Unionized New Seasons Market workers are striking at 11 Portland-area stores Wednesday

Unionized workers at 11 New Seasons Market stores in the Portland area are on strike Wednesday, typically one of the nation’s busiest grocery shopping days in the country.

The New Seasons Labor Union was founded in 2022 and represents approximately 1,000 employees in Portland and Beaverton. Two years later, the union and New Seasons leadership are still negotiating the first contract and continue to disagree on wage increases and benefits.

Earlier this month, union members overwhelmingly approved the one-day strike against unfair labor practices scheduled for the day before Thanksgiving. Unions sometimes use ULP strikes to raise public awareness during negotiations.

“We have done our best to provide the company with numerous options to avert a strike by ending its unfair labor practices and offering our members a deal that meets their needs,” said Ava Robbins, co-chair of the New Seasons Labor Union a statement Friday, “but they refuse.”

A spokesman for New Seasons said in a statement that the company respects its employees’ right to organize but that all stores will remain open during Wednesday’s strike. All locations will be closed on Thursday for the holiday.

Union workers will strike and picket at these locations:

• Arbor Lodge (6400 North Interstate Avenue, Portland)
• Cedar Hills (3495 Southwest Cedar Hills Boulevard, Beaverton)
• Concordia (5320 Northeast 33rd Avenue, Portland)
• Grant Park (3210 Northeast Broadway, Portland)
• Hawthorne (4034 Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard, Portland)
• Sellwood (1214 Southeast Tacoma Street, Portland)
• Seven Corners (1954 Southeast Division Street, Portland)
• Slabtown (2170 Northwest Raleigh Street, Portland)
• University Park (6300 North Lombard Street, Portland)
• Woodstock (4500 Southeast Woodstock Boulevard, Portland)
• Williams (3445 North Williams Avenue, Portland)

Owned by New Seasons Market Good Food Holdings companywhose parent company is the South Korean Emart. However, the store’s roots go back to Portland, where the first location opened in 2000, and New Seasons still maintains a regional leadership team.

Unionized workers at another grocery chain with roots in Portland used the same unfair labor practices tactic to strike earlier this year. Employees at nearly 30 Fred Meyer stores in the Portland area went on one Almost a week-long strike over Labor Day weekend.

The union represents Fred Meyer workers, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union Local 555 and executives from Fred Meyer’s parent company, Kroger agreed to a new contract in October.