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by Taylor Griggs

New Seasons workers at 11 unionized stores in Portland and Beaverton plan to walk off the job on Wednesday, November 27, for a one-day Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) strike. Union members say they scheduled the strike for the day before Thanksgiving—one of the busiest shopping days of the year—to exert their leverage amid lagging labor contract negotiations with New Seasons management. 

In addition to the one-day strike, the New Seasons Labor Union (NSLU) is asking customers to stop shopping at New Seasons stores until the union and company come to an agreement on a contract that “meets the needs of the workers.” 

“We have always had support from our community in our fight for a fair contract,” Jimbo Heiner, an NSLU representative at the Sellwood New Seasons, said in a press release. “The number one way that customers can support us now is by refusing to shop at New Seasons this holiday season, and joining us on the picket line on Wednesday.” 

The union has been bargaining with the company for its first labor contract since the beginning of 2023. Members of the union’s bargaining committee say New Seasons “is not offering a viable path forward with negotiations,” and say the company has offered “dismal” economic proposals at recent bargaining sessions. 

NSLU members want their first contract to include higher wages, annual cost-of-living adjustments, and increased paid time off, among other proposals. But union representatives say the company has not come close to meeting their demands. While NSLU wants starting wages to be closer to the Multnomah County living wage of roughly $27 an hour, New Seasons recently proposed raising starting wages—currently $16.25—by only 25 cents. Portland’s minimum wage is currently $15.95.

In another recent bargaining session, the company proposed a “one-wage” model of $20 an hour for all bargaining unit employees, which would decrease wages for about half of all unit members at New Seasons stores. (The average hourly wage is $20.04.) New Seasons proposed an alternative economic package that would raise all employee wages to $22 an hour, but make changes to healthcare benefits that union members deemed unacceptable. 

“Workers at the store feel fed up with waiting and the company’s insulting offers,” Norah Rivera, an NSLU chapter representative at the Seven Corners location, told the Mercury. 

“We’re at a really pivotal and unique point right now, coming up on holiday season,” Rivera says. “The company knows we have a lot of leverage, but is continuing to double down on not giving us anything.” 

A spokesperson for New Seasons told the Mercury that while the company is “committed to constructive negotiations,” it respects the union’s call to strike. 

“While we acknowledge the timing of the strike may present challenges due to the importance of the Thanksgiving holiday, we are focused on minimizing disruption and continue to provide our customers with the service they’ve come to expect from New Seasons Market,” the spokesperson said. “As we have since the very beginning, we continue to approach collective bargaining in good faith, committed to creating a contract that fairly represents the interests of all parties.” 

The New Seasons representative also pointed to the “inherent challenge” of drafting first-time contracts, especially with independent unions like NSLU, and pointed to the Burgerville contract as an example. In 2021, the Burgerville Workers Union reached a contract agreement with the company after three years of bargaining. During that process, Burgerville received backlash from union members and local labor advocates for allegedly stonewalling contract negotiations. 

New Seasons Market says it’s “committed to finding common ground.” 

The NSLU has filed dozens of ULP complaints with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) this year alone. The complaints allege the company has made coercive statements against union members, engaged in bad faith bargaining, and broken disciplinary protocol, among other charges. Filing ULP complaints has allowed union members to document their many concerns with the company, but union members don’t want to leave the fate of their contract up to the NLRB. They think going on strike will produce quicker results. 

Rivera says after unionized New Seasons workers engaged in a one-day ULP strike during Labor Day weekend in September, the company moved on several proposals. Union members hope the upcoming strike will bring even more movement. 

“We’re at such an important point in bargaining where the company has just started to talk economics,” Rivera told the Mercury. “We need to be exerting all the pressure we can.”

Employees say the customer experience at New Seasons stores is driven heavily by personnel, many of whom have been employed with the company for years. 

April St. John, a member of the NSLU bargaining team, has worked at New Seasons for 19 years. She says over that time, she’s developed connections with people in the community, and is skilled at customer service to meet specific needs. She hopes to see the community support New Seasons workers during their continued push for the contract they want. 

“The public has come to expect employees that are committed to New Seasons and being treated well. But New Seasons hasn’t kept their promise to employees,” St. John says. “I hope customers can see workers as worth supporting in this fight. The work we do is essential, but we’re still being overlooked by the company.”