UFCW Union Pushes for Fair Pay, Staffing as Safeway Strike Grows Across Colorado

Safeway workers from across Colorado are still participating in an Unfair Labor Practices Strike, which started on June 15. Negotiations are still underway between the UFCW Local 7R union, which represents Colorado Safeway workers, Safeway, and parent company Albertsons. 

Denver 7 reported that according to UFCW Local 7 president Kim Cordova, this is the first time Colorado Safeway workers have voted to strike over unfair labor practices in nearly 30 years.

“Members in Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Brighton, Evergreen, Idaho Springs, Estes Park, Fountain, Conifer Meat, Castle Rock, Grand Junction, Vail, Steamboat Meat, Salida, Pueblo and Parker are ready to fight back, with over 98% of members voting to authorize a strike,” said UFCW Local 7 President and UFCW International Vice President Kim Cordova in a statement published on June 15. 

As of June 17, CPR reported that workers at six stores and a distribution center in Denver were on strike, including the retail locations in Grand Junction, Pueblo, Estes Park, Castle Rock, Littleton and Fountain. They also reported that there is no established timeline for how long the strike will last, and union leaders maintain that “the strike could keep expanding until a deal is reached.”

In the announcement posted by Cordova on June 15, she said that in the coming days, workers in Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Greeley, Longmont, and Loveland will vote whether to join the Unfair Labor Practice strike. It’s unclear how many workers are currently striking and how many stores will be affected.

“We gave the Company multiple chances to avoid this labor dispute,” Cordova wrote. “Earlier this week, we offered the company a clear path to withdraw its concessionary proposals and instead fully fund Healthcare benefits. The Company has refused. It has also failed to address the critical understaffing issue in Safeway/Albertsons stores, not to mention continuing to offer wage increases far below competitors here in Colorado and Wyoming.”

Multiple Colorado leaders have pledged their support for the protest online. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser posted on X that he is “proud to support UFCW in the strike against Safeway, making a standard for fair working conditions and wages.” Colorado Senator Michael Bennet also posted on X to say that he “stands with UFCW Local 7 workers from across Colorado as they continue their fight for fair wages, better working conditions, and the benefits they deserve.”

Longmont City Council candidate Patrick Dillon also made a statement on social media pledging his support for the strike. 

“Unions are essential to demanding and securing workers’ rights and prosperity — across the country, in Colorado, and right here in Longmont,” he wrote. “That’s why I am proud to stand with the UFCW Local 7R Safeway workers in Longmont, who have overwhelmingly voted to authorize an Unfair Labor Practices Strike. These workers are our neighbors, and Safeway must come to the table and negotiate with them in good faith. Until that happens, I will be there to support them should they decide to strike.”