Minnesota grocery store workers rally amid contract dispute
Workers at major grocery chains across Minnesota are preparing to strike if they cannot reach a deal with store owners over their contract demands.
The employees, represented by United Food and Commercial Workers Local 663, work at grocery chains like Cub Foods, Lunds & Byerlys, Kowalski's and Jerry's Foods.
They have been without a contract since March and say they could choose to strike if they can't secure a fair deal.
At a rally outside Lunds & Byerlys in Edina Sunday, Andrea Turner, a longtime employee, stood with her coworkers calling for a better contract.
"You can't have a grocery store without grocery store workers," she said.
Turner, who has worked at Lunds for 42 years, began as a part-time bagger and worked her way up to a full-time deli supervisor.
She spoke about the struggles workers face with low wages and insufficient hours, saying, "People should not have to stitch together two, three jobs because they can't get a decent wage here or can't get enough hours."
The union is demanding a contract that addresses issues such as wages, affordable healthcare, secure retirement and protections for hours and transfers.
Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan attended the rally Sunday, offering her support.
"In this economy, in this moment, as people are doing everything they can to simply take care of themselves and take care of their families, folks at this establishment should have the back of these workers," Flanagan said.
In a joint statement from the companies on April 10, the grocery chains expressed disappointment over the union's protests.
"It is unfortunate that the union has taken the unnecessary step of protesting at our stores... We hope the union will come to the table and work with leadership on an agreement that is fair to everyone and enables grocers to continue to meet the needs of the thousands of customers we serve each day," wrote the companies.
The rally in Edina marked the start of a "week of action," with union members in Minnesota joining workers from across the country to stand against what they call the "billionaire takeover" of the industry.
The next bargaining session is scheduled for May 1.
