Workers Claim Victory as King Soopers Strike Ends

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by: Colorado Pols

UPDATE: 9NEWS’ Kyle Clark:

Both UFCW's Kim Cordova and King Soopers President Joe Kelley told me that the strike was having an impact on contract negotiations. That's an undeniable victory for UFCW Local 7, which didn't have to stay out for all the originally-announced three weeks. https://t.co/KTfgZBG3Ix

— Kyle Clark (@KyleClark) January 21, 2022

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9NEWS reports on an apparently victorious conclusion to the 9-day strike by King Soopers workers, with a new (but yet to be disclosed) tentative agreement that workers will vote to approve Monday:

The worker’s strike will end immediately and workers can return to work Friday, UFCW said in a release.

“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,” said Kim Cordova, President of UFCW Local 7. “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.”

“We are pleased that this agreement allows us to put more money in our associates’ paychecks and secures healthcare and pension plans.” said Joe Kelley, president of King Soopers and City Market. “We look forward to welcoming back our associates and customers.”

By all accounts the shopping public also played a big role in the success of UFCW’s industrial action, largely honoring the picket lines and severely reducing traffic to King Soopers stores during the strike. Community support is every bit as important as strike pay in empowering workers to stay strong against management in a labor dispute.

Congratulations, and resume consuming as usual.

8 thoughts on “Workers Claim Victory as King Soopers Strike Ends”

JeffcoBlue says:

January 21, 2022 at 11:34 am

Thank goodness, Walmart is a terrible place to buy groceries (or anything else).

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1. Voyageur says:
  
  January 21, 2022 at 9:07 pm
  
  We had a delivery today, back to kroger quality and Kroger prices. We stood by the union in the crunch.
  
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ElliotFladen says:

January 23, 2022 at 7:12 am

Now that the strike is over I can go back to avoiding King Soopers.

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1. kwtree says:
  
  January 23, 2022 at 8:28 am
  
  Soopers recycles plastic film. ( or say they recycle it). Nobody else does. So I shop there about once a month.
  Props to the strikers for persisting and proving that power grows upward from the roots.
  
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  1. notaskinnycook says:
    
    January 23, 2022 at 9:57 am
    
    Kwtree, you might want to check out https://www.ridwell.com/. They recycle all kinds of stuff that no one else will, like clothing, books, batteries, and plastic film.
    
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    1. kwtree says:
      
      January 23, 2022 at 3:08 pm
      
      I’ve seen Ridwell’s ads- they still don’t recycle clamshell and most take-out food container plastics. Nobody in the Denver Metro area recycles those- the Quail Street recycling center makes one take them out of one’s plastics recycling. Somethiing about different melting points for the plastics.
      
      I gather Boulder does take those food clamshells and the black and green food containers- Boulderites are willing to pay extra for quality recycling.
      
      But thanks.
      
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      1. Conserv. Head Banger says:
        
        January 23, 2022 at 5:00 pm
        
        It’s not so much that Boulderites are willing to pay extra. In order to make recycling really work, there has to be a market for the stuff. I’ve talked several times with staff at Quail Street recycling here in Lakewood (if others were wondering where it’s located).
        
        I haven’t checked since late summer last year. But items like clamshells and non-clean takeout food containers aren’t marketable. A potential solution is to not get those products. Or take one’s own clean dish instead of getting a to-go box for the part of your restaurant entree you can’t finish.
        
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        kwtree says:
        
        January 23, 2022 at 6:00 pm
        
        Apparently, Boulder does have markets for clean fast food and takeout containers, and other items.
        
        The city passed a Zero Waste ordinance in 2015, and it seems to be working well. I don’t know how much it costs individuals or businesses, but other cities should take notice.
        
        It’s not a bad idea to bring one’s own container for leftovers. For a while, Covid protocols prohibited using anything brought from home, but with the understanding that the virus mostly doesn’t live on or transmit from surfaces, ordinary cleanliness suffices.
        
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