DENVER, CO—With a contract that expired in January, members of the United Food & Commercial Workers in Colorado have authorized their union to call a strike against their employers King Soopers and City Market.
The strike authorization vote, which took two days, was counted on Friday night, according to the Times Union.
Issues raised by the union include seeking across-the-board pay raises and rising employee health care costs.
King Soopers/City Market, a local subsidiary of Ohio-based grocery Kroger, contends its latest contract proposal offers pay raises for “top rate” associates and others and wouldn’t add costs to employees’ health benefits packages.
In a letter to members, UFCW Local president Kim Cordova praised the members’ vote.
If the union does call its members out on strike, it will affect 12,000 of King Soopers’ and City Market’s employees.
King Soopers/City Market, which is a subsidiary of Ohio-based Kroger, has said that “the contract proposal it put forth last week would provide significant pay raises for ‘top rate’ associates and others and would not add any costs to employees’ health benefits packages,” according to the Denver Post.
“That offer, made before the final negotiation session between the two sides broke down, is the company’s last and best proposal, officials with King Soopers said,” the Post reported.
King Soopers has placed signs advertising temporary work in many of its stores.
