On December 16, 2025, workers with UE Local 1010-New Seasons Labor Union ratified their first contract, concluding a three-plus year struggle. The contract will protect more than 850 grocery workers at New Seasons Market, a grocery chain in the Portland, Oregon area.
Local 1010 members had been fighting for a first contract for years after winning a series of elections as the independent New Seasons Labor Union in 2022 and 2023. Organizing began in response to the rapidly declining working conditions in the grocery industry, and was inspired by the recent successes of Amazon Labor Union and Starbucks Workers United in organizing worker-to-worker and shop-by-shop. Militant organizing in the grocery industry has been long overdue. “I would like the grocery industry to allow for a dignified existence, and for workers to recognize that they have the power to make things better for themselves if they band together and fight for it.” said Local 1010 member Yegor Pryshchep. As management ramped up their unionbusting campaign, workers held strong, and after affiliating with UE in 2025, were able to successfully leverage a strong strike threat to force the employer to settle a contract that sets new standards in the regional grocery industry.
Contract Wins
This three-year first contract for UE Local 1010 secures strong wage increases and workplace protections that lay the foundation for future contracts. The wins include:
- A starting wage of $19/hour, the highest in the region for the industry;
- Immediate raises upon ratification of between 16.5 percent and 9 percent for all members;
- Two percent cost-of-living adjustments to the base wage table over each year of the contract;
- Health insurance eligibility at 24 hours per week, after fighting back management's attempts to implement a two-tier system;
- Protections around scheduling, including 12 hours guaranteed rest between shifts and protections around being scheduled more than five consecutive days;
- Protections for immigrants, including a ban on ICE being allowed into non-work areas without a warrant, and time off for immigration-related matters for members or their families; and
- Reasonable seating, allowing cashiers to work while seated.
Tentative agreements on all articles of the contract were reached December 4, and the Local 1010-NSLU bargaining committee was able to unanimously recommend ratification at a membership meeting that same night, where the assembled members voted to send the contract for a ratification vote. Having expected to be preparing for a strike following bargaining on December 4, the company’s surprise concessions on areas of massive importance came as a relief to Local 1010-NSLU members, and further proof that the strike threat was pivotal in securing a strong contract.
NSLU History
Seven Corners workers, including April St. John (upper left), celebrate their unionization victory on September 7, 2022, laying the groundwork as founding members of New Seasons Labor Union.
Local 1010 began as New Seasons Labor Union, an independent union that sprang up as a campaign at a single store. Workers at the Seven Corners store won their election on September 7, 2022, and the organizing quickly spread. Over the course of the next year, workers at 10 more stores had successfully won NLRB elections and joined NSLU. With a strong base of support in the Portland area, the focus turned towards bargaining, and workers began assembling to draft contract language, while simultaneously holding membership meetings and building out the necessary processes for a democratic union.
Above: New Seasons Labor Union Members at the Seven Corners location participate in practice pickets as the fight for our first contract continues to ramp up. Below: NSLU members continued to organize throughout the three years of bargaining sessions with the employer. Monthly Membership Meetings played a direct role in the democratic structure of our union, led by the rank and file.
Initially, management engaged in classic union avoidance tactics, thinking they could wait out the union. They wasted time introducing frivolous articles, and refused to make any meaningful movement on non-economic articles, which they insisted must be settled in their entirety before they would even begin to discuss economics. However, members stood strong in demanding an end to the unionbusting and bad-faith bargaining on display, and went out on a one-day Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) strike just before Labor Day of 2024.
Shortly afterward, the company finally broached economics in bargaining, after years of delay tactics. However, with minimal movement at the table, and continuing bad-faith bargaining from management, NSLU members returned to the picket line on another ULP strike that fell on November 27, 2024 — the day before Thanksgiving, and the single busiest sales day of the year for many grocery stores.
Both of these strikes played a critical role in getting members engaged and ready to take collective action to take on the boss. Both were preceded by weeks, if not months, of button-up campaigns, coordinated days where members wore red together, and constant conversations to get workers past their fear and ready to act. Both strikes saw overwhelming majorities of workers out in solidarity on the picket line, and empty stores full of harried management.
However, neither of these strikes alone were able to wield the economic power necessary to win the strong contract that was needed.
Affiliation and the Final Contract Campaign
Randy Foster, a 19-year employee of New Seasons Market, and his wife stood outside the Arbor Lodge location for each of the nine days of the ULP strike over his firing. Foster was fired after helping his blind coworker shut down their work station.
On January 29, 2025, management fired Randy Foster, a 19-year employee, for helping his blind coworker close down his register. In response, workers at the Arbor Lodge store immediately walked off the job on a strike. Within hours, the picket lines were full and the store was closed for the day. Over the next few days, workers at Randy’s store held down the picket line, voting each night to stay out for the following day, while workers at other stores deliberated and joined them in solidarity. Eventually, the strike lasted nine days, and workers from six other stores joined the picket lines. This show of force resulted in empty parking lots due to community members and vendors refusing to cross picket lines. NSLU members were able to consecutively shut down the Arbor Lodge and Seven Corners stores early for multiple days of the strike.
