Estes Park Safeway Worker Slams UFCW Union with Federal Charges for Illegal Retaliatory $7,912 Strike Fine
NLRB charge: Union bosses had no legal right to impose discipline since employee resigned union membership prior to working during June 2025 strike action
Estes Park, CO (April 20, 2026) – Estes Park Safeway employee Abraham Ireland has slammed United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 7 union officials with federal charges, maintaining that union officials hit him with a variety of illegal disciplinary actions for not participating in a June 2025 strike. Ireland, whose charges include details about UFCW union officials demanding nearly $8,000 in unlawful fines, filed his unfair labor practice charges at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) with free legal aid from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys.
The NLRB is the federal agency responsible for enforcing private sector labor law, a task that includes adjudicating labor disputes between union officials, employers, and individual employees. Federal law forbids union officials from imposing internal discipline, including fines and union trial proceedings, on workers who have exercised their right to opt out of union membership. The Foundation-won CWA v. Beck Supreme Court decision also prohibits union officials from forcing nonmembers to pay dues for the union’s “nonchargeable” expenses, which include political or ideological activities and anything else unrelated to bargaining.
Colorado lacks Right to Work protections for its workers, meaning union officials can require every employee in a workplace to pay money to the union just to keep their jobs. However, this coercive power is limited by the Beck ruling. In contrast, in states that have Right to Work laws, such as Colorado’s neighbors Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Utah, union membership and all union financial support are voluntary and the choice of each individual worker.
UFCW Union Imposes Obscene Fine, Ignores Longstanding Legal Precedents
According to Ireland’s charges, on June 15, 2025, he notified the union that he resigned his membership effective immediately. Ireland also notified the union that he was exercising his Beck right to pay a reduced amount of money to the union as a nonmember from that point forward.
However, read Ireland’s charges, “on January 9, 2026, the Union refused to honor [Ireland’s] right to resign from union membership by informing him that it was processing internal union charges against him, for…crossing the picket line.” Additionally, the charges state that in March “the Union notified [Ireland] that the Union had issued a fine in the amount of $7,912.45,” despite Ireland’s valid resignation.
Ireland maintains in his charges that union officials never provided him with financial disclosures indicating how the union calculates the reduced fee amount it charges nonmembers, another requirement of the Beck Supreme Court decision.
UFCW Caught Red-Handed by Multiple Grocery Workers Around Country
Foundation-backed grocery workers in Colorado and other states have racked up a number of recent legal victories against the UFCW union, particularly challenging UFCW officials meting out strike discipline on nonmembers. In Oregon, a Fred Meyer employee’s recent federal case against UFCW Local 555 union bosses forced the union to back off a demand for nearly $1,000 in strike fines. In Centennial, Colorado, two grocery employees were similarly able to escape illegal strike fine demands (issued in connection with a King Soopers strike) this March after Foundation involvement.
“UFCW union officials are assembling an ugly track record of violating the free choice rights of grocery workers, who have the unequivocal right to end their union memberships and return to work during a union boss-ordered strike,” commented National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “Luckily, Foundation attorneys have scored multiple legal victories for grocery workers, both in Colorado and beyond, who have been subjected to UFCW union officials’ illegal schemes.
“We encourage those who experienced coercion during the UFCW’s most recent wave of strikes to reach out to learn about and defend their rights with free Foundation legal aid,” added Mix.
National Right to Work Foundation Issues Legal Notice to Greeley JBS Meatpacking Employees Affected by UFCW Strike Order
Notice reminds workers wishing to return to work that they must resign their union memberships to avoid potentially ruinous strike fines
Greeley, CO (March 18, 2026) – Today, the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation issued a special legal notice for workers subject to United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 7 union bosses’ strike order against meatpacking company JBS. News reports indicate the strike order covers nearly 4,000 employees at JBS’ facility in Greeley, Colorado.
The legal notice informs these workers of rights that union officials often do not want them to know. First and foremost, JBS employees who want to keep working to support their families should resign their union memberships before returning to work to avoid union fines and internal discipline.
“The situation presents serious concerns for JBS employees who believe there is much to lose from a union-ordered strike,” the legal notice reads. “That is why workers confronted with strike demands frequently contact the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation to learn how they can avoid fines and other union discipline for continuing to work to support themselves and their families.”
