DENVER — Thousands of King Soopers employees across Colorado walked off the job Wednesday after negotiations between King Soopers and the union who represents those workers failed last Friday.
On Monday, the union — United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 7 — held a news conference saying they want increased wages, better healthcare options and more tools for on-the-job safety as the coronavirus pandemic continues to rage across the state. Meanwhile, the state's largest grocery chain maintained they've met those needs.
On Tuesday, UFCW Local 7 President Kim Cordova said the final offer from the company did not meet the union's expectations and that unionized workers were ready to strike starting at 5 a.m. Wednesday.
The strike, which would last until Feb. 2, could affect operations at more than 70 locations across the Denver metro, Boulder, Broomfield and Parker regions, as more than 8,400 workers strike against alleged unfair labor practices. Union workers at King Soopers in Colorado Springs are also planning to strike, but a date has not been set for when they plan to walk off the job.
While operations will continue, there will be instances where some departments and even some stores won't be able to open due to the strike, according to King Soopers president Joe Kelley, who told Denver7 on Monday that the company has flown in about 300 people from across the country from their sister brands to help.
The map below shows you the locations of stores that could be impacted by the strike. If you're on a mobile device, pinch and drag the screen to find out if the King Soopers store nearest you could be affected.