New Seasons Labor Union members celebrate after the Arbor Lodge location announces another early closure due to the nine-day protected ULP strike. Pictured: James (Jimbo) Heiner, Taylor Orendurff, and Keenan Biggs. (Photo: Veronica McShane)
At the scheduled bargaining session with New Seasons Market’s representatives amidst this strike, the employer relented on cost-of-living-adjustments (COLA) in their wages and healthcare counterproposals — a major concession achieved through the collective show of strength from rank-and-file members out on our picket lines. However, despite this incredible show of solidarity, the strike had to be concluded before Randy could be reinstated, as the limited resources of NSLU could not financially support workers sufficiently to keep them out of work for any longer. This loss, while a massively powerful moment for all involved, was a harsh reminder of the power the boss can hold, and convinced many members that affiliation with a larger national union was necessary.
New Seasons Labor Union members held down picket lines at Arbor Lodge and Seven Corners for nine days following Randy Foster’s firing. Included, top photo: Brian Berry (center); bottom photo: Veronica McShane (center), Liam Monroe, and Yegor Pryshchep. (Photos: Janet Shek)
Over the next few months, NSLU’s Affiliation Committee finalized the ongoing negotiations between UE and NSLU, as well as a potential agreement with Teamsters Local 162. Members attended town hall meetings and discussed the pros and cons of each offer, or of remaining an independent union. Members officially voted to affiliate with UE on August 15, 2025, becoming NSLU-UE Local 1010. Preparations continued for an open-ended strike that would provide the necessary leverage to move the employer from their position on the contract, at the time pushing for subinflationary wages and attempting to cut healthcare coverage for part time employees, among other untenable proposals. “I want better for myself, my coworkers, and all wage laborers. I want us to feel valued and supported at work, not run ragged by low wages, bare bones staffing, and constant scrutiny.” said Local 1010 member Rowen Flores.
After a post-bargaining social announcing the kickoff to the final stages of the contract campaign, workers collected strike pledge cards in advance of a strike authorization vote. As Jimbo Heiner, a Local 1010 Bargaining committee member stated, “I’m ready to strike because it’s the best way to show our strength to the company and let them know we are fighting together. They haven’t heard us when we ask nicely, we need to demand a better life for ourselves and each other.”
Following our affiliation agreement with UE being approved by membership as the newly-chartered UE Local 1010, NSLU elected officers and rank-and-file members celebrate our affiliation through a union summit announcing strike pledge card distribution as part of our coordinated strike escalation plan.
Distributing strike pledge cards.
A strike was authorized, and the company was informed that they had until December 4 to present an offer that membership could ratify. Despite the distance between the parties, facing the threat of a strike leading into the holidays, the company quickly closed the gap, making significant concessions ahead of bargaining in an offer sent December 2, and further concessions during bargaining December 4. The Local 1010 bargaining committee was able to reach a tentative agreement at this December 4 session, and happily reported to membership that evening that a deal had been reached. The contract was later ratified with 98 percent of votes in favor of ratification.
Next Steps
Local 1010 currently only represents 10 of 22 New Seasons locations, and the work of external organizing will be a massive focus of the next three years, to ensure the second contract fight is resolute and leveraged in our favor. This first contract sets a strong framework for the next three years, and the focus now will be on ensuring it can be vigorously defended by a strong network of well-trained stewards.
Unfortunately — but unsurprisingly — almost immediately after ratification, management indicated that they would not be following the wages article as outlined. Rather than rely solely on arbitration and give the company the green light to commit wage theft and untold other contract violations in the interim, Local 1010 organized a press conference and threatened to return to the picket line if necessary. Shortly afterwards, the company relented on their position and will be granting workers the wages promised in the contract.
The Local 1010 Bargaining Committee consisted of NSLU Co-Chairs Ava Robins and Norah Rivera, Arbor Lodge Representative Brian Berry, Cedar Hills Representative Maggie Myers, Concordia Representative Barry McConnell, Grant Park Representatives Janet Shek and Veronica McShane, Hawthorne Representative Zach Sera, Sellwood Representative Jimbo Heiner, Seven Corners Representative April St. John, Slabtown Representatives Aspen Heintze and Anaïs Kristine, University Park Representatives Pearl Shull and Natalie Hartman, and Williams Representatives Ethan-Mark Harrison and Ella Meloy.
They were assisted by UE Staff Coordinator Tommy Carden, UE Project Staff Organizer Kara Zielinski, along with Field Organizers Adam Goldsmith and Royce Brown.