ACME vs. Local 1776 UFCW-Contract Negotiations, Chapter 2
Our union meeting at the Spectrum was long, but at the end of the night 95% of us voted to reject ACME's contract proposal. ACME is playing hardball and we are willing to bat.
ACME has told us that we cannot hand out handbills outside of the store according to Article 25 of our contract. Perhaps they didn't think we'd check the contract, but Article 25 says no such thing. As long as we are outside and off the clock it is okay. We are not telling people to not shop at ACME, we are asking for them to fill out a postcard for us that reads:
"Dear ACME/Supervalu: I support the Acme workers who are willing to stay on the job under their current contract while negotiations take place on a new contract. But Acme has threatened to terminate its contract with its workers. Please don't let Acme take an action that's against the best interests of our community, the workers and the company. Please return to the bargaining table."
I am sick of hearing the term "greedy union". We are NOT asking for more. We are asking to either:
A)Keep what we have or
B)Compromise on some points
I am sick of hearing people say that our employees are uneducated, or stupid, or any such thing. Some of us are in high school. Some of us are in college. Some of us are single parents with no other income. Some of us have degrees and other jobs, but we stay at Acme for the great benefits and because we have terrific customers. Some of us have been at Acme for so long that for Acme to try and erase our seniority is to say "your 35 years of service mean nothing". We are not stupid. We are well read. We are aware of politics. We are interested in the world around us. Our lives do not begin and end at Acme.
I read a comment somewhere where a person said that the company should be able to do what it wants and if we don't like it then we can get another job. It is thanks to thinking like that, that our economy tanked. We let business go unchecked and we are al paying for it. If the world was perfect and fair then we could trust companies to do as they wished, but unfortunately there is a thing called Greed.
Today while at work my department manager and I spoke with a Union rep and a Union attorney about the current situation. We spoke about how employees were forced to attend meetings with our district manager in the office so that he could tell us about the offer. He swore on his children that if this proposal was not good for the workers, then he would resign. We are waiting for him to resign. The reps told us that the company is using scare tactics against us and that many of the things they are saying involve legal jargon, incorrectly used legal jargon. My dept. manager and I felt more assured after this.
Once again, we are not asking for more. We are willing to compromise, but Acme has refused to go back to the bargaining table, instead threatening us with a "last, best and final offer". Tell Acme/Supervalu that we deserve better treatment than this.
I do not get my insurance through Acme, because I am still in school and I will be leaving the company in less than a year, therefore I am fighting for my fellow employees, my friends. I have shopped at this Acme all my life, I knew many of my coworkers before they were my coworkers. I want them to be able to have a fair contract and to be able to live happy lives, we all should.
Support Local 1776 UFCW
Meeting at the Spectrum
On the drive home
ACME has told us that we cannot hand out handbills outside of the store according to Article 25 of our contract. Perhaps they didn't think we'd check the contract, but Article 25 says no such thing. As long as we are outside and off the clock it is okay. We are not telling people to not shop at ACME, we are asking for them to fill out a postcard for us that reads:
"Dear ACME/Supervalu: I support the Acme workers who are willing to stay on the job under their current contract while negotiations take place on a new contract. But Acme has threatened to terminate its contract with its workers. Please don't let Acme take an action that's against the best interests of our community, the workers and the company. Please return to the bargaining table."
I am sick of hearing the term "greedy union". We are NOT asking for more. We are asking to either:
A)Keep what we have or
B)Compromise on some points
I am sick of hearing people say that our employees are uneducated, or stupid, or any such thing. Some of us are in high school. Some of us are in college. Some of us are single parents with no other income. Some of us have degrees and other jobs, but we stay at Acme for the great benefits and because we have terrific customers. Some of us have been at Acme for so long that for Acme to try and erase our seniority is to say "your 35 years of service mean nothing". We are not stupid. We are well read. We are aware of politics. We are interested in the world around us. Our lives do not begin and end at Acme.
I read a comment somewhere where a person said that the company should be able to do what it wants and if we don't like it then we can get another job. It is thanks to thinking like that, that our economy tanked. We let business go unchecked and we are al paying for it. If the world was perfect and fair then we could trust companies to do as they wished, but unfortunately there is a thing called Greed.
Today while at work my department manager and I spoke with a Union rep and a Union attorney about the current situation. We spoke about how employees were forced to attend meetings with our district manager in the office so that he could tell us about the offer. He swore on his children that if this proposal was not good for the workers, then he would resign. We are waiting for him to resign. The reps told us that the company is using scare tactics against us and that many of the things they are saying involve legal jargon, incorrectly used legal jargon. My dept. manager and I felt more assured after this.
Once again, we are not asking for more. We are willing to compromise, but Acme has refused to go back to the bargaining table, instead threatening us with a "last, best and final offer". Tell Acme/Supervalu that we deserve better treatment than this.
I do not get my insurance through Acme, because I am still in school and I will be leaving the company in less than a year, therefore I am fighting for my fellow employees, my friends. I have shopped at this Acme all my life, I knew many of my coworkers before they were my coworkers. I want them to be able to have a fair contract and to be able to live happy lives, we all should.
Support Local 1776 UFCW
Meeting at the Spectrum
On the drive home