Union members at the Co-op’s main distributor, United
Natural Foods Inc., went on strike at 7PM, Monday evening through Wednesday afternoon. They’ve been without
a contract since UNFI walked away from negotiations in August, and in the
interim UNFI has hired replacement workers, sent threatening letters home to
workers, ended overtime for union members, and hired armed guards. Striking workers
asked UNFI to return to the bargaining table in good faith, and yesterday evening they set a date to continue negotiations. Yay!
In support of striking workers, the Co-op refused to place
our UNFI orders on Wednesday for Thursday delivery. These orders would have
been fulfilled by replacement workers, and placing orders would have broken the
picket line. Supporting our distributor’s workers is part of our mission to “support
efforts to foster a socially and economically egalitarian society” and to “encourage
economic and social justice”.
Some products may be temporarily out of stock due to our
support of the strike. If you are looking for an out of stock item, staff
members will be happy to call our other location to see if they have the
product in stock or to help you find a similar item. We will receive our next order on Saturday morning, so you can expect all of your regular items to be back in stock at that time! And don't worry - the stores are still full of delicious food and other goods.
Let UNFI know that you support striking Teamsters, and that
they should cease labor violations and negotiate a fair contract with their
workers. Contact:
Hank Heatherly - General Manager
hheatherly@unfi.com
253.333.6769
Steven Spinner - President and CEO
United Natural Foods Incorporated
313 Iron Horse Way
Providence, RI. 02908-5637
Fax: 302.655.5049
