Lunds, Byerlys workers announce intention to strike ahead of July 4th weekend
MINNEAPOLIS -- If you're planning on shopping at Lunds & Byerlys for your Fourth of July celebrations, you may want to plan ahead. More than 2,500 grocery store workers with the grocery chain are banding together to plan a strike.
UPDATE: Tentative agreement made to avert strike of Lunds and Byerlys workers in west metro
The United Food and Commercial Workers' Local 663 voted to authorize a strike at stores across the metro, claiming unfair labor practices.
This would be the first time union workers would strike at Lunds & Byerlys locations and it's expected to go all day Thursday, June 29 through Saturday, July 1, ahead of the Fourth of July weekend, which is among the busiest holidays for the grocery chain.
They add calling a strike was a last resort after months of failed contract negotiations, but they're hopeful both sides can come to a deal in the next few days to avoid having to walk off the job.
This strike would affect more than 20 locations in the metro area, as far north as Maple Grove, all the way south to Prior Lake, and west out to Wayzata.
Union workers say they've been working without a contract since the beginning of March and they will continue to fight for better wages, pay equity, and to maintain worker-driven health care. They say what they do is worth more than what the grocery chain is offering.
"We take care of our customers," Rosemary Luoma, a Lunds & Byerlys employee, said. "We go in on the rain and in the snow and we will bend over and take care of our customers. We pride ourselves in that. We are the top company in the industry and we have always been number one in customer service."
Lund & Byerlys also responded to the strike in a statement saying, while it is disappointed, the company's current proposal for wages is among the best in the industry, and leaders remain hopeful progress can be made toward a mutually beneficial agreement.
"Lunds & Byerlys deeply values every team member and that is reflected in the numerous proposals we have put forth during our bargaining process with UFCW Local 663," the statement said.
The grocery chain also says it has a plan in place to make sure the shopping experience isn't disrupted should a strike happen. Those details are currently being finalized.
