King Soopers: Still no Response to UFCW Local 7 Lawsuit
WHEAT RIDGE, Colo. -- King Soopers, a Kroger-owned chain with 140 stores in Colorado and Wyoming, has yet to respond to the United Food & Commercial Workers Local 7 lawsuit filed September 20 in Denver federal court.
According to published reports, the lawsuit alleges that King Soopers has not abided by a collective bargaining agreement for retail and meat workers in the case of an ex-grocery employee George Gonzalez.
King Soopers fired Gonzalez, who then went to work for the union, according to union spokesman Dave Minshall. After Gonzalez became a union representative, King Soopers would not allow him into its stores in that capacity.
In March 2000, Local 7 filed a grievance regarding King Soopers' decision about Gonzalez, demanding arbitration. A pre-arbitration meeting involving the parties was held in April 2004, but after that the grocery chain didn't respond to the union's efforts to continue that process, according to the lawsuit. On Aug. 29 of this year, King Soopers finally said it would not arbitrate the grievance and Local 7 filed suit a month later.
According to published reports, the lawsuit alleges that King Soopers has not abided by a collective bargaining agreement for retail and meat workers in the case of an ex-grocery employee George Gonzalez.
King Soopers fired Gonzalez, who then went to work for the union, according to union spokesman Dave Minshall. After Gonzalez became a union representative, King Soopers would not allow him into its stores in that capacity.
In March 2000, Local 7 filed a grievance regarding King Soopers' decision about Gonzalez, demanding arbitration. A pre-arbitration meeting involving the parties was held in April 2004, but after that the grocery chain didn't respond to the union's efforts to continue that process, according to the lawsuit. On Aug. 29 of this year, King Soopers finally said it would not arbitrate the grievance and Local 7 filed suit a month later.