Unionized Cub employees at 33 Twin Cities stores vote to strike

A Cub union has voted to authorize a strike, as it seeks higher wages to share in the grocer's boom during the pandemic.

The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 663 announced the decision Tuesday night in a Facebook live event. The union plans to announce next steps Wednesday morning.

"I want Cub to understand we deserve a proper wage raise for everyone, and we deserve more respect," said Willis Olive, a deli employee of the Bloomington-Lyndale store, in a post on the union's Facebook page.

"Respect Us. Protect Us. Pay Us." read the slogans on signs during a recent informational picket.

In a statement, a spokesman said Cub has proposed historic wage increases and agreed to ongoing union health and pension plans. Those stemmed from terms the union specifically requested during the negotiation covering 33 stores, primarily in Minneapolis and the western Twin Cities suburbs, he said.

"We're deeply disappointed that the union elected to spend today taking a strike authorization vote instead of using that time to meet with us to reach agreement on terms for a new contract," said Mike Wilken, a spokesman for Cub parent company United Natural Foods, Inc.

Cub is prepared to implement contingency plans to ensure the continued availability of products and services, Wilken said.

Local 663 includes workers in grocery stores, food cooperatives, meatpacking, poultry processing, food-processing plants and other sectors.

United Natural Foods, a wholesale specialist that bought Cub's parent, Supervalu, in 2018, wanted to sell Supervalu's retail division but later decided to retain Cub. The leading Twin Cities grocer received a boost during the pandemic when buying groceries and cooking at home became even more of a necessity.

Meanwhile, Mike Stigers, chief executive of Cub since 2019, is departing to become the president of New Jersey-based Wakefern, the nation's largest retailer-owned cooperative. His last day is May 31. Cub has yet to name its next chief executive.