On Thursday, workers at 77 King Soopers stores across the Denver metro area started a strike after months of negotiations.

King Soopers says it's an issue of customer safety. The union says it's an attempt to silence and intimidate picketers.

The two-week labor stoppage has begun in Denver-area stores. Pueblo stores start will join on Friday. See the list of impacted stores and pharmacies.

Pueblo King Soopers employees with the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 joined a statewide unfair labor practice strike on Feb. 7.

Some 10,000 grocery store workers across the greater Denver area went on strike Thursday, claiming unfair and illegal negotiating practices by King Soopers while their union has been negotiating a new contract with the store chain.

Some shoppers are choosing not to cross the picket lines at the King Soopers stores where union workers are on strike.

The union representing striking King Soopers workers has denounced a lawsuit filed by the grocery chain that calls the workers' actions "unsafe." The union said King Soopers was trying to "silence its own workers.

King Soopers is seeking a temporary restraining order (TRO) in order to “protect the well-being of everyone” during an unfair labor practice strike that began in February. Workers in Adams, Arapahoe,

King Soopers is suing the union representing the workers striking in Colorado, claiming bad-faith negotiating tactics.