A one-day strike at New Seasons, not directly related to the Fred Meyer strike, is planned for this coming Sunday.
If you are in the Portland area, as long as the strike is in effect, do not shop at any of the stores being targeted -- you would be crossing a picket line. Here is a list of affected locations, and suggested union stores to shop at instead. When workers stand up for themselves, the least the rest of us can do is to put up with some minor inconvenience to support them.
The UFCW Local 555 website will have news on the strike and on its ultimate resolution.
Thanks for the info.
ReplyDeleteNeither Kroger nor Albertsons is big in this part of the Midwest
My son and my daughter have both worked for Freddy's. They have the same corporate structure that so many other companies have. People at the top who don't work at all "earning" huge salaries, management (mostly arrogant assholes) who also don't do a lot. Although they're great at freaking out when some corporate twit or another is going to show up and inspect things. My son had four weeks of vacation time saved up. Scheduled his honeymoon six months in advance. Then the weekend of the wedding the manager told him he couldn't spare him and that he couldn't have that time off. The management would promise all kinds of things, never deliver, and were always ready to throw someone under the bus to save their own asses. Crummy employer. I support the strike 100%. It's not about money.
ReplyDeleteJohn: I know that for readers outside the Portland area this is not very relevant, but I also have a certain number of readers who are local, and want to make sure they know about the need to support this.
ReplyDeleteAmi: Sounds like a typical corporate situation. What a bunch of absolute assholes. If I'd been in your son's position I would have quit on the spot, consequences be damned. I hope he was able to get a satisfactory resolution. I'm not sure it's even legal for management to rescind time off after they've approved it.
Thanks for the update as it will keep this PNWester from crossing a picket line.
ReplyDeleteVery glad to hear it!
DeleteThanks for the info.
ReplyDeleteYes, Jerry and I will not shop there during the strike.
ReplyDeleteGood for them going on strike. I gather lots of Amazon workers have also been taking industrial action to get better pay and conditions.
ReplyDeleteMary K: I'll always have a focus on stories like this.
ReplyDeleteRicko: Glad to hear it!
Nick: Workers in the US have few protections compared to Europe; unions are the only way they can fight back against abuses, in many cases. Amazon has a terrible reputation. I haven't bought anything from Amazon for years because I won't do business with a place that treats its workers like that.
This post is so valuable, Infidel; I wish I were in your area so I could support the strike.
ReplyDeleteIt’s worth noting that while some were condemning our VP for promising to go after price-gouging, a Krogers exec admitted that was, indeed, what they were doing.
Unfortunately, I suspect that if the workers do win wage increases, the management will use that as a pretext for yet further price-gouging. They never miss a trick.
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