Grocery distribution workers strike Auburn warehouse

BY Tim Haeck  on December 11, 2012 @ 7:52 am (Updated: 11:48 am - 12/11/12 )

Grocery warehouse workers and truck drivers are on strike in Auburn, Wash. Tuesday morning.

The 165 members of Teamsters Local 117 work at the United Natural Foods Inc. distribution center and walked off the job Monday night. The union says the key issue is pay equity with other workers in the grocery warehouse industry.

United Natural Foods is a top independent distributor of natural, organic and specialty foods and supplies Whole Foods and other grocery stores in the Seattle area.

Whole Foods said on Tuesday, "We expect regular product deliveries to our Seattle stores, and our shoppers can expect business as usual."

The union workers had a contract extension with UNFI that expired at the end of August. The union has filed several unfair labor practices claims against the company.

UNFI, headquartered in Providence, RI, has not responded to a request for comment.

Tim Haeck, KIRO Radio Reporter
Tim Haeck is a news reporter with KIRO Radio. While Tim is one of our go-to, no-nonsense reporters, he also has a sensationally dry sense of humor and it will surprise some to learn he is a weekend warrior.
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  • Concerned US Citizen wrote...
    Kiss them goodbye
    December 11, 2012 9:36 am
    Kiss those jobs goodbye. The union tried the same thing in New Jersey years ago and guess what? All the jobs were outsourced to an independant warehouse that used non union workers.
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