Pittsburgh Grocery Workers Go IWW : Pittsburgh Indymedia

Pittsburgh Grocery Workers Go IWW
by Worker Freedom Thursday, Jun. 22, 2006 at 5:53 PM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

solidarityforever3.jpg, image/jpeg, 200x259

Contacts:
Stacey Clampitt (412) 758-9045
Evan W. Wolfson (412) 951-5204

East End Food Co-op Workers Committee
PO Box 90315 / Pittsburgh, PA 15224
WeRunItIU460@yahoo.com

East End Food Co-op Workers Organize to Improve Conditions and Restore Healthy Workforce at Local Organic Food Store.

PITTSBURGH, PA – Workers at the East End Food Co-op, Pittsburgh’s only member-owned natural and organic food market, have organized with the Industrial Workers of the World to improve working conditions, pay and benefits, and to address long-standing issues of low staff morale and high turnover. The Co-op employs approximately 50 workers who could bargain collectively with their employer.

Since launching their organizing drive on May 15th, Co-op workers have requested that the Board of Directors agree to recognize the workers’ demand for collective bargaining rights based upon a showing of majority support for the union. The workers want the Co-op to accept the union through the authorization card-check process, whereby workers who support unionization sign cards authorizing the union to represent them during collective bargaining. To date, the Co-op Board has not accepted the workers’ demand for recognition, but has stated it is willing to re-examine a 2003 Board decision, which states that workers must vote for the union during a representation election held by the National Labor Relations Board.

Workers want the Board to decide at or before the June 26th Board meeting if it will accept the card-check process and count the cards. The union asserts that because a majority of workers have signed cards and are ready to have them counted immediately, any other process toward recognition is unnecessary and pointless, if not obstructionist. “We’re eagerly awaiting a response from the Board so we can begin bargaining,” said Co-op customer service representative, Stacey Clampitt. “We want the Board to accept the authorization cards instead of putting us through a long and tedious election process.” Once an employer agrees to accept the card-check process, a neutral third party will verify the cards and report if they represent a majority of eligible workers. If they do, the employer then officially agrees to recognize the union for the purposes of collective bargaining.

Even without recognition, Co-op workers point out that since their efforts to unionize began on May 15th, management has been encouraged to formally respond to some of the workers’ issues and concerns. Employees received confirmation of a higher starting wage with some increases for current staff, promises of a renewed retirement plan, and plans for an early profit sharing check. “We welcome management’s inspired improvements to our pay and benefits,” said Scott Reigel, produce clerk. “But we need to sit down at the bargaining table as equal partners to negotiate and guarantee improvements in our wages and working conditions.”

The Industrial Workers of the World was founded in 1905 and advocates for the organization of workers within their industries, rather than by trade or occupation. The I.W.W. is a democratic, member-run union, open to all workers with or without collective bargaining rights. The East End Food Co-op Workers Committee is affiliated with the Pittsburgh General Membership Branch of the I.W.W.

www.iww.org/en/node/2633

Update on Board Meeting for Union Recognition
by Co-op employee Tuesday, Jun. 27, 2006 at 11:46 AM

As an update to the Board of Directors meeting last night, after a month of discussing the matter with the union, the Board decided that it making a decision on voluntary union recognition would violate their own policies ("Policy Governance"), and so they ceded the decision to the General Manager, who promptly said he was leaning towards an NLRB election.

Turnout by workers to the meeting was good, with about a dozen pro-union co-op workers present, several other IWW members and supporters, and no worker present said anything negative about the union, except for a department supervisor.

After stating the co-op was not anti-union, he was asked if he insisted on the NLRB if he would agree to a stipulated election (to speed up the process) and management neutrality, to which he said he would have to consult with his "union attorney" who works for the UFCW. One member of the Board also likened card check recognition to going into a ballot booth and seeing just Rick Santorum on the ballot. (??!)

The meeting ended with workers putting their "Count my Card" signs in front of the GM. Of course, the union understood the Board policies better than the Board that drafted them, as we sent an initial intent to organize letter to the GM, and received a response from the Board.

Workers will meet tonight and move forward, and I suppose the Board has saved the progressive reputation of its constituent members (or has it?) by kicking the decision to the GM after dragging this along for a month. Again, there exists no neutrality agreement. Some of us may be doing an interview with Pittsburgh Indymedia's Rustbelt Radio for next week.

