Safeway and Albertsons workers reject management’s final offer and will head to picket lines

United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 Rejects Safeway and Albertsons Offer, Prepares for Strike

The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 has rejected the latest offer from the parent company of Safeway and Albertsons and provided 72 hours’ notice that its workers intend to cancel a contract extension and strike.

If no agreement is reached, picket lines could form as soon as Sunday morning.

“We took this decision very seriously and concluded that after so many months of bargaining, Safeway/Albertsons was giving us no choice but to further escalate our contract campaign,” said Ivan Lopez, a Safeway distribution center worker in Denver.

The union had been clear in nine months of negotiations that the company needed to address staffing, wages, and ensure that workers’ health and pension benefits remain fully funded. No compromise was reached even after a contract extension in January or after workers voted to authorize a strike last week.

Safeway/Albertsons have been proposing concessions on healthcare and retirement, while refusing to address chronic understaffing in grocery stores. They are even looking to reduce benefits for retirees on fixed incomes,” said Kim Cordova, President of UFCW Local 7.

If the strike happens, it could involve around 7,000 workers, making it one of the largest labor actions in Colorado’s history. This would be the second-largest strike this year, following a strike by approximately 10,000 King Soopers and City Market workers in February.

The two sides have failed to reach an agreement, raising the possibility of workers at two major grocery chains in the state going on strike, something that last happened in 1996.

Safeway and Albertsons workers voted by a wide margin to strike after negotiations failed to reach a new collective bargaining agreement to replace the one that expired in January. Stores in metro Denver and other locations across the state are involved in the dispute.

The votes on whether to authorize a strike took place in late May and early June, marking the first time Safeway workers in the state have voted to strike over unfair labor practices since 1996.

With more than 150,000 UFCW and Teamster workers negotiating new contracts in multiple states, the strike in Colorado could be part of a larger action at food retailers. Workers are seeking better wages, staffing levels, affordable health care, and a reliable pension.

Employees are also upset that the company has not provided a pay raise in 18 months and that management walked away from a signed agreement to provide retroactive pay and benefit increases.