DENVER — As King Soopers workers picketed outside Denver metro stores for an eighth straight day Thursday, lawyers representing the grocery giant and the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 7 Union faced off in Denver District Court, where Denver7's cameras weren’t allowed.
The court date comes after King Soopers filed for a temporary restraining order, claiming that picketing outside the stores has created “unsafe conditions” for both shoppers and staff.
The company claims picketers have blocked delivery trucks and handicapped parking spots, and in court Thursday, King Soopers even pointed to one alleged case of physical violence.
Judge Sarah Wallace said at the end of the hearing she hopes to make a ruling late Thursday night or early Friday.
- Watch our initial coverage of the temporary restraining order request in the video player below
“Safety is a core value for King Soopers and City Market, and just want to make sure nobody gets hurt,” said Joe Kelley, president of King Soopers and City Market.
Matt Shechter, general counsel for UFCW Local 7, argued in court that violence is not okay, but one person’s actions do not make all striking workers or the union legally responsible. He also argued many of the company’s claims are exaggerated or hearsay.
“What this hearing was really about is King Soopers wanting to silence its workers,” he told Denver7 Thursday. “I believe that whatever ruling we get, the judge will ensure that picketers continue to have the right to picket, to make their voices known, and to talk to customers about why the company's unlawful labor practices are preventing us from getting a fair contract.”
Shechter went on to say “the strike is working” because “the company is losing revenue.”
“Nobody wins in a strike,” Kelley argued. “Not the union, not the company, not our associates, and not our customers.”
But talks to end the strike are on hold, with each side blaming the other.
“The union needs to get back to the [negotiating] table,” said Kelley. “We've extended an offer that will be there any time, any day, and they just have not accepted that yet.”
“The company's not serious,” said Shechter. “The company's told us they won't give us information we need in order to talk… There's just a critical understaffing problem in these grocery stores. Customers see it in terms of empty shelves. They see it in terms of long lines [and] shuttered departments like meats or deli departments.
“Ultimately, that's the problem that we're trying, one of the problems we're trying to fix in this contract, and the company's not giving us the information we need to get to the bottom of staffing.”
Kelley refutes the allegation of unfair labor practices.
“They [the union] continue their rhetoric out there in the press around staffing and safety, etc.,” he said. “They've been promising us a staffing proposal as well as a wage proposal. They've given us nothing.”
The strike now enters its second week, with no end in sight.
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