Piggly Wiggly Midwest, Workers Settle Dispute

MILWAUKEE — Representatives of Piggly Wiggly Midwest and United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1473 on Friday said they have agreed to a new multiyear contract covering employees at Piggly Wiggly stores throughout Wisconsin, ending a longstanding dispute between the parties.

The agreement allows for Piggly Wiggly’s flagship store in Sheboygan, Wis., to remain open, and resolves all unfair labor practice cases pending with the National Labor Relations Board and in federal courts. Earlier this year, the retailer said its Sheboygan store would close after federal labor authorities ordered that workers whose hours were cut there be restored to their prior status.

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John Eiden, president of Local 1473, in a statement Friday praised his counterpart at Piggly Wiggly, Paul Butera, for his efforts to achieve labor peace by meeting with union leaders personally. “Paul demonstrated that face to face meetings can solve the economic and legal issues that separate labor and management in hard times. Both sides understood that the state of the economy and heightened competition within the retail food industry made negotiations difficult, but Paul helped both sides bridge the gap that separated us,” Eiden said.

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Both sides also announced that as part of the settlement all unfair labor practice cases pending against the employer will be closed.