Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
It is Colorado's Morning News. Marty Lenz, Gina Gondec At Morning.
Colorado King Supers Union workers have now all authorized a
strike following a week of voting bias members.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Last week, we spoke with both King Super's president Joe
Kelly and UFCW Local seven president Kim Cordova on the strikes.
Joe Kelly will be joining us now here on the
ka Common Spirit Health hotline. We have reached out to
Kim as well, we have not heard back for this morning. Joe,
Thank you so much for your time again this morning.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
It's my pleasure.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Good morning, your overall reaction now to the latest of
what we heard with Pueblo and Colorado Springs, King Sooper
is now authorizing the strike over the weekend.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
So it's again very disappointed that the Local seven, Kim
Crudover have even taken a strike vote. It's way too premature.
They have not even responded to the last best and
final offer meet and they have not presented it to
their members our associates to vote on it. What she's
asked them to take a vote on as an unfair
(00:57):
labor practice. And last I checked the national Labor Relations
boards that I want to make those decisions, and we
are confident we have not committed an untail labor practice
at all. So she's so premature and not putting this
offer in front of the associates is a bit reckless.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Joe, how do you proceed at this point without a
deal on the table. What's the next move for you
and King Supers?
Speaker 3 (01:21):
Well, from what we're hearing and what she's telling her
members that she presumably is going to call a strike
this week, we'll see if in fact that happens. I
think I mentioned to you last week. We have apprepared
to keep the stores open. I am really concerned about
our associates and the hardship that this will cause in
not receiving a paycheck and the trepidation that it does
(01:42):
to themselves and to their family when this is totally unnecessary.
But we will keep the stores open. We have responsibility
to service the communities and our customers.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Joe again, walk us through the temporary employee hiring process.
Have you already started that and when are you planning
to have them be ready to roll if we don't
know when the strike is exactly taking place yet.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
Yeah, so we've started the process last week. We already
have over a thousand people on the ground that we
are training in our non union stores. Again, they are
temporary workers, they are not replacement workers, so we don't
have anybody that can replace our great King Soupers and
City Market associates, So temporary firms have helped us do so.
And we have another thousand folks right behind them coming
(02:26):
in between today in the next few days, and certainly
we have the support of all our sister companies across
the country to help us such in fact we need it.
But again, I'm just hopeful that Kim Kudobo will do
the right thing and put the last, best and final
offer in front of her members who she works for,
and let them vote on it. If they vote on
it and they want to ratify it, that's terrific and
(02:47):
I think that they will be very pleased. We have
shared this offer with our associates and we've heard tremendous feedback.
So for it came. To continue with the rhetoric out
there and to not let her members vote on this
is not the right thing to do, and quite frankly,
it's not our job, and she needs to do her
job and let them vote on this. Softwerare.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
What kind of disruptions do you anticipate with the workers
for customers that are coming into King superstores.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
Like last time in twenty twenty two, once again when
there was an unfounded strike that was called it was premature.
Again she took a vote on an unfair labor practice
which was unfounded in the NLRB sir to be unfounded
as well. So you know last time they were picketings
in front of our stores. It is a disruption to
our customers. It's disappointing, it's concerning. But at the same time,
(03:35):
when there's a last, best and final offer on the table,
that means all the money's on the table. That doesn't
mean that we can't talk about any other issues that
the local union is concerned about. We just need to
know what those issues are. You know, last time they
went out on strike, she took them out on strike
again for no good reason. When they came back that
last best and final offer went down by eighteen million dollars.
(03:58):
You're not going to get more money when Kim is
taking them out on an unfair labor practice. It makes
no sense for our communities, It makes no sense for
our associates. It makes no sense for the union. Again,
no Bog wins in the straight.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
Joe with a few minutes we have left. It sounds
like you address this a little bit, but Kim says
the offer is unlawful because it would take nine million
out of their retiree healthcare plan in order to fund it.
Your response to that, yeah, thank you for.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
Asking me that. Not only is that completely untrue, And
the union does not put any money into healthcare, they
do not put any money into the pension or into wages.
The company does. The healthcare plan is fully funded, the
reserves are in the green. The pension is in great shape.
The reserves are in the green. We aren't taking any
money out of the pension. We're not taking any money
(04:47):
out of the healthcare. As a matter of fact, if
you go back to twenty twenty two when we ratified
that contract, and then on top of that this contract
that we're proposing to be ratified through twenty twenty eight,
we are putting incremental three hundred and fifty million dollars
more in wages. It's incremental. Nothing is coming out of healthcare,
and nothing is unlawful. So again, this rhetoric that Kim
(05:09):
continues to say in the press is reckless and all
it does is her members our associates.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
Joe, a final question from us, and it's it's a
bit of a pivot. I know you are able to
walk and chew gum at the same time, you're probably
keeping the eye on potential tariffs going into place, so
you concarn about tariffs impacting prices at your grocery stores.
Speaker 3 (05:28):
You know, I think it's a little bit too early,
and I don't want to speculate on it. But what
I can tell you, and I think I mentioned this
to you last week. You know, if you go back
and look at how much Team Soupers and City Market
is invested in price, we're actually making less money than
we were ten years ago. And when you look at
the Kroger family's stores, we've reduced pricing by over five
percent over the last twenty years. And you know, we
(05:50):
always look to do the right thing for our communities
and for our customers. Will stay very close to it.
I think it's too early to speculate on them.
Speaker 2 (05:59):
President of King Supers, it's Joe Kelly. Thank you so
much for your time this morning.
