One week after voting 468-0 to authorize their leadership to call a strike if necessary, warehouse workers at Supervalu’s Hopkins distribution center ratified a new three-year contract June 4 that will raise wages and improve working conditions.
The contract covers 723 members of Teamsters Local 120, who voted by an 8-1 margin in favor of ratifying the new deal.
In addition to wage increases in each year of the contract, workers secured benefits and improved scheduling procedures during hard-fought negotiations that led the union to call a strike vote May 29. A work stoppage could have impacted dozens of Supervalu retail locations – a prospect the union alerted the company’s shareholders to with a website, corporatetransparency.org.
“This is a good contract,” chief shop steward Mike Irrgang said. “We did what we needed to do as a committee, developed a strategy with the international union and our Local 120, and it worked out great.”
Teamsters Local 120 President Tom Erickson credited the warehouse workers for standing strong for the contract they deserve. “It was all about them showing unity, sticking together and staying focused on getting a good contract,” he said.
Union Advocate 