October 22, 2009 04:18 PM UTC

Grocery Strike Appears Imminent

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• by: Colorado Pols

UPDATE: King Soopers management just distributed a letter to employees that certainly indicates a strike (or in King Soopers’ case, a lockout) is at hand–they “may” (meaning ‘will definitely’) lock out union employees to “protect our business” if Safeway workers strike. Apparently that website directing customers to alternate stores is a big “concern,” too–check out the scanned letter for yourself from V.P. Dave Savage after the jump, and we’d say get to the store tonight if possible.

Stock up while you can, the Colorado Springs Gazette reports:

Unionized grocery workers in Colorado could launch the first strike in 13 years by this weekend after contract talks broke down and negotiators voted to seek permission from the United Food and Commercial Workers union for a walkout.

Members of UFCW Local 7 voted overwhelmingly in late September and early October to reject final offers from both King Soopers and Safeway, authorize a strike against Safeway and ask both chains to return to the bargaining table for further negotiations.

Local 7’s bargaining committee made a new contract offer during talks Tuesday with both chains.

Safeway said the union’s offer was little changed its  last proposal in early September. “In response, (Safeway) expressed an unwillingness to change its position further based on the union’s lack of meaningful movement,” Kris Staaf, a Safeway spokeswoman in Denver, said in a press released Wednesday.

No further talks have been scheduled…

Both chains have agreed to lock out workers if the union goes on strike against the other, and have been advertising for temporary replacement workers who would be hired only if the union launches a strike.