UNFI Drivers Achieve New Contract: A Milestone in Labor Rights

In a significant victory for labor rights, over 160 drivers from UNFI in Arizona, California, Oregon, and Utah have ratified a new five-year collective bargaining agreement. The decision marks a powerful collaboration among the Teamsters, which is a union organization representing workers' interests in various sectors. This new contract, the result of intensive negotiations by 12 Teamsters locals, comes with substantial improvements in key areas critical to drivers' welfare, including wages, pension contributions, health care benefits, and seniority protections, as well as enhanced holiday pay.

Conor Tobin, a business agent with Teamsters Local 150 and the lead negotiator, emphasized the importance of collective action. “This contract proves what’s possible when workers stand together,” Tobin stated, highlighting that coordinated efforts led to achieving the best possible agreement for union members at UNFI.

Since 2022, the Teamsters have seen a surge in membership with over 2,500 new workers joining, bringing their national total to more than 5,000 drivers within the company. Arturo Lemus, a UNFI driver and member of Teamsters Local 848 in California, celebrated the contract as a pivotal change for workers. “The wages, benefits, and protections we won are game changers,” he declared, stressing that the new terms elevate workers' rights and standards at UNFI.

However, the fight is far from over. Newly organized UNFI workers at five Teamsters locals are actively working on securing their first contracts. In states like Florida, Georgia, Illinois, and Pennsylvania, members are pushing for the same leading standards that have been successfully negotiated on the West Coast. Tom Erickson, the Director of the Teamsters Warehouse Division, reinforced the union's position, expressing confidence in their bargaining strength. “UNFI must negotiate with our newly organized units in good faith—or we’ll hold them accountable. The ball is in their court,” he warned.

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters has a long history of advocating for workers' rights, currently representing around 1.3 million members in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. The recent contract ratification is a testament to the union’s ongoing mission to elevate the conditions under which workers operate, embodying collective bargaining’s potential to instigate meaningful change.

For more information about the Teamsters and their initiatives, visit Teamster.org or follow them on social media.