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06_12_25MMHLnews Ainsley Coogan
Safeway and Albertsons strike looms
Safeway and Albertsons workers are preparing to strike.
The United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 7 union has rejected the grocery giants’ latest offer. Now, Safeway and Albertsons’ parent company has 72 hours to reverse its offer, or else face a worker strike starting as early as Sunday morning.
Ivan Lopez, who works at a Safeway distribution center in Denver, said in a news release last night that after so many months of bargaining, “Safeway/Albertsons was giving us no choice but to further escalate our contract campaign.”
Workers have spent nearly nine months negotiating for better wages, staffing levels and health and pension benefits.
If it happens, the strike could involve around 7,000 workers across metro Denver, Boulder, Conifer, Steamboat Springs, Vail and other cities, according to The Denver Post.
It would be one of the largest labor actions in Colorado’s history – and the second-largest this year, following February’s King Soopers and City Market worker strike. That strike involved roughly 10,000 workers.
The last time Safeway and Albertsons workers took to the picket lines was in 1996.
“No Kings” protests this weekend
Anti-Trump Administration rallies are planned for this weekend across Colorado and the nation, with a major event scheduled for Denver, and smaller ones in other cities, including Fort Collins, Loveland, Arvada, Littleton and Westminster.
The rallies coincide with Donald Trump’s birthday and a scheduled military parade in Washington, DC. Organizers say the rallies are in direct “response to [Trump’s] increasing authoritarian excesses and corruption.”
In Parker, rally organizers are vowing to go ahead with their planned anti-Trump event, in spite of opposition from city officials. Organizer Carolyn Williamson told the Denver Post that she has been concerned about event safety, especially after the attacks on a peaceful Run For Their Lives demonstration in Boulder on June 1st.
Her request for a permit was denied, on the grounds that another permit for an outdoor festival in Parker had already been approved. Williamson said that even after she changed her plans for a lower-key event, city officials told her “in no uncertain terms” that she had to cancel her No Kings rally, because two events on the same day would strain public safety resources.
Williamson says that in spite of that, the No Kings rally in Parker will take place. Parker spokesperson Andy Anderson said that while the town of Parker recognizes everyone’s First Amendment rights, those rights must be balanced with the rights and safety of all other individuals.
Sanctuary city status
Boulder City Council is scheduled to discuss the city’s sanctuary status this evening.
According to tonight’s agenda, Boulder City Council will receive “legal advice on representing the city in emerging federal administrative actions regarding sanctuary cities.”
Tonight is considered a special virtual meeting, wherein council members will enter executive session – meaning members of the public aren’t allowed to attend.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) named Boulder as a “sanctuary jurisdiction” in late May, along with Lafayette, Longmont and Boulder County. This means the Department believes these municipalities protect undocumented immigrants by limiting cooperation with federal immigration officials.
The Trump administration has threatened to withhold federal funding from sanctuary cities. Boulder did declare itself a sanctuary city back in January of 2017 during Trump’s first term; however, Boulder County Commissioners recently accused DHS of making “baseless claims” about jurisdictions “without providing details.”
Colorado among states suing Trump over weapons plan
Colorado has joined 15 other states in suing the Trump administration, over its plan to redistribute devices that convert guns into machine guns.
The plan would include distributing them even in states where such devices are illegal, according to Colorado Newsline.
The devices are called forced reset triggers, and allow shooters to fire hundreds of rounds a minute just by pulling the trigger once. Returning nearly 12,000 of the forced reset triggers was part of a settlement between the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and gun manufacturers and gun rights groups.
The lawsuit aimed at blocking the plan was filed in U.S. District Court in Maryland. The Maryland Attorney General said it is contrary to federal law, and exposes people to a greater risk of deadly violence.
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said stopping distribution of the devices is a public safety issue. He added that it’s hard enough for law enforcement to protect Coloradans from gun violence, without the federal government ignoring the law.
Gas Blowout Cause
Colorado Chevron has identified two main causes of an uncontrolled oil and gas well blowout in Weld County two months ago.
The company says the causes were the improper assembly of installation equipment, and the inadequate setting of a barrier that was supposed to prevent the flow of liquids.
The oil and gas blowout happened at a Chevron oil and gas facility near Greeley, according to Fox31, and lasted for several days. People living nearby were forced to evacuate their homes, and some haven’t been able to return yet.
The environmental impact to the surrounding area is still being tested. That includes soil and air monitoring.
