We recently discussed how the NLRB’s current lack of quorum has led to grey legal territory for employers and how that could contribute to upheaval within the grocery industry, which is already feeling plenty of union pressure. That latter source of turbulence is alive and well across the U.S, and as those disputes add up, it’s worth noting that the UAW’s 2023 antics against the Big Three automakers have been influential:
Colorado: This week, a UFCW strike put Safeway workers on the picket lines in Pueblo, Fountain, and Estes Park. Additionally, workers will walk out at a Denver distribution center that supplies meat for area Safeway stores, which means that the butcher, deli, and seafood sections will not receive fresh or frozen meat products for the duration of this open-ended strike. In other words, customers will be heading to other stores.
The overall strike of Safeway workers could grow, too. A local UFCW president blustered that these stores “are the first wave” with more to be expected throughout the state. Yep, Big Labor leaders are drawing inspiration from UAW President Shawn Fain’s so-called “stand-up strike.” Will other union leaders toss contract offers into trash cans? Stay tuned.
Elsewhere in Colorado, King Soopers and UFCW’s 100-day “period of labor peace” came to an end with bargaining sessions resuming in hopes of avoiding a sequel to February’s five-city strike at 70+ stores.
Minnesota: UFCW has warned that almost 3,000 grocery store workers could strike soon throughout the Minneapolis area. Those employees hail from Knowlan’s Festival, Haug’s, and UNFI/Cub Foods, the latter of which also happens to be the largest grocery chain in the area.
Washington: More UFCW pressure arrived with a strike authorization on several grocery store chains – Fred Meyer, Haggen, Saars, and QFC among them – across the Puget Sound area. The union called the issue “60,000 problems” for the company, although it’s not clear how much of that number is bluster. In a late-breaking update, a tentative contract has been reached with voting scheduled for late June.
California: A whopping 45,000 grocery workers have authorized a strike against four grocery chains throughout Southern California. Those contract negotiations will resume later this month.
And earlier this year, Costco closed a contract deal with the Teamsters in California. The company also raised non-union workers’ pay, which of course irritated the Teamsters, who wanted credit for those raises. That deep-pocketed union only represents 8% of Costco workers, by the way.
Several states: This potential walkout is further up the supply chain but could cause additional snags for grocers who depend upon Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), North America’s biggest dairy co-op, for delivery. That is to say, 1,000+ DFA workers authorized a Teamsters strike that could stretch across California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah.
Takeaways: These grocery store walkouts carry the potential to involve tens of thousands of workers and shutter locations for the strikes’ duration. And although Costco managed to shrug off a Teamsters strike, the wholesaler is already known for offering top-tier wages to workers. Most other grocers operate as straight-up retailers with the financial constraints to match, but naturally, unions won’t be living in the real world while they overpromise results to members.
