Workers at North Portland and Beaverton branches of grocery chain New Seasons filed for union elections in late November, seeking to affiliate with the New Seasons Labor Union.
The Arbor Lodge (6400 N. Interstate Ave. in Portland) and Cedar Hills (3495 SW Cedar Hills Blvd. in Beaverton) stores are the eighth and ninth New Seasons locations to launch union campaigns in the past six months.
Workers at Arbor Lodge announced the union campaign about a week before filing. In a Nov. 15 letter addressed to store management and New Seasons parent company Good Food Holdings, union supporters said a “considerable percentage of staff have collectively decided to begin organizing” with the union. At Cedar Hills, workers filed for an election on Nov. 28, expressing similar concerns with management as workers at other locations that are unionizing. In a press announcement, the New Seasons Labor Union said stagnant wages, and lack of a voice in setting scheduling and attendance policies, are driving union interest.
Arbor Lodge has 128 workers and Cedar Hills has 142.
The new campaigns join three other New Seasons stores – in the Concordia, Grant Park and Woodstock neighborhoods – where workers are awaiting National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) elections. Those elections will be held in person, although dates weren’t set by press time.
The New Seasons Labor Union currently represents workers at the Seven Corners and Slabtown stores, where the union won elections in September and October. Workers at the Sellwood branch voted against unionizing. Workers at the Orenco Station store in Hillsboro voted against affiliating with United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 555 in ballots counted Sept. 1.
