Florida UNFI Workers Join Teamsters
More than 230 warehouse workers at United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI) in Pompano Beach, Fla., and Miami have voted to join Teamsters Local 769, citing their desire for higher wages, improved benefits and safer working conditions.
“We joined the Teamsters because we need the protection of a strong, enforceable union contract,” explained Roderick Jackson, a warehouse worker at UNFI and a new member of Local 769. “We’ve seen what our co-workers at other UNFI locations have won as Teamsters, and we’re ready to fight for the same.”
Since 2022, more than 3,000 UNFI workers have joined the Teamsters. This marks 19 consecutive successful organizing drives, the most recent one in Lancaster, Texas.
[RELATED: UNFI Drivers in Wisconsin Join Teamsters]
“We’re proud to welcome these hardworking new members into the Local 769 family,” said Josh Zivalich, president of North Miami, Fla.-based Local 769. “They stood up for a voice on the job, and we’re ready to help them achieve a first contract that mirrors the gains already secured by UNFI Teamsters in Florida and across the country.”
Teamsters at UNFI facilities in Florida, Georgia and Illinois recently ratified first contracts that included an $8-an-hour-raise, Teamsters health care, a defined benefit pension plan, seniority protections and additional paid time off.
“UNFI workers are done being pushed around. They’re fighting back and raising standards nationwide,” added Tom Erickson, director of the Teamsters Warehouse Division. “Over 65 percent of UNFI’s workforce is now represented by the Teamsters. We’re not stopping until we organize the rest. Every UNFI worker deserves a strong Teamsters contract and the protections that come with it.”
When contacted by Progressive Grocer, UNFI provided the following statement: “UNFI offers competitive pay and benefits and safe working conditions to all associates. Where our associates are represented, UNFI maintains constructive relationships with those unions, and we bargain in good faith to reach agreements that are fair to both sides. In these agreements, we address wages and benefits, other terms and conditions of employment, and the need for operating flexibility to satisfy customer demands regarding the delivery of our products.”
Founded in 1903, the Washington, D.C.-based International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.3 million workers in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.
One of the largest publicly traded wholesale distributors of health and specialty food in North America, Providence, R.I.-based UNFI is No. 20 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2025 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.
