For the first time ever, Cube Union workers at 33 Twin Cities stores will be on strike Friday and Saturday as they demand higher pay to compensate for their frontline efforts during the pandemic.
Jill Craig on Wednesday in N.J. “We want to be paid for what we’ve done over the last five years,” he said during a press conference outside the Maple Grove store on Wedgewood Lane.
United Food and Commercial Workers Local 663 announced Tuesday night that nearly 95 percent of the vote was in favor of the strike. In recent years, employees experienced mandatory masking, isolation from medically vulnerable relatives and fear during unrest following the police killing of George Floyd.
Union officials said it is seeking a pay increase of $4 an hour, spread over two years, against the average of $2.75 Cube is offering. A part-time worker currently makes $12.25 after five years. In year two of the company’s proposed contract, the employee would earn $18.25.
The union also wants to avoid what it called a regressive-growth structure where part-time workers — the majority — would only get paid after 140 weeks of service.
In a statement on Tuesday, a spokesperson said the Cubs proposed a historic pay raise and agreed to the ongoing central health and pension plans. He said the union had specifically requested during the talks covering 33 shops.
Mike Wilken, a spokesman for Cube parent company United Natural, said, “We are deeply disappointed that the union has decided to go ahead with the strike instead of using the time it has to reach agreement on terms for a new contract.” The authority chose to take the vote.” Foods, Inc.
Wilken said Cube is prepared to implement contingency plans to ensure continued availability of products and services during the strike.
Local 663 members represent the more than 3,000 grocery store employees at Cube stores, owned by Providence, RI-based United Natural Foods, Inc. is the owner of The union and the Cubs have been working without a contract since March 4, and the next bargaining session between the two sides is set for April 11, the union said.
United Natural Foods, a wholesale specialist that bought Cube’s parent SuperValue in 2018, wanted to sell SuperValue’s retail division, but later decided to retain Cube. The Twin Cities’ premier grocer got a boost during the pandemic when shopping for groceries and cooking at home became even more essential.
Meanwhile, Mike Stigers, Cube’s chief executive officer since 2019, is leaving to become president of New Jersey-based Wakefern, the nation’s largest retailer-owned cooperative. His last day is May 31. Cube has not yet named its next chief executive officer.
Cube has a total of 79 stores (corporate and franchise) in Minnesota and one store in Freeport, IL.
The shops where the workers will go on strike:
Apple Valley: 15350 Cedar Avenue, Apple Valley
Blaine North: 12595 NE Central Ave, Blaine
Blaine South: 585 NE Northtown Drive, Blaine
Blaine West: 10881 NE University Ave, Blaine
Bloomington Lindell: 8421 S Lindell Ave., Bloomington
Brooklyn Park North: 9655 N Colorado Lane, Brooklyn Park
Brooklyn Park South: 7555 W Broadway Ave., Brooklyn Park
Burnsville City Center: 300 E. Travelers Trail, Burnsville
Burnsville South: 1750 W County Road 42, Burnsville
Champlin: 8600 N. 114th Ave., Champlin
Chanhasen: 7900 Market Blvd., Chanhasen
Coon Rapids South: 2050 NW Northdale Blvd., Coon Rapids
Crystal: 5301 N. 36th Ave., Crystal
Eagan East: 1020 Diffley Road, Eagan
Eagan North: 1276 Town Center Drive, Eagan
Eagan West: 1940 Cliff Lake Road, Eagan
Fridley: 250 NE 57th Ave., Fridley
Lakeville North: 7435 W. 179th St. Lakeville
Lakeville South: 20250 Heritage Drive, Lakeville
Lakeville West: 17756 Kenwood Trail, Lakeville
Maple Grove: 8150 N. Wedgwood Lane, Maple Grove
Minneha: 4601 Snelling Avenue, Minneapolis
Monticello: 216 W Seventh St., Monticello
New Brighton: 2600 Rice Creek Road, New Brighton
Northside: 701 W Broadway Ave., Minneapolis
Plymouth: 3550 N Vicksburg Lane, Plymouth
Plymouth Rockford Road: 4445 N. Nathan Lane, Plymouth
Rosemount: 3784 W. 150th St. Rosemount
Savage: 14075 State Highway 13, Savage
Shorewood: 23800 MN-7, Shorewood
St. Anthony: 3930 NE Silver Lake Road, St. Anthony
St. Louis Park West End: 5370 W. 16th St., St. Louis Park
Uptown: 1104 Lagoon Ave., Minneapolis
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