The legal notice alerts workers to the fact that UFCW Local 7 officials are currently facing a federal prosecution for imposing illegal discipline on King Soopers employees in connection with a 2025 strike action against the supermarket chain. “JBS employees should read this notice carefully and consider contacting Foundation staff attorneys for assistance to ensure UFCW officials cannot impose any fines against them,” the notice says.
The notice is available at: https://www.nrtw.org/jbs/.
A Spanish version of the notice can be found here: https://www.nrtw.org/es/jbs/.
Foundation: Resign Union Membership Before Returning to Work to Avoid Fines and Discipline
Most importantly, the notice informs meatpacking plant employees who want to keep working that the safest way to avoid strike fines by union bosses is to resign their union memberships before returning to work. “[I]f an employee is not a member of a union, union officials have no power to fine or discipline him or her during a strike.,” the notice says. “By resigning their membership, employees can rebuff union strike demands and return to work.”
The Foundation’s special legal notice provides workers sample union resignation letters, as well as information on how to exercise their right under the CWA v. Beck Supreme Court decision to opt out of paying dues for union politics, if union officials succeed in their push to impose a forced-dues contract. “Because Colorado lacks Right to Work protections, workers who have abstained from union membership may be required to pay partial union dues after a new contract is finalized,” the notice says. “However, union nonmembers have a right…to refuse to pay for union political expenses and other expenses not related to collective bargaining and contract administration.”
The notice also gives workers information on the process to submit a “decertification petition,” in which employees request a workplace election to remove the union.
“While many JBS employees may already be questioning whether UFCW Local 7 officials really have their best interests in mind by calling this strike, the fact that these very union bosses are currently being prosecuted for illegal strike discipline is a reminder that workers should be vigilant to protect their legal rights,” commented National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “JBS workers should know that they have the right to resign their union memberships and return to work to support their families, no matter what UFCW chiefs might tell them.”
Labor Board to Prosecute UFCW Local 7 for Illegally Imposing Fines on King Soopers Workers Who Refused to Strike
UFCW Local 7 has long history of illegal fines and threats against nonmembers during union strikes against both King Soopers and Safeway
Denver, CO (March 13, 2026) – The federal labor board is prosecuting the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 7 union for unlawfully threatening workers with fines for not participating in UFCW union officials’ 2025 strike orders. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued a complaint against the union after several employees of Colorado King Soopers and Safeway locations slammed the union with federal charges. These charges, filed with free legal assistance from the National Right to Work Foundation, challenged fines union bosses issued simply because employees chose to work.
The NLRB’s complaint responds specifically to unfair labor practice charges filed by Ryan Lamb and Lucas Martin, both of whom were employees of a Centennial, CO, King Soopers. Both Lamb and Martin maintained in their charges that they resigned their union memberships and returned to work during the 2025 strike ordered by UFCW bosses. Even though the union had no basis on which to discipline them because they were not union members, their charges stated, UFCW agents still assessed fines against them and demanded they appear at internal union “trials.”
The NLRB is the agency responsible for enforcing the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), the federal law that governs labor relations in the private sector. The NLRA forbids unions from imposing internal union discipline on workers who are not members. However, the NLRA still permits union officials to extend their exclusive “representation” powers over every worker in a workplace, even those who have refrained from union membership and oppose the union’s agenda.
Colorado also lacks Right to Work protections for its workers. In the state, private sector employees can be forced to pay money to the union as a condition of getting or keeping a job. In contrast, in Right to Work states, like Colorado’s neighbors Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma, union membership and union financial support are strictly voluntary and the choice of each individual worker.
Supermarket Employees’ Charges Against UFCW Local 7 Piling Up
The NLRB’s complaint notes that UFCW Local 7 imposed fines on Martin and Lamb “even though the employees had previously tendered valid membership resignations to [the union] and were not members of [the union].” The complaint declares that such behavior “restrain[s] and coerc[es] employees in the exercise of the rights guaranteed in Section 7 of the [NLRA].” The case will now go before an NLRB Administrative Law Judge (ALJ).
Foundation attorneys are currently representing eight employees of Colorado Safeway supermarkets who are charging UFCW Local 7 union officials with subjecting them to illegal fine threats in connection with 2025 strike actions. These cases are very similar to those Foundation attorneys took on for several workers in 2022, who faced impositions of sometimes thousands of dollars in fines from the same union hierarchy simply for continuing to do their jobs during a strike.
