Striking King Soopers workers outside the store at MLK Jr. Blvd. in Denver

Morning commuters along MLK Jr. Blvd. in Denver honked their horns in support of the striking workers outside a King Soopers store.

In front of the Eastbridge store, with a heater set up for warmth, the workers say they’ll be out there as long as two weeks but are hopeful negotiations between the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 7 and King Soopers can lead to a new contract.

The current contract expired in January with both sides unable to come to agreement on terms. Staffing shortages are a common complaint among the workers.

The UFCW released a statement saying, “Kroger continues to ignore Union proposals and has failed to meaningfully engage with the Union on fixing the staffing crisis in our Colorado grocery stores. Inadequate staffing in the stores has led to empty shelves, poor customer service, prices on the shelves not matching prices customers’ pay at the register, and shuttered delis, meat departments, and pharmacies.”

On Thursday morning, the striking workers were asking people not to shop at the store. At least one driver pulled up and told them he was going to Safeway.

The strike is impacting 77 of the Kroger-owned stores in Colorado, which will remain open during the strike.

In a written statement to local media last week following the union’s strike vote, King Soopers President Joe Kelley said, “We believe our associates would be better served if the Union worked with us to reach an agreement that would not risk leaving our associates without a paycheck. We remain open to continuing to meet with the Union to reach a resolution.”