Sponsored By

UFCW Local 7, Safeway/Albertsons reach tentative deal

Union calls agreement for Colorado, Wyoming workers the ‘richest Safeway/Albertsons contract in the country’

Russell Redman

February 18, 2022

2 Min Read
Safeway_supermarket-store_banner-closeup.png
The contract covers 5,400 Safeway/Albertsons grocery workers represented by UFCW Local 7 at 51 stores in Colorado and Wyoming.Safeway

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

Read more about:

Albertsons

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

Stay up-to-date on the latest food retail news and trends
Subscribe to free eNewsletters from Supermarket News

You May Also Like