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CBS News
11 hours ago
- Business
- CBS News
Negotiations between Colorado grocery workers, Safeway fail to reach resolution
Negotiations between Colorado union grocery store workers and Safeway failed to reach a resolution this week after talks broke down over pay and benefits. According to the UFCW Local 7, union president Kim Cordova and a member-led bargaining committee met with representatives of Safeway and Albertsons on Friday and Saturday, but failed to reach an agreement. "Although we made significant conceptual progress on certain items, the company refused to sign a separate tentative agreement on items, including health care," the union said in a Facebook post. "Instead, Safeway/Albertsons is insisting on wages far below competitors in the market here in Colorado and below agreements that have been reached with other local unions in the current bargaining cycle." Workers at Fort Morgan Safeway joined the growing list of employees across the state on strike this week, demanding better pay, benefits and working conditions. Elk rests with picketers at Estes Park Safeway CBS In a humourous turn of events Friday, an elk joined picketers while looking for a place to rest in the shade. The elk cow was seen hanging out with picketers at the Estes Park store under the shade of a nearby tree. The local 7 shared photos on Facebook and quipped, "A special visitor stopped by the Estes Park line today, proof that everyone loves a good picket!"
CBS News
17-06-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Colorado Safeway strikes expand to Castle Rock and Littleton with more locations expected
New Safeway locations joined UFCW Local 7's strike efforts on Monday, bringing the total to six locations across the state with more expected in the coming days. Among the hundreds of union workers already on strike is Castle Rock store clerk Tanner Vonstein. Vonstein says he voted to support the strike after five years with the company. "I know it's really important that if we're together, then we can win this fight," Vonstein said. Castle Rock Safeway clerk Tanner Vonstein describes working conditions at his store and the reason he and other workers are striking on Monday, June 16, 2025. CBS While shoppers may remember the recent strikes across Colorado King Soopers locations, UFCW Local 7 says this is the first Safeway strike in 29 years. The union says the strike comes to address what it says are unfair labor practices from Safeway. "I was doing the job of four people by myself. I mean, I'm a front-end head clerk, and I was doing produce for about eight months," Vonstein said. "It's very stressful." While dozens of shoppers continued to cross the picket line in Castle Rock on Monday, some turned away after hearing stories like Vonstein's. "I can barely afford rent on what we have now, and with these minimum wage increases, it doesn't make it any easier for me," he said. And from Estes Park to Castle Rock, UFCW Local 7 President Kim Cordova spent the day driving across the state and bringing workers to the picket lines with more expected to join this week. "As well as workers walking off the job, the entire state of Colorado, all of the union stores, and the union workers inside, they are so upset with their employer they're ready to strike this entire state," Cordova said. Managers Michael (no last name provided) and Denise (no last name provided) hold signs during a protest against Safeway in Littleton, Colorado on Monday, June 16, 2025. AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post via Getty Images But some shoppers are asking how long this strike could last. "They haven't resolved the unfair labor practice charges that we have against them, so we're still far apart, and the strike is going to continue to grow until we reach a contract with them," Cordova said. In a statement, however, Safeway disputed claims of unfair labor practices and shared the following statement, in part: "Safeway in Colorado remains committed to productive discussions with UFCW Local 7, and we are disappointed the union has chosen to strike some of our stores. 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." But as negotiations continue, Cordova says so too will the strikes. "You may see, it could happen today, it could happen tonight. It can happen tomorrow, but the strike is going to expand until we reach a contract," Cordova said. Cordova explained that as negotiations continue with King Soopers as well, it could be possible that both chains eventually strike at the same time, but emphasized that the focus right now is on Safeway. In its statement, Safeway also said that it expects stores to remain open for customers throughout the strike.
Miami Herald
16-06-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Major supermarket chain workers start strike across 4 cities
"The U.S. has one of the most violent labor histories in the world," says Judith Stepan-Norris, a research professor of sociology at the University of California, Irvine, and an expert on the U.S. labor movement. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, workers who struck were at risk of violence from police or even people hired by their employers. When strikes failed, they could lose their jobs or get in line behind replacement workers for a position. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter A lot has changed since then, and over time, uniting in a strike has become a powerful tool for workers to fight for better working conditions. Strikes played a significant role in many of the labor movement's changes, including an eight-hour workday, writes History. It's just like the father of the Japanese short story Ryunosuke Satoro once said: "Individually, we are one drop. Together we are an ocean." Unfortunately, though, the need for strikes has not vanished over time, and workers all over the world are facing injustice and inadequate working conditions such as understaffing, poor wages, and minimal health insurance benefits, among others. As a last resort, when all their options are exhausted, they unite and strike. The latest such effort involves workers at Safeway and Albertsons (ACI) . Image source: Bloomberg/Getty Images On Sunday, June 15, workers started a limited strike at Safeway/Alberstons locations in four cities. The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 explained that the idea behind a limited strike is to allow the public to understand the problems these employees are dealing with, and at the same time, for the employer to realize "the seriousness of the workers' resolve." Related: Albertsons and Kroger workers approve huge supermarket strike A limited strike aims to minimize the burden on consumers and workers alike, but the union noted it will expand as the strike continues. The limited locations where the strike began include retail grocery stores in Estes Park, Fountain, and Pueblo, as well as a distribution center in Denver. "It's too bad that things have come to this point with Safeway/Albertsons, but the ongoing unfair labor practices, including bad faith bargaining, as well as surveilling and threatening workers, have given us