FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 26, 2023
Minneapolis, MN –Today, United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 663 union members at Seward Community Coop announced they have voted overwhelmingly to authorize an Unfair Labor Practices (ULP) strike.
UFCW Local 663’s member bargaining committee released the following statement:
“Today, our coworkers voted and stood together to demonstrate our power as a union, and we voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike if needed.
Seward Coop has engaged in unfair labor practices meant to stop us from exercising our rights despite our dedicated efforts to serve member-owners every day.
As a bargaining committee, we know that the decision to call a strike is always a last resort. However, we refuse to be intimidated by our employer. As a business that talks about equity, Seward surely should understand our need to lift up our communities, our member-owners, and the hard work that we do to keep Seward Coop running.
We look forward to meeting Seward Coop management at the table tomorrow to bargain in good faith for a contract that reflects our hard work.”
UFCW Local 663 has filed charges against Seward Community Coop for unilateral changes in the contract, retaliation, and bargaining in bad faith.
United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 663 union members at Seward Community Coop have been working without a collective bargaining agreement since August 21.
Members are fighting for livable wages, pay equity and secure benefits in order to build a better life at work and better serve the communities that rely on them. Members hope to come to a tentative agreement with the company soon.
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UFCW Local 663 represents more than 17,000 hard-working essential retail, meat packing and processing, food preparation and manufacturing, healthcare, and other workers in Minnesota. We strive to improve the lives of our members and of all working families by fighting for economic, political, and social justice in our workplaces and communities. UFCW Local 663 is part of the 1.3 million-member United Food and Commercial Workers International Union.
Contact: Jessica Hayssen, 651-261-8559