Economy & Economic Development  February 18, 2025

Strike ends as King Soopers, union agree to restart negotiations

King Soopers striking workers in February 2025.
Unionized King Soopers employees on a picket line near a King Soopers location in Denver. Lucas High/BizWest
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King Soopers and the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 reached a return-to-work agreement Monday night and will restart negotiations on a new labor contract, ending — at least for now — a strike that saw thousands of grocery store employees in the Boulder Valley, the Denver metro area and Pueblo stop work to march in picket lines.

As part of the agreement to go back to the negotiating table, the union said that King Soopers has pledged not to lock out workers or implement any offer for at least 100 days. “This will give us the time to ensure we get what we need to make a staffing proposal and take action to protect our retirees,” UFCW Local 7 said. 

The terms of the return-to-work agreement also stipulate that striking workers who didn’t work the minimum hours in February to be eligible for health benefits will keep their insurance coverage. The union claims that King Soopers has also agreed to reconsider a previous contract proposal that the Kroger Co.-owned (NYSE: KR) grocery-store chain has repeatedly said was its “last, best and final offer.”

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“Our associates are more than just employees — they are the heart of King Soopers, and we recognize the challenges they have faced,” King Soopers president Joe Kelley said in a prepared statement. “Securing this agreement was about restoring certainty, not just for our business, but for the people who make it possible. It also ensures that eligible associates who were unable to meet hourly requirements due to the work stoppage will continue to receive their industry-leading, affordable healthcare coverage, fully funded by the Company to maintain continuity. We remain committed to securing a long-term contract that supports our associates, benefits our customers, and strengthens the communities we so proudly serve.”

The unfair labor practices strike began Feb. 6 after the grocery-store chain and the union failed to agree on a new labor contract. As part of a new labor contract, the union has demanded better pay, benefits and working conditions. UFCW members have long complained that King Soopers refuses to hire enough workers to adequately staff its stores. 

“We have taken a big step forward and ensured that Kroger knows that staffing is a key concern to workers and customers alike,” UFCW Local 7 president Kim Cordova said in a prepared statement. “We will go back to the bargaining table and continue our fight for a fair union contract for us, our customers and the communities we serve.”

King Soopers and the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 reached a return-to-work agreement Monday night and will restart negotiations on a new labor contract, ending — at least for now — a strike that saw thousands of grocery store employees in the Boulder Valley, the Denver metro area and Pueblo stop work to march in picket lines.

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A Maryland native, Lucas has worked at news agencies from Wyoming to South Carolina before putting roots down in Colorado.
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