This just in from the Save Our Shoppers Blog—
“Over the last week, we’ve received word that several of our fellow members of our advisory committee have been given words of warning from store management that violate our legal protections under the National Labor Relations Act. We’ve been told in some cases that we can’t talk to customers at all and that our negotiations are an “internal” matter. This is completely inaccurate. What happens as part of this negotiation can and will impact our customers. Some of us have even been approached by management when we are off the clock, shopping as customers ourselves.
In response to these illegal tactics, UFCW Local 400 advised us that they have filed labor charges against Shoppers management. Our Local is standing firm that we are within our rights and that our employer is attempting to have a chilling effect on the activism that we’ve been engaging in as part of our fight for a contract in 2012.
We will continue to stay active and engaged. We know our rights, even if our employer pretends as though they don’t. We think it’s very sad that our employer has resulted to tactics like this, especially since we work hard each and every day to keep them profitable. We also think that it’s a real shame that the company bargaining team doesn’t seem to understand what a crippling effect the cuts that they’re proposing to our benefits, wages, and working conditions could have on our families and lives.
We urge you to please contact corporate customer service at 1-855-746-7737 and demand that management cease their retaliatory behavior. We deserve to be treated with dignity and since we have the opportunity to work in a union shop then we have every right to have a say in our working conditions. Please make a call daily to let them know that you support us!
We’ll keep you updated as further developments occur.”