Colorado Albertsons and Safeway Workers Vote in Favor of Strike

Safeway and Albertsons workers across Colorado have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike, alleging unfair labor practices.

Over the past two weeks, UFCW Local 7 grocery store workers across Colorado have voted to authorize another round of strikes at Albertsons and Safeway stores. For the last nine months, these workers, along with grocery store workers in Washington state and California, have been in negotiations to end what they call a “chronic understaffing crisis” at grocery giants Albertsons Cos. and The Kroger Co., whose proposed merger ultimately failed. The union cited workers’ opposition as “a critical part of a two-year effort that successfully blocked” the deal.

In Colorado, Safeway and Albertsons workers in metro Denver, Boulder, Broomfield, Castle Rock, Conifer, Evergreen, Fountain, Grand Junction, Idaho Springs, Parker, Pueblo, Salida, Steamboat Springs and Vail voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike, alleging such unfair labor practices (ULP) as disregarding a signed agreement for retroactive pay and benefit increases and offering only increases instead.

“At the bargaining table, this employer is holding hands with [Kroger banners] King Soopers and City Market to propose major cuts to workers’ health care 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,” noted Kim Cordova, president of Denver-based Local 7. “On top of the concessionary proposals at the negotiating table, Safeway and Albertsons have gone back on their agreements.”

Colorado workers’ union contracts originally expired in January, and grocery store workers from Local 7 working at King Soopers stores staged a nearly two-week ULP strike in February.

When contacted by Progressive Grocer, Albertsons sent the following statement:

“Safeway in Colorado remains committed to productive discussions with UFCW Local 7, and we have contract extensions in place while we do so. 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.”

As of Feb. 22, Albertsons Cos. operated 2,270 retail food and drug stores with 1,728 pharmacies, 405 associated fuel centers, 22 dedicated distribution centers and 19 manufacturing facilities. The Boise, Idaho-based company operates stores across 34 states and the District of Columbia under more than 20 well-known banners. Albertsons is No. 9 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2025 list of top food and consumables retailers in North America. PG also named the company one of its Retailers of the Century. Cincinnati-based Kroger employs nearly 420,000 associates who serve more than 11 million customers daily through a digital shopping experience and retail food stores under a variety of banner names. The grocer is No. 4 on The PG 100.

Local 7, the largest private-sector union in Colorado, is affiliated with Washington, D.C.-based United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, which represents more than 1.3 million workers in the United States and Canada and is one of the largest private-sector unions in North America.