Workers at Safeway locations in Colorado have begun striking following unsuccessful contract negotiations with the company and its parent organization, Albertsons.
The strike commenced on Sunday and has been rolling out gradually, with a notable escalation occurring on Tuesday when employees at six stores and a distribution center in Denver joined the picket lines.
Affected retail locations include Grand Junction, Pueblo, Estes Park, Castle Rock, Littleton, and Fountain.
While the strike initially began with only three stores and one distribution center, the union decided to expand the number of locations involved in the work stoppage to raise awareness about the workers’ struggles.
The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 union, which represents 23,000 members in Colorado and Wyoming, expressed that this approach was meant to provide the public with insight into the workers’ challenges and allow Safeway/Albertsons to grasp the seriousness of the employees’ resolve.
Current estimates suggest that numerous other stores across Colorado, including locations in Denver, Boulder, Broomfield, Conifer, Evergreen, Idaho Springs, Colorado Springs, and Fort Collins, have authorized strikes in recent weeks, enabling the union to potentially call for more walkouts if negotiations do not lead to a satisfactory agreement.
The union is wary of publicizing which stores will go on strike ahead of time, opting instead to provide updates via social media platforms as the situation develops.
As for the duration of the strike, no official timeline has been established. Union leaders have indicated that the strike could continue to expand until a deal is reached.
Negotiations between Safeway and the union were set to resume earlier this week, on both Tuesday and Wednesday.
The impetus for the strike stems from a failure to secure a contract after seven months of negotiations, with the existing agreement having expired in January.
The union is advocating for solutions to issues of chronic understaffing, improved wages, and assurances that workers’ health and pension benefits will remain fully funded.
A key point of contention is the union’s claim that Safeway is collaborating with competitor King Soopers to exact concessions from employees regarding their healthcare and pension benefits.
This strike is categorized as an Unfair Labor Practices Strike, highlighting the discontent that workers feel regarding the treatment they have received during negotiations.
In a related development, the union is also in discussions with King Soopers and its parent company, Kroger.
These negotiations follow a previous strike in February that lasted nearly two weeks.
Although an agreement was reached to pause the labor action for 100 days, a formal contract was never signed, and that pause has since expired.
As the strike continues, it is unclear whether King Soopers employees might also join in the labor actions against their employer.
In terms of Safeway’s response to the ongoing strike, a spokesperson conveyed that the company disputes the allegations of unfair labor practices.
In an emailed statement, the Safeway spokesperson expressed disappointment over the union’s decision to strike certain stores, reaffirming the company’s commitment to engage in productive discussions with UFCW Local 7.
Safeway stated that it is negotiating in good faith and aims to reach a balanced agreement beneficial to both employees and customers, while also considering the company’s position in an increasingly competitive grocery market.
image source from：cpr
