The King Soopers Strike Continues

As of yesterday, Friday, 1/14, there was a mediation meeting between the King Soopers Corporate officers and The Union Representatives, but it did not end well for either side. Nothing was accomplished. The meeting only lasted for about 68 minutes, with the President of King Soopers storming out of the meeting. The union rejected the latest offer of $148 million, which is the largest amount ever offered by King Soopers, from King Soopers President, Joe Kelley.

This is an excerpt from the meeting minutes:

“Joe Kelley [Kings Soopers’ president] did show up which I was surprised but glad that he came to the table today. We’ve had some back and forth this morning. It’s been very unproductive, the company came in and they have acted very unprofessional and in fact have been screaming almost across the table,” said Cordova.

King Soopers responded by issuing a statement to KDVR:

This is a misrepresentation of the truth. Joe is in fact passionate about advocating on behalf of our associates. The rhetoric and mistruths do nothing to benefit our associates and they deserve better.

Our position remains the same, we’ve put all the money on the table and our associates should have a right to choose what’s best for them and their families – let them vote.

The two groups decided they would meet around 11 a.m. Friday morning to work on a compromise. The groups have been going back and forth all week with the grocer accusing the union of using stall tactics but the union said they are coming to the table in good faith. Picket lines will stay up as they work on a solution. Negotiations are set to continue Saturday.

In the meantime, with strikers refusing to work and shelves getting emptier and emptier by the day, the public are the ones who are paying the prices, both the literal and the figurative prices, and nothing is getting accomplished. Regardless of your take on unions, the longer this persists, the uglier things are going to get, and it will affect everyone, especially if Safeway employees follow suit. There will be NO winners, only losers, and sadly, EVERYONE will lose in the end. There are many things we can do without, and many of those things I already have voluntarily chosen to go without, and quite frankly, I do not miss them one bit. But food is a necessity, and we all have to eat. We will not survive without food. No one can, regardless of your believes or your opinions or your principals.

Fortunately, my kitchen is always well stocked, but I will have NO PROBLEM whatsoever crossing any picket line when I need food.

This is NOT just a Denver problem. This is a problem the whole nation is facing, as well as many other countries abroad. Let’s all pray for a quick resolution before we end up in a bloody revolution.