Cub employees will strike Friday and Saturday at 33 Twin Cities area stores

Those shopping for Easter Sunday at 33 Cub locations on Friday and Saturday will take on striking workers seeking higher wages as compensation for their frontline efforts during the pandemic.

Jill Craig said during a news conference Wednesday outside a Maple Grove grocery store in N.Y.

United Food and Commercial Workers Local 663 announced Tuesday night that nearly 95 percent of the vote in favor of a first-time strike by the 3,000 unionized employees of the 33 food stores owned by United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI).

Cub’s and current union contract expired on March 4. After making an offer on March 21, the company’s negotiators were surprised that the union would not negotiate before April 11, the next scheduled meeting. Shop general counsel Laura Daley said she believes the union intends to disrupt pre-holiday grocery shopping.

“We have remained ready, willing and able to return to the negotiating table at any time, day or night, any day since March 21, and the union has not been willing to re-engage,” Daly said. “So at this point, I don’t want to say never, but we believe the union intends to go ahead with the strike plan.”

Shebel is ready to implement contingency plans to ensure continued availability of products and services during the strike.

On Wednesday, the employees said they want fair compensation for their work during the pandemic. This included experiencing mandatory concealment, separation from medically vulnerable relatives, and fear during the unrest following the killing of George Floyd at the hands of the police.

Union officials said they are seeking to increase their pay by $4 an hour spread over two years, on average, against the $2.75 offered. The union also wants to avoid what it called a regressive raise structure, in which part-time employees who work 15 hours a week only receive raises after 140 weeks of service.

Cobb responded by saying the company is seeing historic wage increases. For example, a part-time employee currently earns $12.25 an hour after five years. In the second year of the company’s proposed contract, Daley said the employee would be paid $18.25 an hour.

Store officials also indicate that a full-time maintenance employee with five years of experience will earn $50,294 in the second year of the contract.

Daly said the grocer’s proposed change to the part-time increase structure addressed concerns of inequality from some who felt it was unfair that employees who worked less saw the same pace of pay increases as those who put in more hours.

While inflation is now a challenge as prices rise, the Twin Cities’ flagship grocer received a boost during the pandemic when grocery shopping and cooking at home became more of a necessity.

In a two-year period that includes the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, UNFI’s retail segment has seen sales increase by 15%, thanks in large part to the Cub. While retail stores are a small part of Providence, RI-based UNFI’s business, the company as a whole saw net income increase 64% to $248 million in fiscal 2022, which ended July 30.

UNFI, a wholesale business, acquired SUPERALU in Eden Prairie, including its Cub stores, in 2018. It initially wanted to sell its retail division and Cub locations, but later decided to keep them.

The cub undergoes another nautical makeover. Mike Steigers, CEO of Cub since 2019, is leaving to become president of New Jersey-based Wakefern, the nation’s largest retailer-owned co-op. His last day is May 31, and Cub is still yet to name his replacement.

Cub has a total of 79 stores (corporate and franchise) in Minnesota and one in Freeport, Illinois.

As news spread about the strike, some Uptown shoppers said Wednesday they were ready to support the union.

“I probably wouldn’t shop here if there was a picket line,” said Wendy Farrar, of Minneapolis.

Another shopper, James Layton of Minneapolis, said he supported the strike because he was “behind the unions.” The plethora of other grocery options in the area makes avoiding the drink a little less daunting.

“There’s Lunds [& Byerlys] Up Street, Kowalski, f [Wedge Community] “It’s not that hard,” said Chris Lamping, of Minneapolis, the co-op.

Star Tribune writer Josie Albertson Grove contributed to this report.

Stores where employees will be hitting:
Apple Valley: 15350 Cedar Ave. Apple Valley

Blaine North: 12595 NE Central Avenue, Blaine

Blaine South: 585 Northeast Northtown Drive, Blaine

Blaine West: 10881 NE University Ave. Blaine

Bloomington Lyndale: 8421 S. Lyndale Ave., Bloomington

Brooklyn Park North: 9655 N. Colorado Lane, Brooklyn Park

Brooklyn Park South: 7555 W. Broadway Ave., Brooklyn Park

Downtown Burnsville: 300 E. Trailers Trail, Burnsville

Burnsville South: 1750 W. County Road 42, Burnsville

Champlain: 8600 N. 114th Ave. , Champlin

Chanhassen: 7900 Market Blvd. , Chanhassen

Coon Rapids South: 2050 NW Northdale Blvd. Coon Rapids

Crystal: 5301 N. 36th Ave. Crystal

Egan East: 1020 Diffley Road, Egan

Eagan North: 1276 Town Center Drive, Eagan

Eagan West: 1940 Cliff Lake Road, Eagan

Fridley: 250 Northeast 57th Street, Fridley

Lakeville North: 7435 W. 179th St., Lakeville

Lakeville South: 20250 Heritage Drive, Lakeville

Lakeville West: 17756 Kenwood Trail, Lakeville

Maple Grove: 8150 N. Wedgewood Lane, Maple Grove

Minnehaha: 4601 Snelling Ave. , Minneapolis

Monticello: 216 W. Seventh St., Monticello

New Brighton: 2600 Rice Creek Rd, New Brighton

Northside: 701 W Broadway Ave, Minneapolis

Plymouth: 3550 N. Vicksburg Lane, Plymouth

Plymouth Rockford Road: 4445 Nathan Lane, Plymouth

Rosemount: 3784 W. 150th St., Rosemount

Savage: 14075 State Hwy 13, Savage

Shorewood: 23800 MN-7, Shorewood

St. Anthony: 3930 Northeast Silver Lake Rd., St. Anthony

St. Louis Park West End: 5370 West 16th Street, St. Louis Park

Uptown: 1104 Lagoon Ave, Minneapolis