More than 10,000 King Soopers grocery workers across the Denver area ended their 12-day strike late Monday after union leaders said they secured some basic protections for returning workers and agreed to resume bargaining with the Kroger-owned chain.

King Soopers and the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 reached a return-to-work agreement Monday night and will restart negotiations on a new labor contract, ending — at least for now — a strike that saw thousands of grocery store employees in the Boulder Valley,

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

The Colorado chain plans to resume normal hours at its stores on Wednesday after agreeing to a 100-day “period of labor peace” with UFCW Local 7.

King Soopers asked a Denver judge Tuesday to grant a temporary restraining order against striking union employees that would limit certain picketing activities.

Joe Kelley, president of Kroger-owned King Soopers and City Market, said contract negotiations could resume Feb. 27. King Soopers has disputed claims of understaffing. Kelley said the company has more employees than it did three years ago,