Monthly Archives: October 2014

Thanks to the support of hundreds of UFCW activists, Bloomingfoods workers won the fight to have the opportunity to have a union voice on the job.

Last week, activists from around the country came to the aid of grocery workers at five Bloomingfoods Coop stores in Bloomington, Indiana as they fought for their right to improve their workplace and have a union voice on the job. Calling their campaign, “a better way forward”, Bloomingfoods workers were trying to work with their managers to improve their workplace – but management refused to work with them. When workers decided they wanted to join a union, the company called in anti-union attorney to try to persuade the workers to not join. Workers and their supporters then took action to fight for their right to have a voice on the job by starting an online petition and participating in actions in front of stores. Hundreds of people across Indiana and across the country told Bloomingfoods to live up to their values and respect their workers’ right to have a union voice. In a gesture of solidarity, UFCW coop and grocery workers nationwide reached out to Bloomingfoods workers and gave first-hand testimonials about how having a union on the job could give workers the “better way forward” they were looking for.

“I am a 22-year member of UFCW and I appreciate everything my union does for my family and myself. Everyone is entitled to decent wages and fair treatment for their work,” said UFCW member Lisa J.

“Solidarity coming from a Central Co-op (Seattle) member-owner here; any co-op aggressively opposes workers’ desire for a union is a betrayal of the cooperative spirit,” wrote grocery worker Joe S.

Late last week, Bloomingfoods announced that they would be neutral when it came to the workers choice to join a union, and Bloomingfoods workers are now working with UFCW Local 700 to ensure a fair way to a real union voice at work.

“Bloomingfoods is part of what I love most about Bloomington,” said Casie Jetter, a Bloomingfoods commissary worker. “I want the co-op to remain strong and successful so that my daughter can someday shop at the same co-op that has remained a staple in our community. Bringing a union to Bloomingfoods will put our co-op one more step ahead of competition in an increasingly competitive market.”

Sixty-five members of UFCW Local 342 who work for Trade Fair Supermarkets are celebrating winning their labor hearing with more than one million dollars in back pay, retirement, and medical coverage. UFCW Local 342 filed a case with numerous unfair labor practices (ULPs) to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against Trade Fair following a rough year that included a strike, a lockout, and retaliation against workers.

Trade Fair Supermarkets consist of ten store locations mostly across Queens, New York. UFCW Local 342 members work in the meat departments while RWDSU/UFCW Local 338 members work in the “front end” (all departments, except meat) of all ten stores.

Workers had been trying to negotiate a new contract for nearly a year with fair and affordable health care and benefits when the old one expired in November 2012. During negotiations for the next few months after the contract expiration, the company would not bargain in good faith and proposed cutting hours and benefits for full-time workers. When the workers got wind of management’s proposed cuts, they decided to exercise their collective bargaining rights by leafleting the community during their off-work hours and off of company property.

Management responded to members taking action with threats of termination, aggressive harassment, and the retaliatory cutting of hours. In March, members planned an unfair labor practice strike to protest the harassment and threats by management. In response, management locked workers out of the store. The lockout by management and protests from UFCW members and the community would last until September 2013. Management ended the lockout because they knew they would be found guilty of unfair labor practices.

Following their reinstatement, members suffered continued retaliation from management. Veteran workers were demoted; full-time schedules were cut to part-time, and many workers experienced wage cuts. Workers banded together with their union and submitted a series of ULP filings with the NLRB in response to the retaliation. With their case now decided in their favor, members have protected their wages, benefits, and rights at work. Trade Fair workers are currently in bargaining and management stipulated in its settlement with the NLRB that they will bargain in good faith.