The United Food Commercial Workers Local 7 said union members in Colorado have agreed to go on strike. This comes after a 2-day voting period where union members agreed to strike and after nine months of negotiations.

The Local 7 union is accusing Albertsons, which owns Safeway, of unfair labor practices by not offering retroactive wage increases and cutting out the union when addressing employee grievances. The union also wants better pay and health care.

This comes as contract negotiations between the workers and King Soopers are happening at the same time. King Soopers and its workers have until June 8 to hammer out a new deal.

"Both of these big groceries, they are just big bullies," said UFCW Local 7 President Kim Cordova. "They are just bullies at the table, and they are consolidating their power again to control the labor market for grocery store workers."

Safeway released this statement: Safeway in Colorado remains committed to productive discussions with UFCW Local 7 and we have contract extensions in place while we do so. 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.

The Local 7 union had to give 72 hours' notice before striking. The strike would affect Safeway stores in the Denver metro area. For now, Local 7 says workers will report as normal until a strike begins.