MINNEAPOLIS — More than 2,500 union workers for Lunds & Byerlys announced Monday they will strike this coming weekend unless the two sides can hammer out a new contract.
United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 663 union members employed by Lunds & Byerlys gathered near the location at 25 University Avenue Southeast to announce they will stage a work stoppage June 29, 30 and July 1, the big shopping weekend before the Independence Day Holiday.
The workers said the strike will take place at all 22 stores on the west side of the Mississippi.
Union employees have been working without a contract since March 7, and have filed Unfair Labor Practice charges against the grocery store for alleged statements made to employees for participating in "concerted activity," questioning workers about union activity, illegally surveilling union activity and bargaining in bad faith.
"As a bargaining committee, we know the decision to call a strike is a last resort," said Lunds & Byerlys employee Rosemary Luomo. "We refuse to be bullied by our employer."
Workers at the press conference say they are looking for industry-leading wages, pay equity and worker-driven health care. While they would not share exact numbers on pay scale, the union pointed to the recent contract agreed on by Cub Foods and its union workers as a place to start.
Cub's 2-year contract with union workers bumps pay between $2.50 and $3.50 per hour, pushes 300 people currently classified as retail specialists into full-time positions as "classified assistants," and establishes what the union called a "landmark" safety committee.
"The workers here are looking for Lunds & Byerlys to be an industry leader," said employee Rena Wong. "Cub workers have settled their contract, and Lunds & Byerlys pride themselves on leading the industry and we believe they should do the same, if not better than Cub."
The Lunds & Byerlys union employee group confirmed that the strike was scheduled for the weekend before Independence Day to make the greatest impact.
In its own release, Lunds & Byerlys said the company has a long history of partnering with unions and is committed to finding common ground.
"We are disappointed the union chose to take a strike authorization vote as we remain hopeful progress can be made toward a mutually beneficial agreement. If a strike were to occur, we will implement our contingency plans so we can continue to provide exceptional service to customers at all of our stores."
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