On Jan. 3, King Soopers grocery store workers who are members of UFCW Local 7, voted to go on an Unfair Labor Practices strike in stores across Colorado. Stores that held strike votes reported “yes” votes of more than 98 percent. Workers are set to strike this Wednesday, Jan. 12. Other local unions, such as BCTGM local 26 and Teamsters local 455, have already offered solidarity with the UFCW strike.

The Unfair Labor Practices strike is a result of King Soopers offering high pay to non-union workers to perform union jobs, as well as other “effort[s] to prevent workers from securing a new contract advancing wages, health, and retirement benefits, and [not] ensuring a safe place for employees to work and customers to shop.”

King Soopers workers are also in the middle of contract negotiations, and their current contract expired at midnight on Jan. 8. During contract negotiations, King Soopers has attempted to hire non-union temporary workers, refused to share information they are legally required to, refused to bargain in good faith and slandered the union. UFCW local 7 also filed a lawsuit against King Soopers last week for breaching the union contract over vendors in stores.

Service workers, including grocery store workers, have faced COVID head-on for the last two years. In 2020 alone, Kroger made $2.6 billion in profit, while a worker working 40 hours a week would have only gotten a measly $640 from those record profits while being put in danger every day. Even while...

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