The Teamsters union reached a deal at UNFI's distribution center in Hopkins this week, avoiding a protracted contract battle and potential work stoppages.
Blaine-based Teamsters Local 120 announced Wednesday a four-year contract was passed nearly unanimously by the 850 members who work at the grocery wholesaler. The contract helps prevent disruptions to grocery stores and shoppers, who are already grappling with supply-chain issues.
"Essential workers are rising up, pushing back and winning a bigger slice of the pie," Local 120 president Tom Erickson said in a statement. "Our group at UNFI just raised the bar even higher for every essential employee."
The deal comes on the heels of a new contract at the Kemps ice cream plant in Rochester, where 160 workers had authorized a strike but did not walk out, averting an ice cream shortage just as summer hits.
Drivers for Sysco in St. Cloud also announced their first contract in May. More than 50 employees went on strike for two days in February.
Teamsters Local 120 had promised "if there is no gratitude there will be no groceries" during contract talks at UNFI. During a visit to Minnesota in April, the newly installed International Brotherhood of Teamsters president, Sean O'Brien, said: "We're not going to be afraid to strike."
