UNFI Teamsters in Southern California Secure $13/Hour Raise

Seven hundred Teamsters at United Natural Foods Inc. have ratified a contract that raises their pay by $13 an hour over five years, putting UNFI wages $3 ahead of Southern California grocery wages.

The members, from Teamsters Locals 630, 848 and 495 in Southern California and Stockton Local 439, agreed to the deal that union bargaining committees describe as carrying record pay increases.

The contract goes beyond wages. It establishes mandatory bidding based on seniority for warehouse positions and requires the company to post all job vacancies for senior bidding. It shortens the time discipline remains on an employee's record from 12 months to nine months. It also improves lunch timing provisions for drivers and imposes stricter requirements for bargaining over any proposed work-rule changes.

Bargainers also cleaned up contract language that had varied across facilities. Warehouse bidding, vacancy positions and work-rule changes had been governed by side agreements that differed from facility to facility. The new contract replaces that patchwork with one high standard.

"We all worked together to create clear, single rules so we can coordinate on contract enforcement," said Frank Villa, a UNFI steward and bargaining committee member at the Local 630 Santa Fe Springs facility. "We've got a good contract and now it's all about strong enforcement."

The labor win lands at a difficult moment for the Providence, Rhode Island-based distributor. UNFI is coming off a pair of weak earnings reports. Earlier this month the company reported lower sales for its fourth quarter and fiscal 2026, though profitability and cash flow improved as the grocery distributor continued to streamline its distribution network and invest in technology.

Net sales declined 0.7% in the fourth quarter and 2% for the full year compared with fiscal 2025. UNFI attributed the decreases primarily to planned network optimization actions and the completion of short-term project work. The company said those factors were partially offset by the comparison with last year's cyber security event.

The contract's five-year term gives UNFI labor cost certainty while the company continues restructuring its distribution network. For marketers and suppliers moving goods through UNFI's Southern California and Stockton facilities, the seniority-based bidding rules and unified contract standards signal a more stable workforce at key distribution points.