Four Denver-area Safeway workers allege the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 union fined them illegally after they chose to work during a strike.

According to a news release from the National Right to Work Foundation, the four employees work at three Safeways in Greeley, Longmont and Lakewood. The release said the employees filed federal charges with the National Labor Relations Board alleging unfair labor practices over the fines.

According to the filed complaint and release, the employees resigned their union membership ahead of a June 2025 strike ordered at Safeway grocery stores in Colorado so that they could continue working during the strike. The complaint alleges UFCW then issued fines to the employees in January for crossing the picket line while being a union member, which the complaint alleges violates the National Labor Relations Act.

The release said employees at King Soopers were also fined by UFCW Local 7 after a February 2025 strike for similarly working during an ordered strike.

The fines come ahead of a planned strike Monday at a JBS-owned beef plant in Greeley, where 3,800 UFCW union members are employed. That strike comes after eight months of bargaining over increased wages and better safety equipment reached a stalemate. The union accused JBS of walking away from the bargaining table, threatening to withhold a bonus if workers strike and of retaliating against employees.

In turn, JBS accused the union of being the ones to walk away from bargaining and denied retaliating against employees. In a letter to the union, Matthew J. Lovell, head of labor relations for JBS USA, wrote that employees reported to JBS that they were threatened with fines if they choose to cross a picket line and work.

In the letter, Lovell asked the union for confirmation that Local 7 would not fine or penalize workers who choose to continue working during the strike.

JBS spokesperson Hailey Fishel said via email that an agreement was not reached as of Friday afternoon, paving the way for the beef plant strike to begin Monday. Fishel said JBS is taking steps to prevent a disruption in beef production, including by shifting production to other plants. 

Fishel also said JBS has not received confirmation from the union that workers would not be fined for working during the strike.

A spokesperson for the UFCW Local 7 did not respond to email and phone messages seeking comment regarding the Safeway fines and the report of potential fines against JBS workers who cross the picket line.

The strike is set to begin at 5:30 a.m. Monday.