For the first time in three years, King Soopers workers picketed again in the Denver Metro area, as they demand solutions to wage issues, workforce shortages, and training problems. 

According to union workers, not enough people are employed or properly trained, so work that requires more experienced workers can’t be done as effectively.

“This strike is important because it is not just about wages,” employee Mavis Austin said. “Our jobs are becoming unsafe because we are often inadequately trained as well as not having enough people to safely perform the duties that are required.”

Additionally, Austin has seen threats to King Soopers’ workers’ jobs from third parties, such as Boar’s Head or Home Chef, because they aren’t properly trained to do all in-store work.

Most strikers declined to comment, because the union didn’t allow them to do so without media training. 

Strikers carried signs asking customers to refrain from shopping at King Soopers and encouraged them to visit rivals like Safeway. Many passed them by, some voiced approval but still crossed the picket line, and a few turned away. Workers also stood on Yosemite to display to passersby, cheering when a nearby car honked in approval.

Many students at Creek are common patrons there, and some have been visiting despite the strike.

“It’s close and it’s really cheap, they have a lot of options. I get lunch there every day,” sophomore Max Gutierrez said. “I don’t really know what they’re striking about. I think they need to do a better job of demanding what they want, and not just standing outside telling us not to shop.”

Gutierrez, though he doesn’t believe in the strikers’ methods, thinks people should shop elsewhere if they have options.

“If you have the option to stop somewhere else, you should probably consider it,” he said. “But I don’t have a car yet, so I don’t really have an option.”

A final negotiating offer from the corporation triggered the protest; the deal featured wage increases for experienced workers, new roles in select stores, and a continuation of “stable and reliable” benefits. But the union believed the deal didn’t really solve the problems they presented. 

“This Unfair Labor Practices strike is a response to ‘Krogers Last, Best, and Final Offer,’ a proposal that gave no consideration to the proposals offered by the workers,” Austin said. “There is language that would remove overtime after eight hours.”

Union workers hope that patrons will keep from shopping at their store, or using apps like Instacart that support the corporation as well. The union says the strike will last two weeks to allow time to work out an agreement, but the 2022 pickets stood for nine days.

Affected stores’ hours have been modified due to the worker shortage, now 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Workers will not be paid during the strike.

“Grocery workers are essential to this company and our communities,” Austin said. “They want to limit future contributions to our medical insurance and our pension plans, that would leave workers in a shortfall.”

Additional contributions by Andrei Machado and Oliver Scala