Members of the United Food and Commercial Workers union who work at dozens of Cub Foods stores authorized a strike on Tuesday due to what they call “unfair labor practices.”þþUFCW Local 663 represents more than 3,000 employees at 33 Cub Foods locations in Minneapolis and across the West Metro. Their members voted 94.5% in favor of a strike; the union announced on Facebook.þþUnion members want higher wages for both full and part-time workers. Leaders from the union say the last time a contract was negotiated was in 2018, and that contract ended on March 4.þþA representative from the union said, “The employer, trying to regress the wage structure from getting raises every six months to having raises be hourly based on your hours worked, is just not practical for today’s labor market. Somebody for example who works 15 hours on average a week which is quite normal, would have to work almost 140 weeks before they got a raise. That’s unacceptable to our members.”þþCub Foods employees tried to negotiate for better pay at the beginning of March, at which point Cub said they had offered union members a deal.þþ“We’re deeply disappointed that the union is spending a day taking a strike authorization vote instead of using that time to meet with us to reach an agreement on terms for a new contract. We are prepared to implement contingency plans if necessary,” said a spokesperson from Cub Foods.þþAs required by Minnesota law, the union has to wait out the mandatory 10-day cooling off period before going on strike.þþAccording to the union, the next bargaining session is scheduled for April 11.þþUnion leaders are expected to announce their next steps during a news conference at the Maple Grove Cub Foods location on Wedgewood Lane at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday.þþCheck back for updates.
Source; kstp.com
