Colorado Springs Safeway workers are poised to join statewide strikes. 

Local members, representing 12 stores in the Colorado Springs area, voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike. The vote did not mean picket lines would be going up at local Safeway stores Tuesday night, but rather that local stores may join others statewide if Safeway — and parent company Albertsons — and United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 are unable to reach an agreement. 

The union and Safeway/Albertsons have been negotiating contracts for around nine months.

The vote in Colorado Springs came after workers in Fountain joined an initial round of strikes that were largely concentrated in the Denver metro area and Pueblo. Earlier this month, the union and Safeway/Albertsons failed to reach a resolution over issues such as addressing overstaffing and employee benefits, leading to the initial votes to strike, according to previous coverage by The  Gazette.

Safeway workers begin striking in Fountain, Pueblo

“We have multiple strike authorizations in our pocket from bargaining units around the state,” said UFCW Local 7 President Kim Cordova. “(If) the company continues with its unfair labor practices and they don’t move, then the strike will expand, including into Colorado Springs.”

Union members in Grand Junction joined the statewide strike as of Tuesday, according to reports.

There are 12 Safeway locations in Colorado Springs and union members voted 99% to authorize an unfair labor practices strike.

This is the second time this year that members of Local 7 have taken the step to strike in Colorado. In February, workers at King Soopers, owned by Kroger, walked out for nearly two weeks with broadly similar demands. The current strike at Safeway stores has not kicked off with the same gusto. 

The King Soopers strike largely ended after leadership at the grocer and union agreed on a 100-day peace deal. That deal has since expired, with contract negotiations making little progress. 

The union believes Safeway and King Soopers, who are direct competitors to each other, are “holding hands” in rolling back on contract negotiations.

Safeway leadership, in a statement provided to The Gazette, said it remained committed to “productive discussions” with the union. The statement added that Safeway is “disappointed” the union elected to strike stores in Colorado.

“We respect the rights of workers to engage in collective bargaining and are negotiating in good faith to achieve a balanced agreement that rewards our associates, benefits our customers, and is sustainable for our company in the competitive grocery industry,” the statement said. “Allegations of unfair labor practices are without merit.”

Many stores in the Denver metro area voted to strike roughly two weeks ago, often overwhelmingly.

Other stores near Colorado Springs have remained on the fence. Union workers in Woodland Park, Monument and Falcon have yet to vote on a strike authorization. Negotiations between UFCW Local 7 and Safeway will continue into Wednesday, Cordova said. 

“We’re prepared to work through the night and see if we get a contract,” she said. “We’ll see if Safeway is serious about it.”