Cub employees will strike Friday and Saturday at 33 Twin Cities area stores

For the first time, Cub Union employees will strike Friday and Saturday at 33 Twin City stores as they seek higher wages to compensate for their frontline efforts during the pandemic.

Jill Craig said during a news conference Wednesday outside the Maple Grove store in N.

The Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 663 announced Tuesday night that nearly 95 percent of the vote supported the strike. In recent years, staff have endured mandatory masking, separation from medically vulnerable relatives, and fear during the turmoil following the police killing of George Floyd.

Union officials said she was seeking a $4 hourly increase in salary over a two-year average for the $2.75 she was offered. The current part-time employee earns $12.25 after five years. In the second year of the company’s proposed contract, the employee would earn $18.25.

The union also wants to avoid what it calls a regressive raise structure in which part-time employees – the majority – don’t receive raises until after 140 weeks of service.

In a statement released Tuesday, a Shebb spokesperson said Shebb proposed historic wage increases and approved ongoing health and pension union plans. He said that those stemmed from the conditions specifically requested by the union during the negotiations, covering 33 stores.

said Mike Wilken, a spokesperson for parent company United Natural Foods, Inc

Wilken said Shebl is ready to implement contingency plans to ensure continued availability of products and services during the strike.

The 663 local members represent more than 3,000 grocery workers at Cub Stores owned by United Natural Foods, Inc. Based in Providence. The union said that the union and Shebl have been working without a contract since March 4, and the next negotiation session between the two sides is scheduled for April 11.

Wholesaler United Natural Foods, which bought Cub’s parent company SUPERPALU in 2018, wanted to sell SUPERALU’s retail division, but later decided to keep Cub. The Twin Cities’ leading grocer got a boost during the pandemic when grocery shopping and home cooking became more of a necessity.

Meanwhile, Mike Steigers, Cub CEO since 2019, is leaving to become president of New Jersey-based Wakefern, the nation’s largest retailer-owned co-op. His last day is May 31st. Shepp has yet to name its next chief executive.

Cub has a total of 79 stores (corporate and franchise) in Minnesota and one store in Freeport, Illinois.

Stores where employees will be hitting:

Apple Valley: 15350 Cedar Ave. Apple Valley

Blaine North: 12595 NE Central Avenue, Blaine

Blaine South: 585 Northeast Northtown Drive, Blaine

Blaine West: 10881 NE University Ave. Blaine

Bloomington Lyndale: 8421 S. Lyndale Ave., Bloomington

Brooklyn Park North: 9655 N. Colorado Lane, Brooklyn Park

Brooklyn Park South: 7555 W. Broadway Ave., Brooklyn Park

Downtown Burnsville: 300 E. Trailers Trail, Burnsville

Burnsville South: 1750 W. County Road 42, Burnsville

Champlain: 8600 N. 114th Ave. , Champlin

Chanhassen: 7900 Market Blvd. , Chanhassen

Coon Rapids South: 2050 NW Northdale Blvd. Coon Rapids

Crystal: 5301 N. 36th Ave. Crystal

Egan East: 1020 Diffley Road, Egan

Eagan North: 1276 Town Center Drive, Eagan

Eagan West: 1940 Cliff Lake Road, Eagan

Fridley: 250 Northeast 57th Street, Fridley

Lakeville North: 7435 W. 179th St., Lakeville

Lakeville South: 20250 Heritage Drive, Lakeville

Lakeville West: 17756 Kenwood Trail, Lakeville

Maple Grove: 8150 N. Wedgewood Lane, Maple Grove

Minnehaha: 4601 Snelling Ave. , Minneapolis

Monticello: 216 W. Seventh St., Monticello

New Brighton: 2600 Rice Creek Rd, New Brighton

Northside: 701 W Broadway Ave, Minneapolis

Plymouth: 3550 N. Vicksburg Lane, Plymouth

Plymouth Rockford Road: 4445 Nathan Lane, Plymouth

Rosemount: 3784 W. 150th St., Rosemount

Savage: 14075 State Hwy 13, Savage

Shorewood: 23800 MN-7, Shorewood

St. Anthony: 3930 Northeast Silver Lake Rd., St. Anthony

St. Louis Park West End: 5370 West 16th Street, St. Louis Park

Uptown: 1104 Lagoon Ave, Minneapolis