Investing.com -- Over 160 drivers from United Natural Foods , Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) across Arizona, California, Oregon, and Utah have approved a new five-year collective bargaining agreement. The contract, which was negotiated by 12 Teamsters locals, provides significant enhancements in wages, pension contributions, health care, seniority protections, and holiday pay.
The lead negotiator for the agreement, Conor Tobin, a business agent with Teamsters Local 150, stated, "This contract proves what's possible when workers stand together. Through coordinated bargaining, we won the strongest possible agreement for our members at UNFI."
The Teamsters currently represent more than 5,000 UNFI workers across the country, with over 2,500 having joined the union since 2022.
Arturo Lemus, a UNFI driver and member of Teamsters Local 848 in California, expressed his satisfaction with the new contract. He said, "Our new contract raises the bar at UNFI and demonstrates why every worker at this company should organize with the Teamsters. The wages, benefits, and protections we won are game changers."
In other developments, newly unionized UNFI workers at five Teamsters locals are currently working towards their first contract. Teamsters in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, and Pennsylvania, located in the East and Midwest, are demanding the same industry-leading standards that were secured on the West Coast.
Tom Erickson, Director of the Teamsters Warehouse Division, emphasized the strength of their bargaining position. He stated, "UNFI must negotiate with our newly organized units in good faith — or we'll hold them accountable. The ball is in their court."
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