Call for free and fair union election at the Ashland Food Co-op
CATE HARTZELL authored this commentary, 17.11.2011 16:45
The Ashland Food Co-op Board is holding the forum described below on this Saturday. They will hold another one on December 10th at the request of workers and owners who signed a petition to create a forum for the workers who advocate a union to have an opportunity to present their experience.
OWNER FORUM regarding the current UFCW Local 555 union organizing effort at the Co-op.
Saturday, November 19th, 2pm—5pm
Havurah Shir Hadash
185 N. Mountain Ave., Ashland
(click notice to make larger)
Call for free and fair union election
There is every reason to believe that this Saturday’s meeting will continue the anti-union activity that the National Labor Relations Board has investigated; it is expected that the NLRB will announce soon that the coop management has acted in violation of the National Labor Relations Act.
Some owners and community members with politically progressive and liberal values are struggling to understand why, despite the coop model, some workers believe they need to form a union to address power imbalances.
Not surprisingly, the values of the coop align well with the values of unions, among them equality and democratic practices. However noble our aspirations and hopes, we are still human beings implementing power arrangements.
Please attend if you are an owner. Perceive with an open mind, listen with a discerning ear, speak with a compassionate heart.
Risk believing that the models and values that we aspire to have not achieved perfection or complete evolution.
Allow that ‘coop’ and ‘union’ are not odd bedfellows, but models designed to create equity.
