About 700 workers at the United Natural Foods Inc. distribution center in Hopkins remained on strike for a second day Wednesday, aiming to pressure the company to forge a new contract with workers at an Indiana facility.
United Natural Foods executives say they are working to prevent the strike from causing a major disruption to supplies at more than 100 grocery stores in the Twin Cities and surrounding area.
With more than 100 truck bays in two massive warehouses on both sides of Highway 169 in the western metro suburb, the distribution center is one of the largest in Minnesota and one of the largest for UNFI.
The company acquired the warehouse operation and nearly 30 others in its purchase last year of Eden Prairie-based Supervalu Inc. Since then, UNFI has been negotiating new contracts with Teamsters union locals at the various warehouses.
UNFI called the strike in Hopkins “illegal,” saying that its workers are still under a four-year contract originally forged by Supervalu. Workers in Hopkins, along with those at a smaller warehouse in Green Bay, Wis., on Tuesday walked out in sympathy with workers at an UNFI center in Fort Wayne, Ind., who went on strike last Thursday.
The company and Teamsters local in Fort Wayne have been negotiating a new, three-year contract to replace one that expired in September but haven’t reached terms.
The Hopkins warehouse provides food to the approximately 80-unit Cub Foods chain, which is also owned by UNFI and is the largest grocery chain by market share in Minnesota. It also supplies goods to Lunds & Byerlys, Jerry’s, Kowalski’s and Coborn’s.
Later Wednesday, UNFI’s top executives are scheduled to conduct the company’s annual meeting with shareholders as a virtual-only gathering online. Shareholders are being asked to elect directors, make an advisory vote on executive compensation and choose outside auditors.