UFCW Local 7, Safeway/Albertsons reach tentative deal

United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 7 has agreed on a tentative three-year contract with Safeway/Albertsons in Colorado and Wyoming.

Denver-based UFCW Local 7 said yesterday that members will hold ratifications votes on the agreement next week. The accord covers the union’s 67 bargaining units and more than 5,400 Safeway/Albertsons grocery workers, including meat and other retail associates, whose previous contracts expired in January and December.

“UFCW Local 7 has reached yet another tentative agreement for unionized workers at Safeway/Albertsons in Colorado and Rock Springs, Wyo. This industry-leading contract is the richest Safeway/Albertsons contract in the country,” UFCW Local 7 President Kim Cordova said in a statement. “This agreement, which was secured without the need for a strike, ensures that workers receive paid sick leave, fair pay, a safe workplace and access to affordable health care. It is also proof of what can happen when workers and the union are treated with respect at the negotiating table. 

According to Kris Staaf, regional director of public affairs and government relations for Safeway, the tentative pact covers 51 stores along the Front Range area of Colorado/Wyoming; Colorado Springs, Colo.; the Western Slope area of Colorado; and Rock Springs, Wyo.

Related:UFCW Local 7 ratifies new contract with King Soopers

“We appreciate the union’s partnership in reaching this tentative agreement that includes significant benefits to our associates,” Staaf stated in an email.

The pending deal came just under a month after UFCW Local 7 reached tentative contract agreement with The Kroger Co.’s King Soopers/City Market division in the Denver area, ending an eight-day strike. More than 8,000 workers took part in the work stoppage at 78 King Soopers and City Market stores in greater Denver, Broomfield, Parker and Boulder, Colo. The contract was ratified by the union days later.

“Our fight will always be about the rights for the essential workers who have shown up to work every day and kept our communities fed, even while many of them struggle to make ends meet on insufficient wages and in unsafe working conditions,” added Cordova, who also serves as vice president of UFCW International. “I could not be prouder of our members who have worked tirelessly to secure a contract they deserve. We remain grateful to our shoppers, our community and our union members who helped make this agreement possible.”

Overall, Pleasanton, Calif.-based Safeway, part of Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons Cos., operates 103 stores in Colorado and five stores in Wyoming. The Albertsons banner has two stores in Colorado and nine in Wyoming.

Related:King Soopers, UFCW Local 7 reach tentative strike settlement