Workers at the Mississippi Market Co-Op in St. Paul voted to unionize earlier this week.

Of the 101 workers who voted, 82 said yes on Wednesday, establishing a path forward for the community-funded cooperative’s working members to join the United Food Commercial Workers Union.

The unionization would impact all three locations, something Mississippi market employee Rowan Garrigan said would help give workers more of a say in the co-op.

“The employees weren’t being heard,” Garrigan said. “I absolutely believe that we are in a culture that is very pro-labor.”

Garrigan added that she was very surprised by the co-op managers’ reaction to the unionization vote, stating that they reacted very well to the news.

“They (managers) actually reacted as well as they possibly could have,” Garrigan said. “I think the conversations that have started have been really positive.”

Now Garrigan and other Mississippi market employees will need to wait for the National Labor Relations Board to certify their vote before union negotiations can begin.