Martin Luther King Jr. was murdered in Memphis, Tennessee while fighting for the rights of sanitation workers. Indeed, MLK Jr. was a strong advocate for the rights of workers to organize unions, demanding in his final years that the country recognize its working poor. He even equated anti-labor voices with racism, once proclaiming “the labor-hater […]
labor strike
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What’s Working: Colorado has recovered 89% of jobs lost during COVID-19
Colorado’s unemployment rate declined to 4.8%, the lowest since the start of the pandemic. A lot of new economic data poured in Friday to give us a better sense of how the state’s recovery is going. But first, let’s talk about a livable wage, which seems like a fair starting point for any worker who […]
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King Soopers strike ends after union reaches tentative deal with grocer
The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 said Friday morning that it has reached a tentative three-year labor agreement with King Soopers, ending a strike that began more than a week ago. The union said the deal will provide the wages and protections deserved by workers, who were considered essential during the pandemic. The […]
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What’s Working: The King Soopers labor strike isn’t Colorado’s first. Here’s why we’ll probably see more.
If you haven’t heard, King Soopers employees are on strike to protest unfair labor practices. Not all of them — only those at 77 stores from Boulder to Parker. But more may join soon as employment contracts in Pueblo, Fort Collins, Greeley and elsewhere expire this month or next. United Food and Commercial Workers Local […]
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PHOTOS: King Soopers workers strike for higher wages
As the King Soopers strike enters day three at 77 Denver-area grocery stores, negotiations appear no closer to a new contract. But United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 members remain spirited and rallied Thursday across the street from the Glendale store. Striking workers and union leaders asked the grocer to get its local leaders […]
Posted inNews, Outdoors
Vail Resorts offers end-of-season bonus as ski areas struggle through labor crisis
Jeremy Rubingh, a documentary filmmaker who focuses on climate and public lands issues, spent about 10 minutes on his phone after Christmas writing an angry screed against Vail Resorts and the company’s struggle to open terrain at the Stevens Pass ski area in Washington state. “When I posted it online, I thought ‘I don’t know, […]
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As strikes begin, it’s King Soopers vs. the union vs. … the workers?
The split between King Soopers and the employee union was clear Wednesday as union workers went on strike at 77 Denver-area grocery stores. Less clear, however, was whether employees were being heard by those who’ve spent months at the negotiating table. “We’re put in the middle of two groups of people that are not looking […]
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King Soopers union workers reject what grocery chain calls “last, best and final offer”
No way, no how is Mark Simmons going to cross the King Soopers picket lines as union employees walk off the job Wednesday to protest unfair labor practices and seek better wages and work conditions. The Denver resident, a long-time customer who remembers shopping there with his mother and younger brothers after moving to Colorado […]
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King Soopers union rejects request for mediator, will strike in Denver starting Wednesday
A three-week labor strike at Denver-area King Soopers stores is slated to begin Wednesday after union officials rejected a request by the grocer to ask for federal mediators to intervene. “At this point, King Soopers needs to face its workers,” Kim Cordova, president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7, said Monday during a […]
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King Soopers union workers plan 3-week strike starting Wednesday at 87 Colorado grocery stores
King Soopers union members plan to walk off the job to protest unfair labor practices on Wednesday because negotiations on a new contract have failed to reach a resolution, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 officials said Friday. The strike will affect 87 grocery stores mostly in the Front Range and approximately 8,400 Colorado […]