About 10,000 King Soopers employees in and around Denver are set to walk off the job Thursday at 5 a.m. Workers from Denver to Pueblo voted to authorize a strike after contract negotiations with the company fell apart.
The United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 7 calls the action an Unfair Labor Practices strike.
Here are answers to some of the most pressing questions about the strike:
Will my local supermarket be affected?
The strike is happening at 77 stores in Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas and Jefferson counties, as well as in Boulder and Louisville. At this time, there are no strikes planned for the Pueblo and Colorado Springs areas. The strike could eventually expand to those cities, as employees there voted to authorize one, but there are no plans for that to happen yet.
All King Soopers stores will be open. But you might have to cross a picket line to go inside.
How long will the strike last?
The strike is slated to last for two weeks. But a deal between the company and the union could happen at any time, which would end the strike.
Why is the strike happening now?
Workers are striking now because their contract expired on Jan. 17. Negotiations between the union and King Soopers broke down without a new contract. The parties have been in talks about a new contract since October, according to the union. Both sides are pointing fingers at the other over the impasse. Some of the sticking points from the union’s perspective are that the company’s proposal doesn’t do enough to address staffing shortages and eliminates seniority-based scheduling protections. King Soopers contends their latest offer has a significant investment in wages. In a press release, the company said the union let the company’s “last, best and final” offer expire without any counterproposals for wages.
The expired contract was negotiated in 2022 while King Soopers employees were on strike. That walkout lasted for 10 days.
What are my choices if I don’t want to cross the picket line?
You can shop for groceries at other stores, like Walmart, Costco, Safeway and Whole Foods.
