Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
It is Colorado's Morning News, Marty Lens Gina Gondek in Morning,
just coming into the newsroom. Within the hour, reports say
that Albertson's is giving up on its merger with Kroeger
and is now planning to sue the grocery change.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (00:10):
This comes just a day after two court cases ruled
against the merger, a judge siding with the FTC arguing
that the merger would have eliminated competition and it would
have led to higher prices for shoppers. Joining us now
on the KWA Common Spirit Health hotline as president of
Local seven of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union
in Denver, It's Kim Cordova. Kim, thank you so much
for your time this morning.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Thank you for having me on Good Morning.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
Hey.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
We planned this interview obviously last night when we had
the two rulings, now completely changing with completely different reaction
coming in in just the last thirty minutes or so,
as we now see these plans to give up on
the merger and sue the grocery chain. Where do you stand.
What's your latest reaction to the latest that we've seen
with this proposed merger.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Well, I mean the judges in both case in both states.
Their decisions were while reading and you know, we applought
their decisions. This merger would have been disastrous for workers,
for consumers, for ranchers, suppliers, farmers, everybody except for shareholders
and corporate executives. So we're glad that the merger looks
(01:17):
like it's dead. With Albertson's, you know, uh they're going
to drop their merger, and now Sue and Kroger, So
we're glad. We think this is the best thing. We
want them to take all that money they've been spending
on you know, the lawsuits and the legal fees to
(01:38):
challenge and try to uh, you know, seek approval for
the merger. We want them to reinvest in the stores,
reinvest in staffing, running these stores, lowering grocery prices, taking
care of their workers and the shopping experience. I mean,
customers and workers have paid for this merger for the
last two years through long lines, over being overcharged at
(02:02):
the register, and significant staff cuts, all to pay for
a merger that nobody wanted. Nobody in this country wanted
that merger to happen.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
Jim, what are the odds though, that they will take
that money? If you will and redirect it into the
areas that you say it needs to be redirected.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
Well, I think that's good. I mean, it helps both
of them compete. Albertson's is doing well. Kroger obviously is
doing really well, but they haven't They have not invested
in these stores in the last two years, even though
they've continued to make record profit since the pandemic. I mean,
prices are higher than they ever have, but lines are
(02:42):
longer in the stores. People are checking out their own
groceries with their investment in self checkout, and the workers
are working doing the job at three to four people.
And right now we're in the middle of our contract negotiations,
and the company was gearing up to break all the
promises they tilt the judges and regulators that they were
(03:03):
going to invest in their workers and invest in their stores.
And yet their actions have been contrary, and unfortunately, the
employees and the consumer have suffered during this whole attempt
for a merger that was just at up to fail
and it was just going to be a disaster. And
I'm very very happy with the two court decisions. And
(03:27):
I was hopeful that the Colorado cases, you know, the
judge was going to rule in the same manner.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
And now with Alberson's dropping its plans to merge, maybe
we will see that quickly. Drop will be speaking with
the Attorney General at seven forty nine this morning to
talk about what the next steps may look like now.
Kim the ruling though yesterday in Washington States case, they
also said that there are hurdles facing these two companies,
claiming that they may still need to merge in order
to compete with the big box retailers like Walmart and Amazon.
(03:55):
Is there any concerns when it comes to just overall
competition that more and more people are going to go
to places like Amazon or Costco just because it's lower prices,
no matter what.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
Well. I mean, if you heard the testimony from their
corporate executives, if you were following the keys is closed.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
They were.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
There were unwarranted moves by these two employers to inflate
the cost of grocery, and I read I was at
some of the trial, and you know, some of it
was just I mean, what they need to do is
do the right thing. There's no reason, there's no supply
chain issue right now, they can match the prices. I
(04:38):
mean Kroker's the largest grocer, major traditional grocer in the
United States. They could do the right thing. I mean,
they're not doing themselves any favor by cutting staff in
the store. I mean, if you go into these stores,
I think the shopper has experienced the departments closing midday.
All of this to pay for a merger or that
(05:01):
was just meant to consolidate their power and muscle out
the smaller competitor. And you know, they've done fining us
down alone companies. And we think if they take that
money instead of you know, given that back that's earmarked
to shareholders, they need to reinvest back into their stores,
into the communities and into their uh you know, making
(05:23):
it a better shopping experience by investing in their workers
as well. And they have a good opportunity to you know,
continue to grow their companies as separate entities. But consolidating,
you know, with this make a merger was going to
be bad for everybody, for our economy would have created
(05:45):
food deserts. We know that the company at CNS, you
know that was going to buy ninety one of the
one hundred and five safeways here was not going to
be able to compete against an even larger Kroger, which
would have caused store closures here, and Kroker would have
had just a massive footprint in Colorado, which would have
(06:07):
just been disastrous for so many of our communities, especially
where it would have had we would have seen pockets
of food deserts. And we saw that when Albertsonson Safeway merged,
we lost forty three stores here. So UFCW Local seven
and our members unfortunately experienced the negative effects of this
(06:28):
type of grocery consolidation. And it was going to be
on a bigger, on a greater schedule, President, a greater
you know, it was going to be even worse with
these two companies.
Speaker 1 (06:39):
Sorry about that. President of Local seven of the United
Food and Commercial Workers Union in Denver, It's Kim Cordova.
