Minnesota Strikes Show Growing Militancy Among Food Workers
Late last month, 500 grocery workers went on strike in Brainerd Lakes, Minnesota. The strike exemplified the growing militancy in the United Food and Commercial Workers, who mounted successful strike threats against employers across the state last year.
The power of solidarity in a strike, in the words of a Minnesota grocery worker: “Men and women, part-time, full-time, people of all different political beliefs. It’s really heartening to see the unity we’ve had.”(Ash Ponders / Bloomberg via Getty Images)
It wasn’t such a merry Christmas for grocery store management in central Minnesota. Five hundred grocery workers in the Brainerd Lakes area walked out on an unfair labor practice strike, deserting five stores between December 22 and 25.
Management tried to keep the stores running, but workers said they turned into disaster zones.
Why did two Cub Foods stores, two Super Ones, and a SuperValu find themselves on Santa’s naughty list last year? United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 663 charges management with interrogation, surveillance, intimidation, and bargaining in bad faith.
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