Colorado Grocery Strike: Safeway Workers Plan Walkout This Sunday
Grocery store employees across Colorado represented by the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 (UFCW Local 7) union are preparing to strike at select Safeway and Albertsons locations starting Sunday. The planned walkout follows a breakdown in contract negotiations between the union and the grocery chains.
The initial strike action is slated to begin on Sunday morning at Safeway/Albertsons stores in Estes Park, Fountain, and Pueblo, along with a distribution center located in Denver. This move comes after negotiation sessions failed to yield a new contract agreement or an extension to talks by Wednesday night, prompting the union to issue the required 72-hour strike notice. The current contract expired back in January, and the deadline for reaching a new deal is set for 11:59 p.m. Saturday.
Negotiations Stall, Union Votes for Action
The decision to strike was strongly supported by union members, with 99% approving the measure in a vote held last week. UFCW Local 7 asserts that despite extensive negotiations, Safeway/Albertsons has not adequately addressed key worker concerns regarding wages, benefits, and alleged unfair labor practices.
Kim Cordova, President of UFCW 7, expressed disappointment, stating, “I wish that Safeway/Albertsons had taken negotiations more seriously, obeyed the law, and respected the workers who make the stores run… We are fighting for better stores so that shoppers and workers alike can have a better experience.” She further alleged that the company has aligned with competitor King Soopers in an effort to reduce healthcare and pension benefits for both current and retired workers.
Monique Trujillo, a Safeway worker from Fountain, highlighted the union’s reasons for striking, citing “ongoing unfair labor practices, including bad faith bargaining, as well as surveilling and threatening workers.”
Potential for Strike Expansion
While the initial strike is focused on a few key locations, UFCW Local 7 has indicated that the dispute could escalate. More union members working at Safeway stores in cities including Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Greeley, Loveland, and Longmont are scheduled to vote on whether to join the strike early next week, specifically on Monday and Tuesday. The union noted that the initial strike would be smaller in scale than the start of the recent King Soopers walkout but would expand if an agreement is not reached.
Safeway Responds
In response to the strike announcement, a Safeway spokesperson released a statement affirming the company’s position. “Safeway in Colorado remains committed to productive discussions with UFCW Local 7,” the statement read. “We respect the rights of workers to engage in collective bargaining and are negotiating in good faith to achieve an agreement. Our focus remains on providing exceptional service to our customers and fostering a positive working environment for our associates. All Safeway and Albertsons stores in Colorado are open and ready to continue serving our communities.”
Context: Recent Labor Disputes in Colorado Groceries
This planned strike against Safeway/Albertsons stores follows closely on the heels of a significant labor dispute involving the same union and the King Soopers and Kroger grocery chain earlier this year.
In February 2025, approximately 10,000 King Soopers employees represented by UFCW Local 7 went on strike across 77 stores in the Denver metro area and Boulder County. That strike, which lasted about a week and a half, was also framed by the union as an Unfair Labor Practices strike. Key issues cited during the King Soopers dispute included inadequate staffing levels – with the union alleging an 18% decrease in some areas – and contentious disagreements over healthcare and pension funding, including claims that Kroger sought to cut millions from retiree health benefits to fund wage increases for active workers. The union also alleged illegal actions during bargaining, such as surveillance and refusing to provide necessary information.
While the King Soopers strike ended with both sides agreeing to resume negotiations and a “limited” contract agreement was reached in May, the dispute involved legal actions from both the union and the company. The union’s current strike at Safeway highlights ongoing tensions within the Colorado grocery industry workforce.
Adding further complexity to the landscape, the planned $24.6 billion merger between Kroger and Albertsons, announced in 2023, faced significant opposition, including a lawsuit from the Colorado Attorney General’s Office, and was ultimately blocked by a federal judge in December of the previous year. This failed merger provides a backdrop of uncertainty and tension impacting labor relations across both grocery chains.
