Colorado King Soopers workers plan to strike on ThursdayColorado King Soopers workers plan to strike on Thursday

About 10,000 King Soopers workers in Colorado will begin a two-week strike on Thursday, UFCW Local 7, the union that represents them, announced Monday.

The workers at the Kroger-owned grocery chain represent 77 supermarkets throughout Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, and Jefferson counties, as well as King Soopers stores in Boulder and Louisville.

Kroger did not respond to a request to comment on the strike on Monday.

Late last month, 96% of workers voted to authorize an Unfair Labor Practice strike after working under an expired contract since earlier in January. Negotiations have been ongoing since October.

The union alleges that King Soopers managers have illegally interrogated union members about bargaining, surveilled workers discussing with union staff, refused to provide information to the union to aid in contract negotiations, threatened to discipline members for wearing union clothing and gear, and unlawfully planned to eliminate $8 million in retiree health benefits to fund wage increases.

“They have, and continue to, break the law and are trying to force us to accept a new contract that takes us backward,” Connor Hall, a King Soopers worker and union member, said in a statement. “That’s not going to happen. Meanwhile, we have real problems with low staffing and low wages that make the jobs so bad that many of us can’t even afford to shop where we work.”

Related:King Soopers workers approve Unfair Labor Practice strike

The two-week strike will make the union’s concerns well known and will give Kroger “time to right their wrong,” UFCW Local 7 President Kim Cordova said in a statement.

“This strike is about holding one of the largest corporations in America accountable when they break the law and cause harm to workers and our customers,” Cordova added.

King Soopers workers also went on strike in 2022. The union and the grocer reached an agreement after nine days.

UFCW Local 7 represents 23,000 union workers across Colorado and Wyoming.