Unemployed workers lined up at area supermarkets Monday afternoon, jockeying for a chance to temporarily replace grocery-store sackers, cashiers and stockers who might go on strike.
Shortly before 3 p.m. — when King Soopers opened its application process — job seekers began ambling into stores across the metro area.
Fifty-year-old Jeff Grossmeyer, a psychology graduate, was the first to arrive at the Denver King Soopers on Downing Street, where he scanned the poster near the front door listing a dozen temporary jobs.
Those positions will need to be filled if King Soopers, along with Albertsons and Safeway, can’t reach agreement with United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 before their contract expires Saturday.
“Business has to go on,” said Grossmeyer, who says he knows he’s overqualified but must find work. “Who knows, they may need someone to work in the bakery for a while.”
In recent days, the supermarket owners and 17,000- member local union have published dueling advertisements and sharply worded press statements. Weeks-long contract talks are still far from a resolution, with the most recent salvo fired Monday by Safeway, accusing the workers of rejecting a good-faith effort at a proposed deal.
The grocery workers, in turn, have accused the grocery chains of violating National Labor Relations law by running ads for temporary workers at $10.25 an hour, which exceeds the wages of many current workers. Each side denies it has used unfair strategies.
Whatever the pay, the demand for jobs is evident. Some people, such as Kevin McCarthy, another King Soopers applicant, say they’re reluctant to cross a picket line but are willing to do.
“That will help me out a little,” said McCarthy, 36.
Safeway also reported a steady interest in temporary jobs. The chains did not provide estimates on the number of applications they’ve recently processed.
“We’re doing this as a precautionary measure, hoping to resolve this with an agreeable contract,” said Kristine Staaf, director of public affairs for Safeway. “But we have to take care of our customers.”
Miles Moffeit: 303-954-1415 or mmoffeit@denverpost.com
This article has been corrected in this online archive. Originally, it left the impression that applicants for temporary jobs at area grocery stores would receive insurance and other benefits if they are hired. That is not the case.