no choice but to strike," said Monique Trujillo, a Safeway worker from Fountain, Colorado. More Retail: Huge retail chain closing more stores soon (locations revealed)Struggling drugstore chain announces second bankruptcyBeloved discount grocery chain has massive US plans The strike comes following UFCW Local 7's rejection of the latest offer from the company on June 11, when it also delivered a 72-hour notice that its employees plan to terminate their current contract extension and start a strike. On June 15, UFCW Local 7 President Kim Cordova sent a letter to Safeway saying that its members are tired of "Safeway/Albertsons' numerous unfair labor practices, including threatening workers, making unilateral changes to the contract, and steadfastly refusing to honor its agreement to provide retroactive wage increases and benefit contributions." Cordova went on to say that the union provided the company with many chances to avoid the strike such as withdrawing its proposal and instead fully funding health care benefits, which the company had refused. Related: Costco quietly pulls popular product, upsets fans "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. The Company can resolve this dispute, but it has to get serious and come to the table with an offer workers can accept." The strike has chances to grow much bigger as workers in Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Greeley, Longmont, and Loveland are preparing to vote on whether to join the Unfair Labor Practice strike. On June 13, Safeway in Colorado stated that the company "remains committed to productive discussions with WFCW Local 7," and that its focus continues to be on providing the best service to customers. The union represents about 7,000 Safeway workers in The Centennial State. "These are the first wave of the strikes," Cordova said, as reported by the Colorado Sun. "We have 68 different units here across the state. Safeway has a lot of market share in rural areas, and resort stores in mountain towns." If other units join the strike, this could grow into one of the biggest labor actions in Colorado's history. Related: Veteran fund manager unveils eye-popping S&P 500 forecast The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Safeway, Albertsons employees vote to strike as King Soopers negotiations stagnate
DENVER (KDVR) — Another grocery worker strike is in the works after UFCW Local 7 workers at Safeway and Albertsons Companies voted overwhelmingly in favor of the action — some stores voting unanimously in favor of the strike. No strike date has been set, although workers at stores along the Front Range and across Colorado have authorized the union action. The union is alleging unfair labor practices, and says that Safeway and Albertsons is 'holding hands' with King Soopers to try and cut workers' healthcare benefits. Former head trader of Denver-based investing company pleads guilty to insider trading 'Ontop of the concessionary proposals at the negotiating table, Safeway and Albertsons have gone back on their agreements,' said UFCW Local 7 President Kim Cordova in a press release on Friday. The union says the stores are understaffed and that the company is backtracking on an agreement for retroactive pay and benefit increases, which the labor union cited as an unfair labor practice. Bargaining between the union and the company began months ago, but on Sunday, the union said the two grocery giants are working together despite a failed merger that the two companies had proposed. In May, Albertsons provided FOX31 with a statement about its ongoing negotiations with the union. 'At Albertsons Companies, we are committed to productive discussions with UFCW Local 7. We respect the rights of workers to engage in collective bargaining and are negotiating in good faith to reach an agreement that is fair to our employees, good for our customers and allows our company to remain competitive,' the company stated. FOX31 reached out to Safeway and Albertsons for further comment after the strike votes confirmed the impending union action, but has not gotten a response. Earlier this year, workers at King Soopers went on strike for unfair labor practices. In a Facebook post on Sunday, the union noted that its negotiations with the company have not resulted in any new agreements, and the previous peaceful relations agreement that ended the strike in February will expire at midnight. The agreement's end was noted in a bargaining update posted to Facebook. 'More importantly, the Company is continuing to hold hands with Safeway/Albertsons to crush workers at both Safeway/Albertsons and King Soopers/City Market,' the union said in its post. 'These two grocery giants are colluding to ensure workers at both companies are left behind. These mega corporations are in the process of giving away over $9.5 billion to Wall Street fat cats, but are proposing low-cost contracts to workers in Colorado.' The union said it is pressuring both Safeway/Albertsons and King Soopers to address chronic understaffing, remove two-tier discrimination on vacation from the contract and address the night premium, which the union says has fallen below the rest of the Colorado job market. Union accuses King Soopers in lawsuit of violating agreement ending strike 'Safeway/Albertsons sat on the sidelines during the February King Soopers strike, but enough is enough,' the union wrote in its release published Sunday evening. 'If King Soopers and City Market and refusing to move because of Safeway and Albertsons, then workers at Safeway/Albertsons have no choice but to be a tag team partner with you and jump in to the fight!' The union replied to a comment on its Facebook page, asking if both camps of grocery store workers would be able to strike at the same time, clarifying that a strike of both groups of grocery store workers would be possible at the same time. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
06-06-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Colorado Safeway union workers agree to go on strike
The United Food Commercial Workers Local 7 said union members in Colorado have agreed to go on strike. This comes after a 2-day voting period where union members agreed to strike and after nine months of negotiations. The Local 7 union is accusing Albertsons, which owns Safeway, of unfair labor practices by not offering retroactive wage increases and cutting out the union when addressing employee grievances. The union also wants better pay and health care. CBS This comes as contract negotiations between the workers and King Soopers are happening at the same time. King Soopers and its workers have until June 8 to hammer out a new deal. "Both of these big groceries, they are just big bullies," said UFCW Local 7 President Kim Cordova. "They are just bullies at the table, and they are consolidating their power again to control the labor market for grocery store workers." Safeway released this 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. The Local 7 union had to give 72 hours' notice before striking. The strike would affect Safeway stores in the Denver metro area. For now, Local 7 says workers will report as normal until a strike begins.
