Updated at 8:58 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025.
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.
The union announced during a Thursday afternoon press conference that Pueblo workers will go on strike Friday morning. It said during the press conference that Colorado Springs employees would also go out on strike Friday, but it later walked that statement back as inaccurate.
"Some of the Colorado Springs’ workers contracts have not expired," the union said in a statement Thursday. "Strikes could expand to Colorado Springs once contracts do expire later in February, but again, the strikes are not expanding to Colorado Springs."
All King Soopers stores will be open. But you might have to cross a picket line to go inside.
Affected stores will have limited hours during the strike. Impacted stores will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Pharmacies at those stores will be open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pharmacies will be closed on Sundays.
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.
Editor's Note: This story has been updated with information on limited store hours during the strike.
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