DENVER—A union representing about 17,000 grocery workers in Colorado has filed complaints accusing grocery chains of violating federal labor law as they face a May 9 deadline in contract talks.
United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 said Saturday that the companies have violated the National Labor Relations Act by not disclosing the terms of their agreement to team up in the bargaining. The union also claims King Soopers’ ads for temporary workers at $10.25 an hour violate federal law because the wage exceeds the pay for many union workers.
Temporary workers would be hired if union members went out on strike.
King Soopers spokeswoman Diane Mulligan said the proposed pay is less than the average wage for regular employees.
King Soopers and Safeway representatives declined to comment on the other complaint except to say that they routinely coordinate bargaining with each other. Albertsons spokeswoman Christine Wilcox did not comment on the complaints in an e-mail response to questions.
The union’s contracts with King Soopers/City Market, Safeway and Albertsons expire May 9. The 31 employees at Safeway’s meat warehouse in Denver have voted to authorize a strike if a new agreement isn’t reached by the deadline.
Thousands of other Safeway workers on the Front Range are to vote May 8 and 9 on whether to authorize a strike.
Crisanta Duran, an attorney representing the union, said Saturday that the companies have refused to say what’s in their agreement to coordinate bargaining with each other. She said the union wants to know if the companies have agreed to lock out all employees if union members vote to walk off the job at just one chain.
In 1996, Safeway workers were locked out when King Soopers went on strike.
“Before workers vote, it’s important they know what the agreement is between King Soopers and Safeway,” Duran said. “It’s a very big decision that could be detrimental to thousands of workers across the state.”
Union and representatives of all three grocery chains said they hope to agree on new contracts before the current ones expire.
“We’re ready to go around the clock between now and the deadline,” Duran said of contract negotiators.
Talks for Western Slope workers will begin later this month.
