DENVER, Colo. — The union that represents 7,000 Safeway/Albertsons employees in Colorado terminated its contract extension with the company on Wednesday.
The termination will take effect at 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, meaning United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 7 members who have already voted to strike could begin as early as Sunday.
UFCW Local 7 president Kim Cordova warned of an imminent strike on Monday, telling Denver7's Nicole Brady that the company had "one shot" left before they took such action.
- Watch Nicole Brady's report in the video player below
UFCW Local 7 and Safway/ Albertsons have been working to reach an agreement on wages, staffing levels and benefits. In a release, the union said a negotiating session Wednesday "did not generate a breakthrough," so leaders decided to give the company a 72-hour strike notice.
Union leaders said they did make a final offer to the company to avoid a strike. That officer will expire at 5 p.m. on Friday.
On Monday, Safeway reiterated its commitment to collective bargaining, telling our news partners in Denver, "We are negotiating in good faith to achieve an agreement."
UFCW Local 7 has not announced official strike plans as of Wednesday evening. Union employees should continue to report to work until advised otherwise.
According to Cordova, this is the first time Colorado Safeway workers have voted to strike over unfair labor practices in nearly 30 years.
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Safeway, King Soopers employees could head to the picket line by next week
Meanwhile, there is a chance that Colorado King Soopers employees could also go on strike.
In February, workers engaged in a 12-day strike, which ended after UFCW Local 7 and King Soopers agreed to continue negotiations over a 100-day period. That period expired on June 8, with both sides failing to reach an agreement.
A spokesperson for King Soopers told Denver on Friday that the company was eager to negotiate over the weekend. Denver asked for a follow-up statement on Monday but did not receive a response.
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