King Soopers has filed a temporary restraining order against union workers, accusing picketers of harassing customers amid a strike across over 70 Denver metro area grocery stores.

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

It wouldn’t be the first time the grocer tried to stop picketers outside of its stores. A court judge granted King Soopers a temporary restraining order during the 2022 strike. This story is developing.

“It is particularly galling that King Soopers is making such false allegations given the Company’s own track record of being caught lying about illegal coordination agreements with its competitor Safeway/Albertsons during the 2022 ULP strike by UFCW Local 7 workers,” said Kim Cordova, President of UFCW Local 7, in a statement.

King Soopers officials announced Tuesday they’re seeking a temporary restraining order against thousands of striking employees, claiming that picketing has created “unsafe conditions."

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

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.