Uncertainty grows in Colorado grocery labor talks as key deadline looms - Denver Business Journal:

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The moves leave members of United Food and Commerciall Workers UnionLocal No. 7 in a state of King Soopers workers have not requested a vote on whether to authorize astrike yet, but they also have no idea what will happeh when the contract expires at midnight union spokeswoman Laura Chapin said. “We don’t want to be lockes out. We want to keep said King Soopers checkerJulie Collier, a 30-year employewe of the grocery chain, at a news conference outsids the negotiations site at the Westin Westminster Hotel Thursday. “We want to keep but the negotiations aremoving slowly.
” Some 17,000 unionize d workers of the threwe largest grocery chains in the Denver area , Safeway and unit King Soopera ­— began negotiations on a new five-yeaer contract on April 9 and extended the current contracft a month later unti May 30. Safeway workers agreed late Wednesday to extend theire deal for another half a month after makingha counter-offer to the chain’s latesf contract proposal.
Safeway spokeswoman Kris Staaf said in a news releasew Thursday that thecompany “is committed to negotiating new labo r contracts that are fair, responsiblse and meet the needs of both the employees and the King Soopers workers, however, rejected a similar extensio n on Thursday because that chain woulr not remove a clause that would allows the company to lock out workers aftert giving them 24-hour notice. King Soopersa then rejected the union’s proposal for a 10-week contracf extension, Chapin said.
King Soopers spokeswoman Dian Mulligan said that the chaimnis "tremendously disappointed" that the union rejected the same 15-day contract extensiobn that Safeway workers accepted. The groceryg store refused the union's 10-week extension proposaol because associates and customerzs do not wantmore foot-draggin that keeps everyone on edge, she said. King Soopers officials expecft workers to be at their posts as usual afteer the contract expires Sunday and said they do not expecft customers to notice any difference in service atits stores.
"We believe it is time for the unionb to face the current economi c and competitive realities and take a serious and thoughtful look at our Mulligan said in anews release. "We will continuw to work hard to quickly come o an Despite the extension of theSafewauy contract, that chain could still lock workersa out with one day’s notice if King Soopers employees go on according to an agreement signed between the two grocers in April. Albertsons workers have been workinv without a contract sinceMay 9, but operations at the stord continue as usual, Chapin said.
The biggest issuee on the table remainpay levels, health care and pension King Soopers and Safewayu have offered salary freezes for most workers and cuts in pension benefites while tentatively agreeing to a preventativwe health care package that will pay for thingsz like annual physicals and smoking-cessation programs for the firstr time. King Soopers workers ralliedd outside the negotiations Thursday asking their employerf to take the threat of a lockout off the tablr and to help them out at a time when a recessiobn threatens to gut themiddle “We’re willing to sit here and negotiate as long as possible,” said Matt a 26-year clerk at the store at Federao Street and 104th Avenue.
“Wee have some major issues that we’re milez apart on, so we’re trying to closwe the gap.”