Smith's workers protest wages, contract

Hundreds of Smith's Grocery Store employees marched in the streets of Albuquerque on Sunday because of ongoing disputes with Kroger Foods in union contract negotiations.

The worker's protest started around 4:30 p.m. Sunday. They claim Smith's is disappointing them when it comes to pay.

"We're at a standstill. Kroger is not wanting to come to any sort of settlement to increase our wages or to better our healthcare. There's just so many things on the table right now and they're not willing to budge much," Norma Yates said.

Smith's representatives said that workers are jumping the gun on the issue.

The contract for 2,000 New Mexico Smith's workers expires on June 6.

Sunday, the Vice President of Smith's Corporate Public Affairs Unit Marsha Gilford told News 13 that the company is confident an agreement can be reached which will benefit everyone involved.

Smith's said the workers protesting enjoy some of the best benefits in the industry.

"Between now and June 6, we're gonna have a lot of ideas and thoughts across the table. We're nowhere near the end of our talks and negotiations," Gilford said.

Smith's employees claim they were a big part of the company's success over the last few years.

Smith's parent company Kroger Foods saw an 8 percent increase in profits last year.

Corporate officials have been meeting with the union twice a week over the last several weeks trying to work out a deal, according to Smith's.

Despite workers claims, Smith said they have received pay raises over the term of the current four-year contract—in the form of hourly increases and lump sum payments.