, I look forward to welcoming them, and the same goes for our customers.

The organizers of Denver’s Martin Luther King Jr. parade, Marade, they dropped King Soopers as a corporate sponsor, said they would not accept the donation this year. King Soopers asked them to keep it and said, “Love must always be greater than hatred.” You do not accuse the organizers of Marade of hating, do you?

Not at all. At the end of the day, we were never called. We were never asked what the strike was about, and they made the decision the way they did. From my point of view, keep the money. This is about celebrating Martin Luther King, history and all the things he has done for our great country.

One of the arguments I’ve seen King Soopers come up with in the last week is to compare the salaries of your employees with other occupations in the city – occupations that you point out that we require education, training, and so on. Is it an argument for not paying their people more, or is it an argument that the other professions should go to get a union?

I think it’s an argument that everyone should have paid appropriate. They will receive a fair wage. I do not think it is one against the other.

In fact, we were just trying to compare the fact that we pay a fair wage to our employees, and in fact, as we finish this contract and get it ratified, they will earn even more. That’s the important part. Get the money in the pockets of our colleagues. That’s where it belongs. No one wins in a strike. We just need to get everyone back to work, and I’m very optimistic.

SE: Full interview with King Sooper’s President Joe Kelley

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