More than 1,000 newly unionized warehouse workers and drivers at United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI) locations in Florida, Georgia, and Illinois have ratified their first contracts, securing $8-an-hour wage increases, improved health benefits, and pension coverage following a strike threat.
The five-year agreements, reached through Teamsters Locals 26, 79, 728, and 769, follow a series of organizing drives and practice pickets aimed at pressuring UNFI management. The company is the primary distributor for Whole Foods in the United States.
The contracts include Teamsters-administered health care coverage, a defined benefit pension through the Western Conference of Teamsters Pension Fund, enhanced safety protocols, stronger seniority rights, and more paid time off.
“These contracts are life-changing,” said Tom Erickson, director of the Teamsters Warehouse Division. “They prove that when workers stand together, they can take on corporate greed and win.”
Since 2022, more than 2,500 workers at UNFI have joined the Teamsters, with over 1,000 organizing in the past year alone. The union now represents more than 5,000 employees at the company.
James Knight, a UNFI driver in Florida and member of Local 769, said the new contract reflects the power of collective bargaining. “By organizing with the Teamsters and demanding our worth, we’ve secured the pay, benefits, and working conditions we deserve,” he said.
Brad Duncan, a warehouse worker with Local 26 in Illinois, emphasized the national coordination that led to the agreements. “Across the country, workers like me remained strong, organized, and showed our solidarity,” he said. “We proved that when we fight together, we win together.”