It is Colorado's Morning News, Marty Lens Gina Gondek in Morning,
just coming into the newsroom. Within the hour, reports say
that Albertson's is giving up on its merger with Kroeger
and is now planning to sue the grocery change.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (00:10):
This comes just a day after two court cases ruled
against the merger, a judge siding with the FTC arguing
that the merger would have eliminated competition and it would
have led to higher prices for shoppers. Joining us now
on the KWA Common Spirit Health hotline as president of
Local seven of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union
in Denver, It's Kim Cordova. Kim, thank you so much
for your time this morning.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Thank you for having me on Good Morning.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
Hey.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
We planned this interview obviously last night when we had
the two rulings, now completely changing with completely different reaction
coming in in just the last thirty minutes or so,
as we now see these plans to give up on
the merger and sue the grocery chain. Where do you stand.
What's your latest reaction to the latest that we've seen
with this proposed merger.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Well, I mean the judges in both case in both states.
Their decisions were while reading and you know, we applought
their decisions. This merger would have been disastrous for workers,
for consumers, for ranchers, suppliers, farmers, everybody except for shareholders
and corporate executives. So we're glad that the merger looks
(01:17):
like it's dead. With Albertson's, you know, uh they're going
to drop their merger, and now Sue and Kroger, So
we're glad. We think this is the best thing. We
want them to take all that money they've been spending
on you know, the lawsuits and the legal fees to
(01:38):
challenge and try to uh, you know, seek approval for
the merger. We want them to reinvest in the stores,
reinvest in staffing, running these stores, lowering grocery prices, taking
care of their workers and the shopping experience. I mean,
customers and workers have paid for this merger for the
last two years through long lines, over being overcharged at
(02:02):
the register, and significant staff cuts, all to pay for
a merger that nobody wanted. Nobody in this country wanted
that merger to happen.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
Jim, what are the odds though, that they will take
that money? If you will and redirect it into the
areas that you say it needs to be redirected.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
Well, I think that's good. I mean, it helps both
of them compete. Albertson's is doing well. Kroger obviously is
doing really well, but they haven't They have not invested
in these stores in the last two years, even though
they've continued to make record profit since the pandemic. I mean,
prices are higher than they ever have, but lines are
(02:42):
longer in the stores. People are checking out their own
groceries with their investment in self checkout, and the workers
are working doing the job at three to four people.
And right now we're in the middle of our contract negotiations,
and the company was gearing up to break all the
promises they tilt the judges and regulators that they were
(03:03):
going to invest in their workers and invest in their stores.
And yet their actions have been contrary, and unfortunately, the
employees and the consumer have suffered during this whole attempt
for a merger that was just at up to fail
and it was just going to be a disaster. And
I'm very very happy with the two court decisions. And
(03:27):
I was hopeful that the Colorado cases, you know, the
judge was going to rule in the same manner.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
And now with Alberson's dropping its plans to merge, maybe
we will see that quickly. Drop will be speaking with
the Attorney General at seven forty nine this morning to
talk about what the next steps may look like now.
Kim the ruling though yesterday in Washington States case, they
also said that there are hurdles facing these two companies,
claiming that they may still need to merge in order
to compete with the big box retailers like Walmart and Amazon.
(03:55):
Is there any concerns when it comes to just overall
competition that more and more people are going to go
to places like Amazon or Costco just because it's lower prices,
no matter what.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
Well. I mean, if you heard the testimony from their
corporate executives, if you were following the keys is closed.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
They were.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
There were unwarranted moves by these two employers to inflate
the cost of grocery, and I read I was at
some of the trial, and you know, some of it
was just I mean, what they need to do is
do the right thing. There's no reason, there's no supply
chain issue right now, they can match the prices. I
(04:38):
mean Kroker's the largest grocer, major traditional grocer in the
United States. They could do the right thing. I mean,
they're not doing themselves any favor by cutting staff in
the store. I mean, if you go into these stores,
I think the shopper has experienced the departments closing midday.
All of this to pay for a merger or that
(05:01):
was just meant to consolidate their power and muscle out
the smaller competitor. And you know, they've done fining us
down alone companies. And we think if they take that
money instead of you know, given that back that's earmarked
to shareholders, they need to reinvest back into their stores,
into the communities and into their uh you know, making
(05:23):
it a better shopping experience by investing in their workers
as well. And they have a good opportunity to you know,
continue to grow their companies as separate entities. But consolidating,
you know, with this make a merger was going to
be bad for everybody, for our economy would have created
(05:45):
food deserts. We know that the company at CNS, you
know that was going to buy ninety one of the
one hundred and five safeways here was not going to
be able to compete against an even larger Kroger, which
would have caused store closures here, and Kroker would have
had just a massive footprint in Colorado, which would have
(06:07):
just been disastrous for so many of our communities, especially
where it would have had we would have seen pockets
of food deserts. And we saw that when Albertsonson Safeway merged,
we lost forty three stores here. So UFCW Local seven
and our members unfortunately experienced the negative effects of this
(06:28):
type of grocery consolidation. And it was going to be
on a bigger, on a greater schedule, President, a greater
you know, it was going to be even worse with
these two companies.
Speaker 1 (06:39):
Sorry about that. President of Local seven of the United
Food and Commercial Workers Union in Denver, It's Kim Cordova.
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