Several days after unionized Safeway store employees voted to authorize a strike, the wait continues on what will happen next. Last week, employees voted overwhelmingly to approve a strike but they must give 72 hours' notice before the strike begins. That hasn't happened yet. 

The union representing workers sent a request for a "safe shutdown procedure," which is one of the final steps before a labor strike. 

The union said they're demanding Albertson's, the parent company of Safeway, to address understaffing. 

Safeway's most recent statement reads, "We respect the rights of workers to engage in collective bargaining and are negotiating in good faith to reach an agreement that is fair to our employees... good for our customers... and allows our company to remain competitive."

Safeway workers are threatening a strike at the same time contract negotiations between unionized employees and King Soopers are reaching a tipping point. King Soopers and its workers have been operating under a temporary agreement since February that expired on June 8. The union said no new agreement has been reached. 

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser released this statement: I stand with union workers at Safeway, Albertsons and King Soopers who are asking for fair working conditions, better pay, and for management to stick to its agreement on workers' health care and pension benefits. 

During a statewide listening tour I did on the now failed grocery megamerger between King Soopers and Safeway, workers told me that understaffing had created unsafe working conditions and a bad shopping experience for customers. Protecting workers was one of the main reasons I sued to block the merger, and I'll join workers on the picket line if they strike.