On Sunday, June 18, UFCW Local 7 will launched an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) strike against Safeway/Albertsons locations in Colorado, revealed through a press release on their website. UFCW Local 7 represents 23,000 members in Colorado and Wyoming in Supermarkets, Packing Houses, Food Processing Plants, Cannabis Facilities, Barbers and Cosmetologists, Healthcare Facilities, Counselors, and Distilleries..
Unlike the larger King Soopers strike in February, this initial action will be limited to stores in Estes Park, Fountain, and Pueblo, along with a distribution center in Denver. This targeted approach aims to inform the public about workers’ concerns and demonstrate their resolve, while minimizing immediate disruption for shoppers and workers.
Safeway worker Monique Trujillo from Fountain, Colorado, expressed disappointment, stating, “It’s too bad that things have come to this point… but the ongoing unfair labor practices, including bad faith bargaining, as well as surveilling and threatening workers, have given us no choice but to strike.”
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Negotiations have been ongoing for over seven months to secure a new contract for UFCW Local 7 members. Despite hopes that recent strike authorization votes would lead to a breakthrough, an agreement was not reached during negotiations on June 11.
Kim Cordova, President of UFCW 7, emphasized the union’s commitment to “better stores so that shoppers and workers alike can have a better experience.” She criticized Safeway/Albertsons for aligning with competitors like King Soopers and City Market in seeking concessions on healthcare and pension benefits.
In addition to the initial strike locations, UFCW Local 7 members in Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Greeley, Loveland, and Longmont will hold their own strike authorization votes this coming week.
The decision to strike comes after 99% of Safeway/Albertsons workers in areas including Metro Denver, Boulder, Broomfield, and Grand Junction, among others, authorized the ULP strike in late May and early June. Workers cite chronic understaffing, frozen wages, and ongoing unfair labor practices as key reasons for the action.
The strike also follows a 10-day ULP strike by Kroger-owned King Soopers workers in February. Union members had hoped Safeway/Albertsons would learn from that situation and engage in more productive negotiations.
The grocery industry as a whole has seen increased labor action, with tens of thousands of Kroger and Albertsons union workers in Southern California and western Washington State also authorizing strikes recently. Kroger and Albertsons, the two largest traditional grocery store chains in America, have reported record profits since 2020 while sending billions to investors rather than investing in stores, lowering prices, or improving worker conditions.