The United Food and Commercial Workers said Twin Cities unionized grocery workers will have expanded benefits and protections, as well as more pay, under a new contract agreement.
UFCW Local 663 — which represents more than 13,000 frontline food and retail workers in Minnesota and Iowa, including about 6,000 Minnesota grocery employees — negotiated for two-year contracts that deliver pay increases every six months, no increases in health care costs and hazard pay that has already been paid by many grocers or will be paid in one-time bonuses, it said on Thursday.
Several grocery chains — including Kowalski's Markets, Jerry's Foods and Lunds & Byerlys — have agreed to the contract.
"The union contracts that workers voted on and accepted elevate not only our union members' wages, benefits and workplace protections, they raise the entire grocery industry in the Twin Cities," said Local 663 Union President Matthew Utecht in a statement. "Day after day, brave grocery store workers throughout Minnesota continue to work through these incredibly challenging times."
Grocery workers were part of a frontline of retail workers during the height of the pandemic as many customers rushed to stock up on essential food and cleaning items. In the last year, UFCW Local 663 pushed for hazard pay to compensate grocery workers for the added health risks they were exposed to working in stores.
The contract includes more benefits for part-time workers, including vacation accrual after one year of work. Also, for $1 a week, part-time workers without full benefits will receive services such as telehealth, dental and life insurance and access to employee-assistance programs.
Contract negotiations began in January and ran through the spring, and union members voted on their contracts as they were completed.
