Two of Colorado’s largest grocers are at risk of facing a workers’ strike.

The union representing Colorado grocery workers has not reached an agreement with either Kroger’s King Soopers and City Market leadership or Albertsons’ Safeway for new employee contracts.

The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 is already taking action to initiate a strike against Albertsons and Safeway. The timing comes as the “100 days of peace” between the union and King Soopers that halted the last strike from earlier this year expired Wednesday.

Over Memorial Day weekend, the union scheduled strike votes for Safeway and Albertsons employees spanning from Denver to Pueblo and Grand Junction beginning Friday going into next week.

In bargaining updates posted on UFCW Local 7’s Facebook page, leadership stress both grocers have been pushing to give workers less than what their current benefits offer.

“We have been bargaining with Safeway and Albertsons for eight months now,” the update posted Friday said. “Unfortunately, the Company has chosen to follow the path of King Soopers and City Market by insisting that workers take unwarranted concessions.”

Union President Kim Cordova did not respond to a request by The Denver Gazette for an interview.

An Albertsons spokesperson said the company is committed to productive conversations with UFCW Local 7.

“We respect the rights of workers to engage in collective bargaining and are negotiating in good faith to reach an agreement that is fair to our employees, good for our customers and allows our company to remain competitive,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

The union said it has worked on improving the language over a new alcohol and drug rehabilitation policy and protection of workers assigned to curbside delivery — adding Safeway is “far behind” on economic issues such as healthcare, pension and wage increases.

Union leaders claim the grocer is proposing lower wage increases than other competitors, health care cuts and isn’t addressing chronic understaffing of stores.

If workers vote to strike, the union can choose when to call on employees to walk off their jobs and establish a picket line.

Strike votes are scheduled for the metro Denver area as well as Boulder, Castle Rock, Pueblo, Vail, Fountain, Salida and Grand Junction.

Strikers could return to King Soopers

It’s been about 100 days since the last strike that hit King Soopers during Super Bowl weekend and Valentine’s Day.

It was the second strike against King Soopers and City Market stores this decade, following a strike in 2022.

The union and the grocer created a temporary peace deal in February to end the strike and continue bargaining after contracts expired earlier this year. At the time the agreement was placed, the union’s president said they were willing to strike again if negotiations didn’t result in a new contract.

“We can strike again and we will if we have to,” Cordova said in February. “My hope is that they’re going to come to their senses.”

During the 100-day period, the union promised not to strike and King Soopers promised to not implement any offers or lock out workers.

But the relationship began to sour halfway through the peace period as the union claimed Kroger, King Soopers and City Market’s parent company, violated the agreements and put forth ultimatums well before the 100 days expired.

Similar to the negotiations with Albertsons and Safeway, the union claimed earlier this month that King Soopers is pushing for workers to take concessions on health plans and wage increases. It also said the grocer is trying to weaken the union’s ability to strike in the future by ending union dues when contracts expire.

On Tuesday night, the union told its members in a social media post that it “made limited progress with the Company, but we are still talking.” 

“Unfortunately, the Company is continuing to maintain concessionary proposals on a number of key issues,” the most recent post update said. 

It’s not immediately clear if the union can call a strike after the peace period expires or if it has to schedule another vote.

A representative for King Soopers said on Tuesday that the company’s offer of competitive wage increases and low healthcare costs is still on the table.

“We are open to productive conversations should the Union wish to reallocate the wage investments currently in our proposal,” a King Soopers spokesperson said in an emailed statement. “We continue to bargain in good faith and are hopeful that a collaborative path forward can be found today or tomorrow.”

But King Soopers has also claimed the union is stalling and delaying pay increases for its workers.

“We believe, unfortunately, the Union’s continued use of delay tactics and threats of yet another labor stoppage only serve to undermine the goal we all share — reaching a fair agreement for our associates as quickly as possible,” the spokesperson said.