Thousands of workers employed at King Soopers' grocery stores in the Denver metro and Front Range area are poised to go on strike starting Thursday. This industrial action comes after months of fruitless negotiations over workers' terms and conditions. According to KDVR, approximately 10,000 unionized employees from 77 stores are expected to take part in the strike action. The labor dispute has escalated despite attempts to seek common ground, reflecting a breakdown in the traditional employer-employee contract.
In anticipation of the strike, King Soopers announced modified store hours. As reported by Denver Gazette, "Impacted stores will be open from 7 a.m. – 8 p.m. daily and pharmacies at impacted locations will operate Monday – Friday from 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., (closing daily for lunch from 1-130 p.m.) and closed on Sundays." This decision aims to ensure that some level of service will continue to be available to the public throughout the strike.
While the strike will impact numerous locations, King Soopers officials have clarified that several stores across Colorado will not be affected. These include locations in Bennett, Brighton, Castle Rock, Cheyenne, Colorado Springs, Conifer, Erie, Firestone, Fort Collins, Greeley, Longmont, Loveland, Pueblo, and Windsor. Additionally, two stores in Thornton, specifically at 13700 Colorado Blvd. and 13525 Quebec St., will also remain fully operational, as detailed by CBS News Colorado, and help shoppers plan in light of the upcoming strikes.
Union representatives are actively encouraging customers to support striking workers by patronizing competing grocery stores, such as Safeway. In solidarity with the striking employees, a schedule of picketing days will be distributed, and union president Kim Cordova conveyed to members an intention to gradually increase the number of striking stores over the next two weeks. "Workers will receive a schedule of their picketing days as union president Kim Cordova told members they plan to amp up the number of stores striking over the course of the two weeks," the Denver Gazette reported.
