Striking Teamsters in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Indiana will return to work after a food distributor that supplies grocery stores has agreed to talks.
Nearly 160 workers at a Fort Wayne, Ind., United Natural Foods distribution site had been on strike since Dec. 13. The members of the Teamsters Local 414 accused the company — with corporate offices in Minnesota — of unfair labor practices, according to the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette.
Other Teamsters locals at United Natural Foods sites in Hopkins and Green Bay, Wis., joined the strike on Tuesday. About 700 members of Teamsters Local 120 were involved in the Minnesota strike. In all, about 1,000 union members were on strike, according to the Journal Gazette.
The company said the strike would be over Wednesday evening.
“UNF is anticipating the end of labor disruptions tonight and the resumption of normal business activity at distribution centers in Fort Wayne, Green Bay and Hopkins,” said UNF spokesman Mike Wilken in an email Wednesday.
“We hope to have our associates return to work in the very near-term.”
The Teamsters posted on its Facebook page Wednesday night that United Natural Foods agreed to return to the bargaining table in the Fort Wayne dispute.
“Although this wasn’t our fight, if a company picks a fight with Teamsters anywhere, they also pick a fight with Local 120 members,” the post stated.
United Natural Foods of Providence, R.I., bought Supervalu and its massive Hopkins distribution center in 2018 for about $1.26 billion. The deal also means United Natural Foods assumed Supervalu’s debt, bringing the cost of the deal to nearly $3 billion.
The combined company provides food for several grocery chains in the Twin Cities.