SuperAmerica Employees Protest Over Pay, Scheduling

WOODBURY, Minn. — Approximately 50 SuperAmerica LLC employees and supporters protested at the convenience store chain’s headquarters here Tuesday, seeking a meeting with President Jack Helmick to ask for higher pay and more convenient scheduling practices.

According to a Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Tribune report, the protesters first marched at the SuperAmerica store at Lexington Parkway in St. Paul, Minn. They then staged a sit-in at SuperAmerica headquarters for 30 minutes, but were denied a meeting with Helmick. The protests were sponsored by Working America and the Greater Minneapolis Worker Center.

Specifically, the workers are seeking:

• Institution of two weeks’ notice of work schedules for all employees;
• Establishment of a Health and Safety Committee tasked with improving workplace safety and wellness standards at the chain’s locations; and
• Institution of a companywide equity policy that ensures women and people of color receive pay and opportunities for advancement equal to that of their counterparts.

On Nov. 10, SuperAmerica workers also marched alongside striking foodservice workers, janitors and other hourly workers at a large rally outside of Minneapolis City Hall to urge city leaders to support policies that help working families, including raising the minimum wage, fair scheduling and an end to wage theft.

“The community has spoken. After today’s action, SuperAmerica can’t continue to ignore the requests of working families in the Twin Cities,” said Working America-Minnesota Program Director David Wakely. “Working families are tired of working hard in jobs that make it impossible to support their families and advance in the workplace."

SuperAmerica increased its starting pay to $9.50 per hour ahead of a 2016 Minnesota state mandate to raise the minimum wage. SuperAmerica and its parent company, Tempe, Ariz.-based Northern Tier Energy LP, did not respond to the news outlet’s request seeking more information.