Colorado faces a second large-scale grocery chain strike this year

Workers at Safeway and Albertsons in Colorado Vote to Strike

After nine months of negotiations failed to result in a new collective bargaining agreement to replace the one that expired in January, union members working for Safeway and Albertsons in Colorado have voted to go on strike, according to the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7.

Workers at Safeway and Albertsons stores across metro Denver, including Boulder and Castle Rock, have approved an unfair labor practice strike. The same decision was made by workers at stores in Conifer, Evergreen, Fountain, Grand Junction, Idaho Springs, Parker, Pueblo, Salida, Steamboat Springs, and Vail, as stated in a release by the UFCW Local 7 on Thursday night.

During the voting process, 99% of workers in metro Denver voted in favor of striking. While a date for the walkout has not been announced yet, workers at King Soopers and City Market took to the picket lines in early February, just six days after the strike vote results were revealed. The strike lasted for nearly two weeks.

One of the Safeway workers from Grand Junction, Kevan Kohlman, who is also a member of the negotiating committee, expressed disappointment in the company’s actions, stating, “We have been more than patient for months as the company slashed our hours and ignored workers’ proposals on staffing and other key issues. Incredibly, Safeway and Albertsons have now chosen to walk away from a signed agreement for retroactive pay and benefit increases and instead are only offering increases going forward. This is the essence of bargaining in bad faith. Time has run out.”

More than 150,000 UFCW and Teamster workers in Colorado, Washington, and California are currently negotiating for a new contract. One of the main concerns they want to address is the understaffing at stores, which they believe has led to worsened working conditions for employees and shopping conditions for customers.

Kim Cordova, the President of UFCW Local 7, highlighted the challenges faced at the bargaining table, stating, “At the bargaining table, this employer is holding hands with King Soopers and City Market to propose major cuts to workers’ healthcare benefits, and to threaten the financial security of our pension beneficiaries on fixed incomes, while continuing to reject meaningful efforts to address chronic understaffing in stores. On top of the concessionary proposals at the negotiating table, Safeway and Albertsons have gone back on their agreements.”

Workers are advocating for better wages, improved staffing levels, affordable healthcare, and a reliable pension. Despite their efforts, union proposals have been either rejected or ignored, and previous agreements have been disregarded.