DENVER—A union representing grocery workers is in the midst of a leadership struggle, just as it is negotiating new contracts for Colorado workers at Safeway, Albertsons and Kroger Co.’s King Soopers and City Market chains.
Results Monday showed United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 members in Colorado and Wyoming voted in a mail-in election to replace President Ernest Duran Jr. with former union employee Kim Cordova, whom union leaders fired last spring.
Union lawyer Crisanta Duran said Tuesday that her father and others will challenge the results, though, due to defamatory allegations. She said fewer than 13 percent of the more than 21,000 union members voted.
Union officials didn’t release the vote totals, but Cordova said she won by a 55-45 split. Crisanta Duran said the election was close.
Cordova expects to take office Jan. 1.
In the meantime, Ernest Duran Jr. continues to lead negotiations on contracts for about 17,000 workers at Safeway, King Soopers, City Market and Albertsons who are represented by the union. King Soopers, City Market and Safeway workers are voting on the contracts through early October.
Cordova said her supporters were upset with concessions in past contracts negotiated by Mr. Duran and the fact that he, his son and his daughter all earn top salaries from the union. U.S. Department of Labor records show Mr. Duran and his son both made more than $100,000 last year.
Mr. Duran has been with the union for 25 years. He originally was a lawyer for the union and served one term as president. Members later petitioned for him to run as president again, Ms. Duran said. He ran unopposed for three-year terms in recent years.
“It’s time for a change,” Cordova said.
Cordova said she and secretaries for Mr. Duran and his son were fired this spring after they questioned the family’s spending. Cordova then returned to Safeway, where she worked before becoming a union employee, to become a baker and run against Mr. Duran for president.
Ms. Duran said confidentiality rules prevent her from discussing Cordova’s dismissal and Cordova hasn’t signed a release allowing Ms. Duran to discuss it.
The Department of Labor has investigated complaints by Cordova and others of possible misspending by Mr. Duran. A department representative didn’t return a phone message Tuesday afternoon regarding the investigation.
Ms. Duran called the allegations “defamatory.” She said she doesn’t expect any criminal charges but is awaiting final word from labor officials.
Denver television station KMGH reported that the union has paid for various expenses for the Durans, including a two-week trip to Spain for Mr. Duran to study Spanish. Ms. Duran said all expenses were for legitimate business reasons.
“All salaries and expenses are approved by an audit committee, the executive board and voted on by members at monthly meetings,” Ms. Duran said.
Ms. Duran also rebuffed suggestions of nepotism. The slate of candidates running with Cordova for union positions in the recent election included three pairs who are related, she said.
