The union and the company say Safeway workers have reached a tentative agreement to end their strike

The union representing thousands of grocery store workers in Colorado and Wyoming says it has reached a tentative agreement with Safeway to end a strike affecting unionised workers at approximately 50 stores in Colorado.

According to United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7, union representatives were successful in achieving several demands during bargaining, including wage increases, seniority bonuses, fully funded and improved healthcare benefits, an expanded vacation cash-out policy, and the termination of temporary replacement workers.

The new agreement must be ratified at a future union meeting, according to UFCW Local 7, but the union hailed the gains as a victory.

“We’ve reached a fully recommended tentative agreement!” “The strike has ended,” the union said in a statement on Saturday.

“We are pleased to have reached a fair and equitable agreement with the UFCW that will benefit our associates while allowing us to continue to serve our customers in Colorado,” a Safeway spokesperson told CBS News Colorado.

“I’m glad that both parties have come to an agreement,” shopper Gary Andrews commented. “I definitely feel for the people who work here. They always seemed to do good work and be kind.”

The strike began nearly a month ago, in early June, after nine months of unsuccessful negotiations, according to a union representative.

The strike had spread to 46 of Safeway’s 103 stores across the state, from Fort Collins to Pueblo, as far west as Grand Junction and east to Fort Morgan, as well as a Denver distribution centre.

Workers who went on strike must return by Monday, but they can return sooner if necessary, according to the union.

The tentative agreement comes just two days after unionised King Soopers employees reached a similar agreement with the supermarket chain.

SOURCE