PORTLAND, Ore. — Unionized staff at 10 New Seasons Market locations in Portland and one store in Beaverton are still on track to hold a one-day strike Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, potentially impacting just over half of the company's locations.
The New Seasons Labor Union announced the plan for the strike last week, and also called for a customer boycott of New Seasons for the holiday season.
"We have not seen anything from the company that would materially benefit the workers, it's all been things that would make conditions here worse," said union representative Norah Rivera, speaking outside a New Seasons shop in Southeast Portland Monday.
Here are the answers to what are likely to be some of the top questions for shoppers:
Which stores are impacted?
New Seasons operates 21 stores in total, 10 of which are in the city of Portland and the rest of which are all in other metro area cities and neighborhoods. All 10 of the Portland stores are unionized, along with the Cedar Hills location in Beaverton.
All of the unionized stores plan to participate in the strike, meaning every store in Portland plus Cedar Hills. With the exception of Cedar Hills, all of the stores outside of Portland are non-union and will not be on strike.
The full list of impacted stores:
- Arbor Lodge: 6400 North Interstate Avenue, Portland, OR 97217
- Cedar Hills: 3495 Southwest Cedar Hills Boulevard, Beaverton, OR 97005
- Concordia: 5320 Northeast 33rd Avenue, Portland, OR 97211
- Grant Park: 3210 Northeast Broadway, Portland, OR 97232
- Hawthorne: 4034 Southeast Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR 97214)
- Sellwood: 1214 Southeast Tacoma St, Portland, OR 97202
- Seven Corners: 1954 Southeast Division St, Portland, OR 97202
- Slabtown: 2170 Northwest Raleigh Street, Portland, OR 97210
- University Park: 6300 North Lombard Street, Portland, OR 97203
- Woodstock: 4500 Southeast Woodstock Boulevard, Portland, OR 97206
- Williams: 3445 North Williams Avenue, Portland, OR 97227
Will the unionized stores still be open?
A company spokesperson told KGW that business will continue as usual, even at locations where workers are expected to hit the picket lines on Wednesday.
"We've always appreciated our staff's passion and the expression of their rights. Peaceful protest is deeply woven into the fabric of our company culture—and is normal," the company said in a statement, adding that the timing of the strike "may present challenges due to the importance of the Thanksgiving holiday," but the company is working to minimize disruption.
That approach matches what New Seasons did when the union held a previous one-day strike in August at 10 of the 11 unionized stores; the company kept all of the locations open that day, relying on managers and a small number of staff.
Will any stores be open on Thursday?
No. The strike will only last one day, but all 21 New Seasons stores, unionized or not, will be closed for Thanksgiving. The New Seasons website lists each store as closed all day Thursday, and the company's ad flyer for the week also mentions the Thanksgiving closure at the top.
Why is the strike happening?
The New Seasons union formed in 2022 and now represents about 1,100 workers across the 11 stores. Bargaining began in 2023 and is still ongoing, so no store has a contract yet. Most other unionized grocery stores in the area are part of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555, but the New Seasons staff opted to form an independent union.
The union's website lists demands including a living wage, which it defines as $27.04, regular cost-of-living adjustments linked to inflation, premium pay for overnight work, seating for cashiers and other stationary workers, more paid time off, a less punitive attendance policy and just cause contract language for discipline.
The union has billed the strike as a protest against unfair labor practices by New Seasons, accusing the company of "not offering a viable path forward with negotiations" particularly on the issue of pay, stating that the company has offered a starting wage hike of only 25 cents per hour or a "one-wage" model that would cut the existing wages of some staff.
The announcement said that 82% of the union's membership had voted to authorize the strike, and declared that the company could avert the strike by meeting "the union's demand for a wage and benefits proposal that materially improves the conditions for all workers," by Monday.
In a news release over the weekend, New Seasons said it wanted to add context, stating that the company's starting wages are $17.19 per hour and average wages are $20.75 per hour for non-manager roles, with automatic wage increases every 6 months, and that 94% of staff are eligible for full benefits.
The company also claimed that the union has filed several previous Unfair Labor Practice complaints with the National Labor Relations Board that all went on to be dismissed or withdrawn, and said it expects the same outcome for any additional complaints. The company also argued that bargaining for first contracts can be a drawn-out process, noting it took three years for Burgerville and the Burgerville Workers Union to reach a first contract.
