MD/DC: Safeway and Giant getting scabs ready for possible strike

Safeway and Giant have over 20,000 union workers who are getting ready to be on strike. While the workers had given concessions in their last contract, including a higher copay for new hires, the company is now going for the jugular, stating they cannot compete with Non-Union stores such as Target and Wal-Mart, they have even been interviewing temp workers for the possibility of a strike, I would say this is an aggressive stance. According to the UFCW, ‘‘Strike preparations have gone very well and will be completely in place by Wednesday, March 26,”

UnionGal's Blog (3/24/08)

They're Called SCABS

They are not "replacement" workers and they are not "Temporary" workers. They are scabs and Safeway and Giant advertising in the store AND in the local media for scabs is beyond the pale.



I just wish Fox 5 News could have called a scab a scab.

From the UFCW site (2/24/08):

UFCW members of Locals 400 and 27 are standing together for a fair contract--and UFCW members nationwide are standing with them. Members last week wore stickers to show their support for locals, who are currently bargaining with Giant and Safeway. Their employers have so far been unwilling to agree to a fair contract for their workers, one that shares the success with those employees that made it possible.

Members are signing pledges to fight for a fair contract with wages that pay the bills and affordable health care. Their pledge also includes signing up to pass out info to consumers outside their stores, with info about the negotiations and a request that shoppers support them with their shopping dollars if the company won't settle a fair contract.

In addition, UFCW members will be asking for support from members and supporters nationwide, in telling the companies that they need to offer Baltimore/DC workers a fair contract now.

Recently the 2 companies have ran ad's for Scab's, according to Gazette.net (3/24/08):

Safeway recently ran advertisements in The Washington Post seeking applications for temporary employees ‘‘in preparation for a possible labor dispute,” while Giant ran a similar ad without mentioning labor issues, according to published reports.

Giant, the region’s top grocer, has about 13,400 employees in Maryland, and the company ranked fifth in the number of employees in Maryland among private companies, according to a survey released last year by the state Department of Business and Economic Development.

Safeway ranked ninth in the number of employees in Maryland with 8,680, according to the state survey.

What can we do to stand in solidarity with the workers? Stop shopping in Target, CVS and Wal-Mart.

Target worker comes forward to tell how, like Wal-Mart,Target screws it's workers too.

image courtesy of www.corpwatch.org

Target (along with Wal-Mart) was recently found using a supplier who had little kids in China slaving in sweatshop conditions to make its store brand Christmas ornaments "Huh, I don't recall that story on the tube or in the papers", seems to be getting it's workers at it's warehouses a bit annoyed with it's unfair firing practices, anti-union actions, and the total neglect of it's workforce.

According to Red McKilldozer, who claims to be a Target warehouse worker, at Socialist Alternative website has made some claims, and judging by all the bullshit that we know happens daily at Wal-Mart and experiences I personally had working in a warehouse where injuries where "alleged" and the "workers fault", I don't see any reason to believe that Mr.McKilldozer is lying, even if he failed to use his real name to protect his job:

• Employees are routinely disciplined and fired for injuries. "Failure to be aware of surroundings" is a particularly favorite reason to discipline an injured worker. Target uses this practice to get rid of workers, especially those who receive top pay and benefits.
• A typical workday at a Target warehouse involves lifting 30,000 lbs. of freight over a ten-hour period. Yet management at the distribution center where I work refuses to acknowledge most hernias as job-related injuries.
• Any worker who attempts to use his or her right to organize is targeted by management for termination.the worker who attempts to organize is watched very closely for any infraction of the rules. Any violation, real or imagined, is blown out of proportion so the worker can be fired.
• Target will also fire the middle management of any distribution center that attempts to organize (this happened in New York recently). Thus, supervisors show great zeal in rooting out and eliminating union sympathizers.
• Every few weeks, “team members” and their bosses get together and talk. This gives the appearance of management and labor being in a partnership. In reality, this is a steam valve, a way to allow angry workers to blow off steam without actually addressing any real concerns.
  

Recently, this tactic has backfired. Over the last year, my warehouse has been subject to many changes made by management – making vacation hours harder to accrue, firing long-time workers for trivial reasons, changing shifts, and announcing mandatory overtime (they even forced almost everyone to work on Thanksgiving!).

A series of "roundtable" meetings with senior management was met with scorn, with nearly 50% of the workers refusing to even attend. Production slowdowns now occur on a regular basis. There is even talk of organizing a union among some workers.

Workers are sick and tired of being treated like animals, subject to an authoritarian dictatorship in the workplace where management can fire us for bullshit reasons without explanation if we have a big mouth and dare to speak up against them, while they beam Fox News into the break rooms to distract us. But the situation at my warehouse does demonstrate that class struggle is a daily event, and takes place even in the most mundane of workplaces.
Full Story

Sounds like a reasonable account to me, anyone out there care to help get more info to me post away. As of now I'm unfortunately going to have to put this entire article, aside from Targets irresponsibility in choosing it's Christmas ornament manufacturer, into the "alleged" category.

Heres one related link I found so far:

CorpWatch.org - Target: Wal-Mart Lite

Merry Wal-Mart Christmas- Kids come forward telling of horrendous work conditions in Chinese ornament sweatshop

Originally posted by Joe638NYC at UnionReview.com

I really hate to bash such a wonderful company like Wal-Mart, considering how many union members still shop there and how vehemently so-called conservatives choose to claim that trying to unionize their stores is in some way Communistic and Marxist (silly todays catch phrase is terrorist if you want us to disappear), I really wouldn't want to offend anyone. Oh yea, the factory also supplies Target and other retailers, but hey what the heck, I'll go cliche and bash Wal-Mart, hell they deserve it.

Well considering how well they treat workers, um, I mean associates and their lobbying efforts against unions, homeland security, and efforts to reduce their tax burden off the backs of community members, not to mention the hidden taxpayer cost for subsidies and for their employees that need to turn to such social programs such as Medicaid, only really stupid people on either side, or obviously those making fortunes by their practices, would spend one slim dime in any of their locations.

Now heres the scoop, this past summer some kids in an effort to earn some extra dough decided to work in a factory that make Christmas ornaments, thats great news considering that China has work standards for children, but somehow not in "(one of the)three Christmas ornament producers in mainland China,”with “long term, friendly, collaborative relationships with industry leaders Wal-Mart…,but leave it to the babes to take the actions that the giant Wal-Mart should, and with lawsuits, strikes and camera phones they did, heres a tidbit of the story from www.nlcnet.org

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