Workers at the Uptown Borders Bookstore, members of United Food & Commercial Workers Local 789, unanimously rejected management's contract proposal in a vote Wednesday night.
The offer was rejected because the company refused to start workers at a living wage ($9.33 an hour in Minneapolis), refused to guarantee hours for full time workers, refused an employer/employee health care fund, rejected a proposal for employee community service days, and refused to acknowledge an in-store workers committee designed to address workers' grievances, the union said.
"We will request that Borders management meet with us again and ask that they seriously consider our proposals," said Don Seaquist, President of UFCW Local 789. In negotiations in both Minneapolis and Ann Arbor, Mich., Borders Group, Inc. is unwilling to offer their employees meaningful improvements on both economic and non-economic issues. Borders executives have proven so obstinate that Borders Books workers in Ann Arbor will be taking a strike vote in early October, Seaquist said.
"This is a fight that's worth fighting. We look forward to cranking up the campaign at every Border's Bookstore in the region," remarked Chris Conry of Local 789. Conry went on to explain that Local 789 was critical in forming a "Retail Workers Caucus" at the recent Labor Notes' Conference in Detroit.
"We saw this as a real opportunity to form strategic alliances with labor activists in multiple cities around the country. We intend to contact the folks who sit on the board of directors and ask them why they're willing to pay themselves with a $150,000,000 stock repurchase and unwilling to pay $9.33/hr to 21 people in Minnesota," Conroy said. The campaign will commence immediately and a nationally coordinated day of action is being planned.
For more information
Visit the UFCW Local 789 website, www.ufcw789.org and the "You Are Worth More" site, www.youareworthmore.org
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Workers at the Uptown Borders Bookstore, members of United Food & Commercial Workers Local 789, unanimously rejected management’s contract proposal in a vote Wednesday night.
The offer was rejected because the company refused to start workers at a living wage ($9.33 an hour in Minneapolis), refused to guarantee hours for full time workers, refused an employer/employee health care fund, rejected a proposal for employee community service days, and refused to acknowledge an in-store workers committee designed to address workers’ grievances, the union said.
“We will request that Borders management meet with us again and ask that they seriously consider our proposals,” said Don Seaquist, President of UFCW Local 789. In negotiations in both Minneapolis and Ann Arbor, Mich., Borders Group, Inc. is unwilling to offer their employees meaningful improvements on both economic and non-economic issues. Borders executives have proven so obstinate that Borders Books workers in Ann Arbor will be taking a strike vote in early October, Seaquist said.
“This is a fight that’s worth fighting. We look forward to cranking up the campaign at every Border’s Bookstore in the region,” remarked Chris Conry of Local 789. Conry went on to explain that Local 789 was critical in forming a “Retail Workers Caucus” at the recent Labor Notes’ Conference in Detroit.
“We saw this as a real opportunity to form strategic alliances with labor activists in multiple cities around the country. We intend to contact the folks who sit on the board of directors and ask them why they’re willing to pay themselves with a $150,000,000 stock repurchase and unwilling to pay $9.33/hr to 21 people in Minnesota,” Conroy said. The campaign will commence immediately and a nationally coordinated day of action is being planned.
For more information
Visit the UFCW Local 789 website, www.ufcw789.org and the “You Are Worth More” site, www.youareworthmore.org