Lunds & Byerlys Workers Plan To Strike Fourth Of July Weekend

Union workers for Lunds & Byerlys plan to strike the weekend before July Fourth after more than three months without a contract.

United Food and Commercial Workers Local 663 represents over 2,500 employees of the grocery chain and announced the strike authorization last week. If the union and employer are unable to reach a fair contract by Thursday, workers at all 22 Lunds & Byerlys locations west of the Mississippi River will strike through Saturday, according to the Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation. The company has 28 stores in total.

“Lunds & Byerlys has engaged in unfair labor practices meant to stop us from exercising our rights despite our tireless efforts to serve customers every day — throughout the pandemic and beyond,” Local 663 said in a prepared statement.

“As a bargaining committee, we know that the decision to call a strike is always a last resort, however, we refuse to continue to be bullied by our employer.”

The union has filed unfair labor practice charges against the company, alleging the business coerced and interrogated employees, illegally surveilled labor activity and bargained in bad faith. Lunds & Byerlys union workers have been without a collective bargaining agreement since March 7 and are seeking higher wages, pay equity and worker-driven healthcare.

The company said in a statement on its website that it was “disappointed” by the strike approval but had contingency plans for union activity.

“Lunds & Byerlys deeply values every team member and that is reflected in the numerous proposals we have put forth during our bargaining process with UFCW Local 663,” the statement said.

“Our current proposal includes wages that continue to be among the best in our industry and a company-sponsored healthcare plan to provide our team members with lower out-of-pocket expenses and better healthcare benefits.”

The company advised customers to stay up-to-date on store operations at LundsandByerlys.com.