“UFCW Local 7 union officials continue to defy basic principles of federal labor law, and now they are facing a federal prosecution,” commented National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “Foundation staff attorneys are proud to help Colorado grocery store workers defend themselves from coercive UFCW schemes, and this victory should signal to workers not only that UFCW bosses’ agenda often kneecaps workers’ rights, but also that workers have options to continue to work during a strike.”
Four Colorado Safeway Workers Slam UFCW Union Officials With More Federal Charges for Illegal Strike Fines
Charge: UFCW Local 7 unlawfully subjected nonmember employees to ‘internal disciplinary’ fines for not abiding by a union boss-ordered strike
Denver, CO (February 23, 2026) – Four employees at three separate Safeway grocery stores located near Denver have filed federal charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 7 union.
The workers’ charges were filed with free legal aid from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys in response to union bosses illegally threatening the workers and their colleagues with fines for choosing to exercise their right to work despite a union boss-ordered strike action. The NLRB is the federal agency responsible for enforcing the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and adjudicating disputes between employers, unions, and individual employees.
Claire Jordan, who works at Safeway in Greeley, Rebecca White, who works at Safeway in Longmont, and Dustin Mattos and Rebecca Lawless-Mattos, who both work at a Lakewood Safeway location, are demanding that NLRB Region 27 investigate and prosecute UFCW Local 7 union bosses for violating their rights under the NLRA.
According to the charges, after the workers validly resigned their union membership in June 2025, union officials informed the workers around January 9, 2026 that they would be subject to “internal union charges…for, among other things, crossing the picket line while being a union member.”
The workers resigned their memberships in order to continue working after UFCW Local 7 union bosses ordered grocery workers at more than 40 Safeway stores and a distribution center in Colorado to strike in June 2025. Longstanding law says union bosses cannot impose “union discipline,” which frequently means four- or five-figure monetary fines, against workers who are not voluntary union members.
In addition to retaliating against nonmember workers, the charges say that UFCW Local 7 union officials have failed to comply with federal law by not providing the workers with the required financial disclosures under the Foundation-won Beck decision, which allows nonmember workers to withhold the portions of their forced dues that go to the UFCW’s political activities.
Colorado is one of the 24 states that lack Right to Work protections for workers, which allows UFCW union bosses to impose monopoly bargaining contracts that force employees to pay union fees as a condition of employment. By contrast, in Right to Work states like neighboring Arizona, Utah, Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma, union membership and union financial support are strictly voluntary.
The Safeway strike order came months after UFCW Local 7 had similarly ordered a strike at 79 King Soopers grocery stores in February 2025. As happened following the Safeway strike, King Soopers employees also turned to the National Right to Work Foundation for assistance in filing charges against the UFCW, in response to union officials issuing illegal fine threats against nonmembers for exercising their right to work during a strike.
The Foundation has seen a growing number of workers seeking aid in cases involving illegal retaliation from UFCW union bosses. Foundation attorneys assisted nonmember King Soopers employees targeted following a 2022 strike, and have secured numerous victories against UFCW, including for illegal strike fine threats during a union-ordered strike against Stop & Shop stores in New England.
“Once again, UFCW Local 7 union bosses are turning to threats and intimidation tactics against workers who chose to rebuff union strike orders and work to support themselves and their families,” commented National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “The Foundation will continue to assist grocery workers defending themselves against these recidivist UFCW union bosses.”
King Soopers Employees Hit Union Officials with New Federal Charges for Illegal Strike Fine Threats
Charge: UFCW Local 7 once again violating federal law with fines against non-union employees who wouldn’t abide by a union boss-ordered strike
Denver, CO (September 8, 2025) – Two King Soopers grocery workers have filed federal charges against the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 7 union in response to union officials illegally threatening to fine the workers, who chose to exercise their right to work during a strike. These cases, filed with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), follow a series of similar charges against UFCW union officials for issuing retaliatory fines against King Soopers employees in 2022. Both employees are receiving free legal aid from National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation staff attorneys.
According to the charges, Local 7 union bosses illegally retaliated against Ryan Lamb and Lucas Martin by assessing presumptive fines and scheduling “trials” for each of them, despite the union having no authority to punish non-members. The charges note that attempts to discipline the workers for post-resignation conduct violate the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA).
