Four days after their contract expired, the union representing thousands of King Soopers employees in Colorado on Monday scheduled the first Jan. 29 in Westminster.
A second vote is set for Jan. 30 in Greenwood Village. More are expected. United Food and Commercial Workers International Union Local 7 said they鈥檙e starting in the Denver area because of the larger union presence and because that鈥檚 where contracts first expired Jan. 5. Negotiations were extended until Jan. 16 but King Soopers鈥� last offer was rejected Friday.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e proposing wage increases that are not across the board. Not only are they inadequate, but they鈥檙e different based on the ZIP code,鈥� said Kim Cordova, Local 7鈥檚 president. 鈥淭he company is charging the same price to a customer but the workers are going to be paid less. That鈥檚 unacceptable to us.鈥�
The company鈥檚 proposed wages 鈥� increasing up to $4.50 an hour over a four-year contract 鈥� would apply 鈥渢o a very few select people,鈥� Cordova said. Others would see much less, she said. Plus, she鈥檚 concerned about health benefits, inadequate staffing, competition from third-party vendors and worker safety.
King Soopers management had offered their 鈥� Thursday, adding 25 cents to boost pay raises for retail clerks by $1.50 an hour, among other changes. The grocer鈥檚 proposal expires Jan. 31.
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