Thank you for your support and solidarity.

"We want to condescending saviors to lead us from their judgement hall..."

what is the truth?
by the hype Sunday, Aug. 27, 2006 at 1:20 PM

No one spoke out against this because I think they just really didn't want to be involved. There are a group of workers now speaking out regularly at meetings about the Workers committee and the IWW because they have relized how much this will effect them and how messed up the IWW is.
The Workers Committee tried to with hold so much information from us (I'm an employee). The flyers were filled with propaganda.
Workers asked to see a contract from another coop. After 2 months, the Committee gave us a spread sheat comparing and contrasting how much we make to a coop in Seattle. The data was useless. The committee said it was a 500 page document that they couldn't show us. (its actually 19)
It wasn't until a worker e-mailed someone in Seattle and got a copy of their contract and distributed it amongst workers did we finally get to read it.
So much more to say. So little space. The Committe tried to keep us in the dark. As far as I'm concerned, that's no difference then what big business and our own goverment do.
I think that this will be a close election.
So much hype. So much subterfuge. I've completely lost all faith in my fellow workers. This union has torn the Co-op apart. And no one wants to talk about it.

Please
by union supporter Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2006 at 11:36 PM

The contract was sent out to several folks over e-mail. There was nothing to stop you from calling the co-op there or your friend Bob Braun, and getting it, like you did. No great secrets. Good contract. The IWW put a few contracts up on the internet. It's you guys who are trying to create division. Hopefully after the union wins the election, we can move forward together and negotiate our own agreement.

let's just move forward right now
by 22 Friday, Sep. 01, 2006 at 6:09 PM

Why don't we just move forward right now without the
IWW? Obviously several people had issues with this
organization.

Why did this have to be run like a campaign? Why was the
Workers Committee so reluctant to show this contract? Why
did you manipulate the data for your own advantage if we're
all "in this together"? Why did one of your members threaten
a dissenter with violence?
That makes people very suspicious.

The dissenters never put out a flyer or one bit of propaganda. Where is your co-op advantage for that?

By the way Evan, people think you're a big fucking prick and that really hurt your cause.

You point fingers at management. But let this be a lesson that power corrupts.

Where can we send a sympathy card to?

When will the IWW put this story out?

no union
by co-op employee Friday, Sep. 01, 2006 at 6:11 PM

i'm glad this didn't go through. buncha liars.

Sympathy Card
by Evan Saturday, Sep. 02, 2006 at 2:39 AM

You guys should send a sympathy card to yourselves, as you still have no job security and no say in the workplace. As far as the contract at Madison Market was concerned, I do believe you received a copy from the IWW shop steward there, so quit your paranoid stories about some great conspiracy -- talk about "propaganda."

And as far as the election is concerned, the unofficial results have been out - 22-21 against the union. As there were some election irregularities, there will be a discussion about what steps the Workers Committee will take.

"job security"
by 22 Wednesday, Sep. 13, 2006 at 9:37 AM

Dearest Evan-
I already have job security...
its called showing up to work on time and doing the job.
Job security has never been an issue.

Your Mickey Mouse Bullshit is an insult to the people
in Pittsburgh that had to fight real oppression in the blast furnace, such as 16 hour work days, pennies an hour and/or being paid in script.

You push buttons on a fucking cash register!
You're an idiot!

"job security"
by 22 Wednesday, Sep. 13, 2006 at 9:40 AM

Low Wage Earners....
by We're Laughing Atchew Thursday, Sep. 14, 2006 at 3:13 PM

No one who works at the Co-op has a right to brag about anything; it's still just another low wage employer that depends on a moronic, compliant, high-turnover, transient workforce (mostly dopey twenty-something kids) just to make its bottom line from quarter to quarter. Why Co-op workers would not want to empower themselves to improve that situation is beyond me, but hey, Some people are so far into their own shit they can't imagine a way out.

Well, none of it will matter anyway when the big bad wolf comes (dressed as MarketDistrict or Trader Joe's) and turns the Co-op into a Starbucks kiosk. Does 5, 6, 7, years of Co-op experience qualify someone to be a supervisor at Starbucks? Good luck and goodnite, yinz all!

PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center