MEMBERS LAUNCH STRIKE PLEDGE

September 25, 2025

Workers packed Steeplejack Brewing on Thursday night to eat, drink, and celebrate the final push to a union contract. After 3 years of struggling, NSLU-UE has the resources to force a life-changing contract before the end of the year.

The event began with Mark Meinster, UE’s national Director of Organization, presenting the members assembled with a local charter.

“From this day forward, New Seasons Labor Union, through our local 1010, shall come under the protection of the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America...” read Meinster from the official document.

But a strong contract isn’t won by joining a strong national affiliate. At the end of the day, it's won from the employer by the threat of a work stoppage. This message was impressed on the crowd by NSLU-UE co-chair Ava Robins from Concordia, who announced the launch of a strike pledge drive and the “we deserve more” campaign. 

About 40 workers signed their strike pledge cards on the spot, joining the 170 who have already promised their willingness to strike over attendance policy delays alone. This marks a strong kickoff for the strike pledge campaign, which is the first step towards the bargaining leverage needed to win. 

“I'm not comfortable with my coworkers being paid minimum wage to help build New Seasons' wealth. We all work hard and deserve the protections that we're fighting for.” said Nikki Unger-Fink, a produce clerk at Slabtown. 

The campaign also set a deadline - December 17th - for the company to produce an offer that is acceptable to membership. 

What’s wrong with the offer currently on the table? The company’s wage offer is a pay cut relative to inflation, and would slow down our consistent, 6-month raises moving forward. It also comes bundled with “management rights” - a waiver of workers’ collective bargaining rights that would allow New Seasons to change work rules arbitrarily, subcontract and cut staffing, and do whatever they want to working conditions without worker consent. Finally, the company’s healthcare proposal would allow them to increase our health insurance cost much faster than theirs, allowing up to 50/50 split of cost increases over time. The current arrangement is a 20/80 split between workers and the company respectively. Combined, these terms would leave us significantly worse off at the end of the company’s proposed 4-year duration than we are right now, with substantially less purchasing power and unstable working conditions.

"It’s going to take all of us showing up and working together to win the contract we know we deserve.” Said Norah Rivera, NSLU-UE Co-chair. 

The strike pledge drive is ongoing until the December 17th contract deadline, but signing sooner increases our bargaining power and ability to win more. Want to help organize the strike threat? Talk to a shop steward at your store.