The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 announced Thursday night that it has rejected another offer from the parent company of Safeway and Albertsons, and plans to expand its now six-day strike to additional Colorado cities.
Negotiations resumed this week from Tuesday to Thursday, but after exchanging numerous proposals, the union said the company remained unwilling to offer an agreement that meets the needs of workers.
As a result, negotiations have ended for the week, and additional stores will go on strike in the coming days. The union did not specify where the additional walkouts will take place.
The union has rolled out the strike slowly, and, so far, walkouts have occurred at stores in Fountain, Pueblo, Castle Rock, Brighton, Estes Park, Grand Junction, Lone Tree and Littleton, as well as at a Denver distribution center.
“Be ready to go. More stores could be pulled at any time,” UFCW Local 7 said in a statement on its Facebook page.
“The company thinks you don’t care about these critical contract items. We have to show them that workers won’t settle for a bad contract.”
No future negotiation dates have been scheduled at this time, the union said.
Union members began the strike at 6 a.m. Sunday, after they said the company failed to address key demands for better staffing levels, livable wages and the protection of workers’ health and pension benefits.
Despite a contract extension in January and strike authorization votes in late May and this month, the parties couldn’t come to an agreement.
UFCW Local 7 represents 23,000 members in Colorado and Wyoming in grocery stores, packing houses, food processing plants, barbers and cosmetologists, cannabis, counselors and health care facilities.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
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