Workers at Vertical Endeavors have ratified their first union contract with the employer, the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Locals 663 and 1189 announced this week.

The ratification of a three-year contract concludes a lengthy process that began when workers formed their union in August 2023.

The UFCW announcement says workers won an average of a 16.67% wage increase over the life of the contract, as well as paid time off for part-time employees and weekly minimum hours for full-time employees.

"PTO for part-timers is huge," Isaac Harris, an employee at Vertical Endeavors in St. Paul, said in a statement. "I am a part-time worker. It used to be difficult to afford to take time off. Because of organizing, and especially because of the gym members that supported us, I can take

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