Safeway employees join the picket line at several locations in Southern Colorado

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) – On Sunday, some Safeway employees formed picket lines to fight what they say are unfair labor practices. Strikes happened at stores in Fountain, Pueblo, Estes Park and a distribution center in Denver.

Tom Olson was one of several of those workers, past and present, in Fountain.

“As a former Safeway employee, it just makes me sad that they won’t support the people that make the money for them,” Olson said, “they’re trying to take money away from the healthcare plans of both the retirees and the active members.”

Tom told 11 News he worked for Safeway for 15 years, and that he’s participated in multiple strikes over the years.

“It’s really to bring the company to the table, to move the negotiations along, because they’re not doing that,” Olson said, “it’s really an example of corporate greed.”

We reached out to the company that owns Safeway, Albertsons, who tells us,

“Safeway in Colorado remains committed to productive discussions with UFCW Local 7. We respect the rights of workers to engage in collective bargaining and are negotiating in good faith to achieve an agreement. Our focus remains on providing exceptional service to our customers and fostering a positive working environment for our associates. All Safeway and Albertsons stores in Colorado are open and ready to continue serving our communities.”

So far, the union hasn’t said how long the strike will last, but stores in Colorado Springs will be voting this week on whether they will join the strike.

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