FILE - New Seasons Market in the Woodstock neighborhood of Portland, Ore., on Dec. 10, 2019. It's among the 11 unionized locations in Portland and Beaverton that could be affected by a strike on Nov. 27, 2024.
Cheyenne Thorpe / OPB
Editor’s note: New Seasons Market is among OPB’s financial supporters.
The union representing New Seasons Market employees has announced a one-day strike next Wednesday, targeting 11 unionized grocery stores in Portland and Beaverton, Oregon. The strike coincides with one of the busiest grocery shopping days of the year as customers prepare for Thanksgiving.
The affected stores are:
- 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)
The New Seasons Labor Union, which represents over 1,100 workers, has been negotiating its first contract with the grocery chain for more than a year. Union leaders accuse the company of failing to make meaningful progress, citing the latest proposal as inadequate. The proposal includes what the union describes as a “dismal” 25-cent increase to the starting wage, reductions in holiday pay and decreases to higher-paid unionized positions.
The union has set a Monday deadline for the company to present a more acceptable offer. “We hope that the company realizes the urgency and importance of providing a meaningful economic response, and acts in good faith, to allow us to avert a strike,” said Ella Meloy, a bargaining committee representative, in a press release on Friday.
New Seasons workers staged a similar one-day strike just before Labor Day this year, affecting 10 unionized locations in Portland and Beaverton.
The union is also calling on customers to boycott New Seasons Market during the holiday season.
In an emailed statement to OPB on Saturday, a New Seasons Market spokesperson didn’t say whether the company would respond to the union’s demand. But the spokesperson emphasized the company’s commitment to ongoing negotiations, and encouraged customers to shop early as efforts continue to minimize disruptions caused by the strike.