It is Colorado's Morning News. Marty Lenz, Gina Gondec At Morning.
Colorado King Supers Union workers have now all authorized a
strike following a week of voting bias members.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Last week, we spoke with both King Super's president Joe
Kelly and UFCW Local seven president Kim Cordova on the strikes.
Joe Kelly will be joining us now here on the
ka Common Spirit Health hotline. We have reached out to
Kim as well, we have not heard back for this morning. Joe,
Thank you so much for your time again this morning.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
It's my pleasure.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Good morning, your overall reaction now to the latest of
what we heard with Pueblo and Colorado Springs, King Sooper
is now authorizing the strike over the weekend.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
So it's again very disappointed that the Local seven, Kim
Crudover have even taken a strike vote. It's way too premature.
They have not even responded to the last best and
final offer meet and they have not presented it to
their members our associates to vote on it. What she's
asked them to take a vote on as an unfair
(00:57):
labor practice. And last I checked the national Labor Relations
boards that I want to make those decisions, and we
are confident we have not committed an untail labor practice
at all. So she's so premature and not putting this
offer in front of the associates is a bit reckless.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Joe, how do you proceed at this point without a
deal on the table. What's the next move for you
and King Supers?
Speaker 3 (01:21):
Well, from what we're hearing and what she's telling her
members that she presumably is going to call a strike
this week, we'll see if in fact that happens. I
think I mentioned to you last week. We have apprepared
to keep the stores open. I am really concerned about
our associates and the hardship that this will cause in
not receiving a paycheck and the trepidation that it does
(01:42):
to themselves and to their family when this is totally unnecessary.
But we will keep the stores open. We have responsibility
to service the communities and our customers.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Joe again, walk us through the temporary employee hiring process.
Have you already started that and when are you planning
to have them be ready to roll if we don't
know when the strike is exactly taking place yet.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
Yeah, so we've started the process last week. We already
have over a thousand people on the ground that we
are training in our non union stores. Again, they are
temporary workers, they are not replacement workers, so we don't
have anybody that can replace our great King Soupers and
City Market associates, So temporary firms have helped us do so.
And we have another thousand folks right behind them coming
(02:26):
in between today in the next few days, and certainly
we have the support of all our sister companies across
the country to help us such in fact we need it.
But again, I'm just hopeful that Kim Kudobo will do
the right thing and put the last, best and final
offer in front of her members who she works for,
and let them vote on it. If they vote on
it and they want to ratify it, that's terrific and
(02:47):
I think that they will be very pleased. We have
shared this offer with our associates and we've heard tremendous feedback.
So for it came. To continue with the rhetoric out
there and to not let her members vote on this
is not the right thing to do, and quite frankly,
it's not our job, and she needs to do her
job and let them vote on this. Softwerare.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
What kind of disruptions do you anticipate with the workers
for customers that are coming into King superstores.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
Like last time in twenty twenty two, once again when
there was an unfounded strike that was called it was premature.
Again she took a vote on an unfair labor practice
which was unfounded in the NLRB sir to be unfounded
as well. So you know last time they were picketings
in front of our stores. It is a disruption to
our customers. It's disappointing, it's concerning. But at the same time,
(03:35):
when there's a last, best and final offer on the table,
that means all the money's on the table. That doesn't
mean that we can't talk about any other issues that
the local union is concerned about. We just need to
know what those issues are. You know, last time they
went out on strike, she took them out on strike
again for no good reason. When they came back that
last best and final offer went down by eighteen million dollars.
(03:58):
You're not going to get more money when Kim is
taking them out on an unfair labor practice. It makes
no sense for our communities, It makes no sense for
our associates. It makes no sense for the union. Again,
no Bog wins in the straight.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
Joe with a few minutes we have left. It sounds
like you address this a little bit, but Kim says
the offer is unlawful because it would take nine million
out of their retiree healthcare plan in order to fund it.
Your response to that, yeah, thank you for.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
Asking me that. Not only is that completely untrue, And
the union does not put any money into healthcare, they
do not put any money into the pension or into wages.
The company does. The healthcare plan is fully funded, the
reserves are in the green. The pension is in great shape.
The reserves are in the green. We aren't taking any
money out of the pension. We're not taking any money
(04:47):
out of the healthcare. As a matter of fact, if
you go back to twenty twenty two when we ratified
that contract, and then on top of that this contract
that we're proposing to be ratified through twenty twenty eight,
we are putting incremental three hundred and fifty million dollars
more in wages. It's incremental. Nothing is coming out of healthcare,
and nothing is unlawful. So again, this rhetoric that Kim
(05:09):
continues to say in the press is reckless and all
it does is her members our associates.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
Joe, a final question from us, and it's it's a
bit of a pivot. I know you are able to
walk and chew gum at the same time, you're probably
keeping the eye on potential tariffs going into place, so
you concarn about tariffs impacting prices at your grocery stores.
Speaker 3 (05:28):
You know, I think it's a little bit too early,
and I don't want to speculate on it. But what
I can tell you, and I think I mentioned this
to you last week. You know, if you go back
and look at how much Team Soupers and City Market
is invested in price, we're actually making less money than
we were ten years ago. And when you look at
the Kroger family's stores, we've reduced pricing by over five
percent over the last twenty years. And you know, we
(05:50):
always look to do the right thing for our communities
and for our customers. Will stay very close to it.
I think it's too early to speculate on them.
Speaker 2 (05:59):
President of King Supers, it's Joe Kelly. Thank you so
much for your time this morning.
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