Minneapolis Hunger Strike Ends with Promises to Press On
Four Twin Cities retail cleaning workers and four community allies ended a 12-day hunger strike against the Supervalu grocery chain Thursday.
The workers, members of a Minneapolis worker center, called off the action when religious leaders and elected officials said they'd press management for a solution.
The strikers had wanted the company to negotiate a code of conduct that guarantees fair wages and conditions for the workers who clean its stores late into the night.
A mad dash to outsource cleaning services to the lowest bidder has cut wages in the city to minimum wage, and sometimes less, with no benefits.
Mario Colloly Torres, one of the hunger strikers, said the group agreed to end the action in front of the Supervalu-owned Cub Foods store because they are confident that the involvement of city leaders will speed a resolution.
The City Council urged Minnesota-based Supervalu to come to the table and discuss ways to improve working conditions for floor cleaners in a unanimous vote May 27. The resolution stated that the starting wage for retail cleaning workers should be $11 an hour.
Nurses monitored the strikers every day, and none required hospitalization.
SUPPORT LABOR NOTES
BECOME A MONTHLY DONOR
Give $10 a month or more and get our "Fight the Boss, Build the Union" T-shirt.
The hunger strike followed months of requests by workers and their allies for a meeting, and a November march that brought 300 members and supporters to protest in front of several Twin Cities stores.
Cub’s floor cleaning subcontractor reacted to the protests by handing out 50-cent raises and allowing workers to take their breaks. Cub management responded by securing a court order banning protesters from its stores. The hunger strike was held on public land adjacent to a store.
“Although these changes are a small step in the right direction,” Colloly Torres said, “they are far from what we consider a dignified living standard and workplace conditions.”
According to CTUL organizers, Representative Keith Ellison has been in talks with Cub Foods management.
“We’re hopeful that this will help tip the scales of justice in our favor,” Colloly Torres said, adding that although the congressman is a powerful ally, the worker center and its allies will not rely on others to secure a winning settlement.
“This fight is far from over and the pressure will continue to mount from all sides,” Colloly Torres said. Members will plot their next steps June 8.
