“Thanks to my union, I’m $640 closer to buying a car and being more independent!”
In March 2025, after talking to coworkers on the front end, Jaydan Mudge discovered that some of his fellow cashiers were making more money than him, even though they had started more recently.
Jaydan said, “It was weird and confusing” to learn about the gap in pay.
Jaydan started as a courtesy clerk in December 2022, at the Chanhassen Lunds & Byerlys. His job was to bag customers’ groceries, and help carry bags out to cars.
In May 2024, Jaydan was promoted to cashier, a job that came with more responsibilities.
After Jaydan discovered the pay gap, his mother, who also works for Lunds & Byerlys and is active with UFCW 663, suggested he contact his Union. Jaydan sent an email to the Member Action Center (MAC), which is staffed by Union representatives.
The Member Action Center was created as a way for UFCW 663 members, particularly in the Twin Cities Metro area, to contact a union rep or steward, to file a grievance, or to find out how to get more involved with their union. The MAC can be reached by phone, email, or through the UFCW website.
Once the MAC had received Jaydan’s email, a Union representative investigated the situation by contacting the employer on behalf of Jaydan.
A few days after Jaydan contacted his union, the issue was resolved – a simple change to Jaydan’s classification and wage scale. Courtesy clerks and cashiers are paid at different wage scales, and when Jaydan got promoted to cashier his rate of pay should have changed.
Jaydan received backpay totaling $639.38; this amount was the difference in pay between the courtesy rate and the cashier rate, multiplied by the time Jaydan had worked as a cashier – around 11 months.
For UFCW 663 members based in the Minneapolis Metro or Brainard Lakes areas, the Member Action Center can be reached by phone at 1-800-292-4105, through the UFCW 663 website www.ufcw663.org/mac, or by scanning the QR code on the MAC flyer posted on union bulletin boards in stores.
For UFCW 663 members based in Southeast Minnesota (Austin, Rochester), contact the Austin Labor Center at 507.437.8647
For UFCW 663 members based in Southwest Minnesota (Worthington, Madelia, St. James), contact the Worthington Union office at 507.376.4234.