Denver Supermarket Bargaining Committee Votes for FMCS to Craft Agreement Offer;
Northern California and Las Vegas Locals Continue Negotiations

January 18, 2005

On Friday, Wheat Ridge Local 7 bargaining committee members who work at Kroger-owned King Soopers voted by a 90-percent margin to authorize the FMCS to develop a settlement offer that would create an agreement between workers and King Soopers’ stores.

Northern California Update

The contract extension expired on Saturday, Jan. 15, but San Francisco Bay Area UFCW Local Unions and supermarkets Safeway, Ralphs (Kroger) and Albertsons are continuing negotiations daily to hopefully reach a fair agreement this week.

On January 8, the supermarkets announced to Bay Area UFCW Local Unions 101, 373r, 428, 648, 839, 870, 1179 grocery workers that they no longer would extend the current contract that expired on Saturday.

Las Vegas Update

UFCW Local 711, representing approximately 6,500 employees from Las Vegas supermarkets Albertsons, Smith's (Kroger), Vons (Safeway) and Food4Less, have been negotiating with the supermarkets since August and hope to reach a contract agreement this week.