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| Kowalski\'s owner Jim Kowalski (center) talked to protesters outside his Grand Ave. store. |
A large rally also was held at the company’s White Bear Lake store.
Negotiations began in January between Local 1189 and a group of St. Paul grocers, including Cub, Jerry’s Foods, Rainbow Foods, Kowalski’s and Festival Foods.
As of June 23, all the grocers except Kowalski’s had agreed to contract extensions. Instead, the company imposed its last offer.
The union said Kowalski\'s is attempting to destroy the grocery pension plans by withdrawing from all of them and starting their own 401k . Kowalski’s also is freezing pay and replacing full-time positions in its stores with part-time, minimum wage jobs, the UFCW said.
Hitting home
Anna Quinn said Kowalski’s plan to replace full-time jobs with part-time positions will be devastating.
A widow, she depends on the income from her job as a deli clerk at the Woodbury store to survive – and doesn’t know what she will do if she is cut to 15 hours a week.
“This contract would affect my day-to-day living, my retirement, my livelihood,” she said.
Quinn said she worries that working people are being squeezed more and more while the wealthy continue to profit in today’s tough economy.
“They’re doing it in Wisconsin,” she said, alluding to the attack on collective bargaining launched by Republican Governor Scott Walker. “Once it starts in one place, it’s going to snowball down to everyone else.”
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| Anna Quinn says she doesn\'t know how she\'ll survive if Kowalski\'s cuts hours for its veteran employees. |
David Tobkin, a cashier for almost nine years at the Grand Avenue store, said he feels Kowalski’s is taking advantage of the fact that employees have few options.
“If they freeze wages and cut hours, that will affect a lot of people,” he said. “They have to find a different job, but how can they with the job market the way it is?”
Tobkin said it is ironic the company imposed a contract, when it touts a code of “civic responsibility” that extols the virtues of democracy.
By imposing a contract, “what they’re doing right now seems far away from that,” he said.
Local 1189 is continuing negotiations with other St. Paul grocers this week in hopes of reaching a settlement, union representatives said.
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| Kowalski\’s owner Jim Kowalski (center) talked to protesters outside his Grand Ave. store. |
As the workers marched up and down the sidewalk and many shoppers turned away from the Grand Avenue store after seeing their signs, owner Jim Kowalski took the unusual step of coming out to try to convince the protesters to stop. They did not.
A large rally also was held at the company’s White Bear Lake store.
Negotiations began in January between Local 1189 and a group of St. Paul grocers, including Cub, Jerry’s Foods, Rainbow Foods, Kowalski’s and Festival Foods.
As of June 23, all the grocers except Kowalski’s had agreed to contract extensions. Instead, the company imposed its last offer.
The union said Kowalski\’s is attempting to destroy the grocery pension plans by withdrawing from all of them and starting their own 401k . Kowalski’s also is freezing pay and replacing full-time positions in its stores with part-time, minimum wage jobs, the UFCW said.
Hitting home
Anna Quinn said Kowalski’s plan to replace full-time jobs with part-time positions will be devastating.
A widow, she depends on the income from her job as a deli clerk at the Woodbury store to survive – and doesn’t know what she will do if she is cut to 15 hours a week.
“This contract would affect my day-to-day living, my retirement, my livelihood,” she said.
Quinn said she worries that working people are being squeezed more and more while the wealthy continue to profit in today’s tough economy.
“They’re doing it in Wisconsin,” she said, alluding to the attack on collective bargaining launched by Republican Governor Scott Walker. “Once it starts in one place, it’s going to snowball down to everyone else.”
|
| Anna Quinn says she doesn\’t know how she\’ll survive if Kowalski\’s cuts hours for its veteran employees. |
Few options
David Tobkin, a cashier for almost nine years at the Grand Avenue store, said he feels Kowalski’s is taking advantage of the fact that employees have few options.
“If they freeze wages and cut hours, that will affect a lot of people,” he said. “They have to find a different job, but how can they with the job market the way it is?”
Tobkin said it is ironic the company imposed a contract, when it touts a code of “civic responsibility” that extols the virtues of democracy.
By imposing a contract, “what they’re doing right now seems far away from that,” he said.
Local 1189 is continuing negotiations with other St. Paul grocers this week in hopes of reaching a settlement, union representatives said.