The Kroger strike is over and some workers will get a $5 an hour raise

• Kroger's King Sooper's workers in Colorado have ended their strike and ratified a new contract.
• The union said it's "industry-leading," with some workers getting an over $5 an hour raise.
• They're the latest group of low-wage workers to push back and demand more from employers.

Workers at King Soopers in Colorado are set to officially end their strike after securing an "industry-leading" three-year contract.

Over 8,000 Kroger King Sooper's workers had been on strike starting January 12. They reached a tentative agreement with the company on January 21, with workers able to head back to work then. Now, according to United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7, members have "overwhelmingly" voted to ratify the new contract.

Per the union, the contract has the "the most significant wage increase ever secured by a UFCW local for grocery workers," with some workers receiving an increase of over $5 an hour. The union also said that it negotiated better healthcare, stricter safety measures, and pension protections for workers — all major issues for the workers.

That makes the King Soopers strikers the latest low-wage workers to flex their power and secure themselves higher pay and beefed-up benefits. Throughout the country, thousands of workers have taken to the picket line in the last year to demand better wages and benefits, with labor leaders citing the experience of working through the pandemic as a wake-up call.

"Workers now are saying, if I'm gonna risk my life at the job, it's gonna have to be worth it," Kim Cordova, UFCW Local 7's president, previously told Insider. 

Millions of others have voted with their feet, with the number of workers quitting reaching record highs, and a record 1 million low-wage workers quitting in November. It shows that even as union membership remains low, workers are still forcing employers to adapt to a new, better-compensated world of work — one that business leaders say firms ignore at their own risk.

As with other major strikes, like Kellogg's, major politicians chimed in to show their support. Senator Elizabeth Warren tweeted her support, and Senator Bernie Sanders sent a letter to Kroger CEO W. Rodney McMullen expressing his "strong support" for the workers.

Kroger's did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment on the new contract.

"Getting here has been arduous," Codova said in a statement on the ratification. "Full credit goes to the bargaining committee and workers who made their voices heard through negotiating, standing united at the picket line, or sharing their stories with the media. This fight was always about them, and now they have a contract they deserve and can be proud of."