Union-Ordered Strikes Don’t Mean Workers Have to Stop Providing for Their Families
UFCW officials demanded that workers strike against King Soopers grocery stores for more than a week in February 2025, affecting more than 10,000 employees. In response to the high profile strike, the Foundation issued a legal notice informing the impacted workers of their rights that union officials often hide, including the right to continue working to support their families.
“Despite often-misleading language in union contracts, no employee is actually required to be a member of a union,” the notice reads. “And if an employee is not a member of a union, union officials have no power to fine or discipline him or her.”
In the cases of Lamb and Martin, both employees ensured they took the proper actions to avoid being legally subjected to internal “union discipline.” In other cases, union officials illegally attempted to issue ruinous fines against workers who declined to participate in union strike actions, with some fines reaching tens of thousands of dollars per employee.
“Union officials shouldn’t be telling me I can’t earn a living just so they can make a point,” commented Lamb. “We have the right to keep working and not abide by their rules, and it’s ridiculous that the union officials think they can punish us for exercising that right,” added Martin.
Repeat-Offender Union Has a History of Ignoring Workers’ Rights
This isn’t the first time UFCW Local 7 officials are alleged to have violated federal law. In 2022, after the UFCW ordered a strike, several employees filed charges against Local 7 officials for hitting them with fines despite being non-union members.
In two cases where the employees received free legal aid from Foundation staff attorneys, union enforcers backed down from their fines rather than face discipline from the NLRB.
“Once again UFCW bosses are demonstrating their willingness to steamroll the legal rights of rank-and-file workers, just because those workers won’t toe the union line,” commented National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “Kings Soopers employees have beaten back these illegal fines in the past, and while it shouldn’t take a team of attorneys to ensure workers can exercise their legal rights, we are dedicated to ensuring all King Soopers workers can freely make the choice that is best for them.”
Foundation Defends Grocery Employees Against Illegal Union Strike Fine Threats
The following article is from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation’s bi-monthly Foundation Action Newsletter, November/December 2022 edition. To view other editions of Foundation Action or to sign up for a free subscription, click here.
Facing Foundation attorneys, UFCW union officials are dropping illegal fines
UFCW union officials threatened to fine King Soopers employee Nick Hall almost $1,000 just because he kept at his job during a strike. Foundation litigation ended the demands.
DENVER, CO – Grocery store workers at King Soopers are continuing to win their legal battles against United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 7 union officials’ illegal attempts to fine workers for exercising their right to work during a January UFCW strike action. While the union remains under investigation by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) for a series of charges filed by workers with free legal aid from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, several workers have already successfully challenged thousands of dollars in union fines.
Workers Slam Union With Federal Charges After Threats
Two King Soopers workers, Nick Hall and Marcelo Ruybal, filed federal charges against UFCW in response to union officials illegally threatening to fine workers who chose to exercise their right to work during a strike. UFCW union bosses ordered an estimated 8,000 King Soopers workers out of work in January, but as a Foundation legal notice informed workers at the time, employees have the legal right to rebuff union boss strike orders, and non-member employees cannot be legally fined by the union.
Union bosses threatened Hall and Ruybal with fines of $812 and $3,800 respectively. This happened despite the fact that, as the workers noted in their NLRB charges, the fines were illegal because the workers were not voluntary union members, and therefore not legally subject to internal union fines for working during the UFCW boss-ordered 10-day strike. Some 30 NLRB charges are still being investigated by NLRB Region 27, based in Denver.
Foundation Legal Aid Prompts UFCW Bosses to Drop Fine Threats
In Hall’s case, the union backed down, rescinding the union’s illegal fine threat in a letter dated July 27, essentially acknowledging that it broke federal law. Other workers have also successfully challenged union boss fine threats following the January strike.
With free legal representation from Foundation staff attorneys, worker Yen Chan challenged the union’s authority to issue a $3,552.48 fine, with union officials backing down rather than pursuing the fine and facing further legal action. Other King Soopers workers also successfully challenged thousands of dollars in UFCW strike fines using information provided by National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation staff attorneys.
“Union officials backed down quickly after being caught blatantly disregarding the law in Nick Hall’s case. But it shouldn’t take the support of National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys just to force union bullies to abide by federal law,” commented National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “King Soopers workers are continuing to beat back illegal fines levied by UFCW union officials, even as union officials are still under investigation by the NLRB for unfair labor practice charges.”
