300 Workers Secure $8 Hourly Raise, Teamsters Health Care, Western Conference Pension
SARASOTA, Fla., Aug. 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — More than 300 warehouse workers at United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI), represented by Teamsters Local 79, have overwhelmingly ratified a powerful five-year collective bargaining agreement. The first contract delivers up to an $8-per-hour wage increase, Teamsters health care coverage, and participation in the Teamsters Western Conference Pension Plan.
“This is a major victory for our members at UNFI and sets the bar for warehouse and grocery industry jobs across our region,” said Brian A. Rothman, President of Local 79. “Workers at UNFI nationwide are organizing with the Teamsters because they see the results we’re delivering. We are setting the standard.”
UNFI, the primary distributor for Whole Foods in the United States, has seen a surge in Teamsters organizing in recent years. In the past year alone, more than 1,000 UNFI drivers and warehouse workers have voted to join the Teamsters. Since 2022, over 2,500 workers have organized, bringing the total number of Teamsters at UNFI to more than 5,000.
“This contract is exactly why we joined the Teamsters,” said Charles Dowling, a warehouse worker and member of Local 79. “We fought hard for the pay, benefits, and protections we deserve. Now we walk into work with our heads high, backed by the strength of a Teamsters contract.”
The win in Sarasota follows a wave of strong first contracts for newly organized UNFI workers. In February, drivers in Arizona, California, Oregon, and Utah — jointly represented by 12 Teamsters locals — ratified a five-year deal with major gains in wages, pension contributions, health care, and seniority protections. The following month, more than 1,000 drivers and warehouse workers in Florida, Georgia, and Illinois, including Local 79 drivers, secured substantial raises, top-tier benefits, and a defined benefit pension.
“What Local 79 members have achieved at UNFI is part of a larger movement sweeping the country,” said Tom Erickson, Director of the Teamsters Warehouse Division. “From coast to coast, UNFI workers are standing up, joining the Teamsters, and winning the wages, benefits, and protections they have been denied for too long. This is how we raise standards across the industry, and we are just getting started.”
Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.3 million hardworking people in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Visit Teamster.org for more information. Follow us on X @Teamsters and on Facebook at Facebook.com/teamsters.
Contact:
Lena Melentijevic, (347) 208-2279
[email protected]
SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters
