A King Soopers employee strike is officially over. The grocery store chain announced the end of the strike late Tuesday night. Nearly 10,000 employees from dozens of stores across the Front Range must return to work by Thursday morning at the latest.
The workers鈥� union UFCW Local 7 said the end of the work stoppage allows them to reopen negotiations with the store to try to reach a mutual agreement. They now have 100 days to make a new staffing proposal to Kroger, which owns Colorado-based King Soopers. The agreement also protects striking workers from losing their health insurance due to the strike.
鈥淲e will go back to the bargaining table and continue our fight for a fair union contract for us, our customers and the communities we serve,鈥� wrote union officials in a statement. 鈥淥ur strike was just the beginning of our fight.鈥�
During the strike, King Soopers stores around Denver, Colorado Springs and Pueblo remained open, but some had impacted hours. All stores are expected to operate as normal on Wednesday.
鈥淥ur focus remains on reaching a fair agreement that honors their hard work while ensuring we continue to provide fresh, affordable groceries for the families who rely on us. We appreciate their dedication and look forward to productive discussions in the weeks ahead,鈥� said Joe Kelley, President of King Soopers in a statement.
The strike started Thursday, Feb. 6, after negotiations failed and the union voted to strike. Many workers gathered outside the stores to picket through the following week and a half. As a result, King Soopers filed a restraining order, citing safety concerns of customers and associates outside the store. A judge allowed for some restrictions but ultimately allowed employees to continue picketing.
UFCW says the dispute results from workers' requests for more healthcare benefits and their concerns about new technology impacting staffing levels and increasing workloads.
