Thousands of Cub Foods workers ratify new 2-year contract

MINNEAPOLIS -- Thousands of grocery store workers in Minnesota on Tuesday ratified a new two-year contract with Cub Foods' parent company, UNFI.

Last Friday, a last-minute tentative agreement was made before about 3,000 union workers at 33 Cub Foods locations in the Twin Cities area were set to begin a strike. The workers had been working for a month without a contract.

The union, UFCW Local 663, called the new contract a "historic win" for its members.

"This is a union of people who sacrificed beyond imagination, to keep Minnesotans fed during the pandemic. It is no surprise, then, that these grocery workers were able to organize the most powerful contract campaign the Twin Cities grocery industry has seen in decades," UFCW Local 663 President Rena Wong said when the tentative agreement was made. "The bargaining committee believes that this tentative agreement respects, protects, and pays our members fairly. We look forward to sharing the agreement with the thousands of UFCW Local 663 members, and continuing to welcome new members who are working to organize their own workplaces."

Originally, the union was asking for a raise of $4 over the course of two years, but UNFI countered with what it called a historic raise at $2.75 over two years. Instead, both sides have now tentatively agreed to raises between $2.50 to $3.50 an hour by next spring, depending on the position.

The contract also establishes what the union calls a landmark safety committee and benefits part-time workers and retail specialists.