Union employees at Kowalski’s Markets in Eagan and the west metro voted on Monday to authorize an Unfair Labor Practices strike.
United Food and Commercial Workers Local 663, which represents more than 600 workers across the six stores, announced Tuesday that the workers it represents plan to hold a three-day strike in their quest for better wages and to maintain worker-driven health care, according to the union’s news release.
The strike would take place Aug. 4-6 at the Eagan, Eden Prairie, Excelsior, Hennepin, Lyndale and Parkview stores.
UFCW Local 663 says it has filed a complaint against Kowalski’s for intimidation of employees exercising their rights to participate in protected concerted activity, interfering with concerted union activity, illegal surveillance of union activity and bargaining in bad faith.
Per the release, union members at Kowalski’s have been working without a collective bargaining agreement since March 5.
“On Monday, our coworkers stood together against company intimidation and demonstrated our power as a union and voted to authorize a strike. Kowalski’s has engaged in unfair labor practices meant to stop us from exercising our rights despite our tireless efforts to serve customers every day,” the bargaining committee said in a statement.
The bargaining committee said it is open to meeting at the table before Aug. 4 to continue negotiating for a new contract.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Kowalski’s did not respond to a request for comment.
