I have posted before about my fondness for the Cub Foods store located near West Town in Madison. I love the store, workers, produce, and prices. (And the slope of the driveway–CP readers will know what that means.)
This week I shopped, as I always have, at the store and was informed by some of the workers of the underhanded way Tim Metcalfe is treating the Cub’s employees as he works to bust a union.
So…
This is the letter I sent to Mr. Metcalfe.
Dear Mr. Metcalfe,
I am taking the time to write to you today to express my concern about Metcalfe Markets recent purchase of the only existing full service Union grocer in the greater Madison area.
With the highly charged recent activity around collective bargaining rights in this state, we have all had to ask ourselves “which side are you on?” I have clearly made that choice and I will support those that allow long term dedicated employees such as those employed by Cub Foods to maintain that right. By hiring a majority of these experienced workers at Cub Foods you will allow them to continue to collectively bargain over their wages, hours and working conditions.
I am convinced that the only reason that a majority of these workers would not be hired would be to strip them of their Union rights. I believe Wisconsinites are fed up with this type of action.
I am hopeful that this is not your intent, as I look forward to patronizing your newest store provided that you recognize these worker’s rights.
I will continue to monitor this situation and encourage you and Metcalfe Markets to decide; “Which side are you on?”
Sincerely,
CAFFEINATED POLITICS 
“…that the highly charged recent activity around collective bargaining rights in this state, we have all had to ask ourselves “which side are you on?”
Dab nab it all anyway…this all sounds very lofty. I read the words ‘collective bargaining rights’. First lets correct the word RIGHTS. Collective bargaining is not a right but rather privilege granted to unions back in the 1930’s as a means of speeding litigation and legislation along at a faster clip by the state. Just the same as a driver’s license is not a right but a privilege that can easily be rescinded.
Additionally the bargaining part is for larger more influential unions to coat tail along weaker unions that may not have been so influential. Maybe smaller less wealthy cities can be forced to pay the wage of a more profitable city. That can’t be good for the tax payers and it is never OPM. Other Peoples Money.
States in order to preserve employment and stop job flight and brain drain ought to be a ‘right to work state’ as we all realize that somewhere, somebody, is willing to do your job as well, if not better then you, for much less pay and benefits and with less restrictions. Why should not these people have a chance?
And it is the duty of any company to seek out these areas and people world wide as employees thus lowering the cost per unit and passing on the savings to purchasers and maximizing profits to owners and investors creating a profit that can pay workers, be taxed, and fund the non-private workers, of whit I am one. I work for the County. It’s not possible to tax the company once it leaves the state thus eroding the tax base.
Craig Sturgeon Bay, Wi.
Any right that has been fought for and attained due to the movement and advancement of society is then correctly termed a right. Just as women and blacks were excluded from that document that proclaimed “that all men are created equal” but then had to fight for the right to have basic dignities, so too did the workers movement fight for justice and the leveling of the playing field as it related to the powerful interests that controlled workers.
The rights that society claims as its own is part of an ever-evolving sense of who we are and what values we deem important. I might suggest that society moves forward and looks upward, and so you might understand why I do not agree with any part of your comment.
Finally, back in the early 80’s when I was working at WDOR (Brewers games are BORING) I read one of the most powerful articles that helped to transform my thinking on ‘working’. The encyclical was written (presumably) by Pope JP2. I am not Catholic but wow…it is one amazing read that allowed for good conversations with some others who back-and forthed on it over wine late at night.
I offer the link here.
http://www.ewtn.com/library/encyc/jp2labor.htm
What world does Craig live in? He states, “And it is the duty of any company to seek out these areas and people world wide as employees thus lowering the cost per unit and passing on the savings to purchasers….”. What prices have been lowered due to cheaper non-union labor?
And, getting back to Mr. Metcalfe. Should we be surprised by the rumored action to bust the Cub employee’s union? He contributed Walker, tried to excuse that saying he contributed to Democrats, too, and he refused to speak up for his many customers when Walker busted their unions with the pretext of needing to do so to balance the state budget.
I agree
“What prices have been lowered due to cheaper non-union labor?”
Good question, lets take a look.
Even though I have boycotted Wal-Mart for more then ten years when my wife quit working at Wal-Mart because of discussting management practices let me ask you…
Have you shopped at Wal-Mart store lately?
Cheap products mostly from Asia and China do to cheaper non-union labor.
Wal-Mart Corporation is non union.
And Wal-Mart is the largest employer on the face of the earth with 16,000,000 non-union employees world wide. Imagine cutting 16 million pay checks every week?
Wal-Mart controls its cost so you can save.
Hatco Food warming equipment in Sturgeon Bay, WI. is non union and has a Chinese factory building toaters for the Asian market. David Hatch stated in an Employee Christmas lunchon I attended at Stone Harbor that the Chinese factory is a compound with dorms, hospital, laundry, and about 1,000,000 Chinese roll in and roll out every month! The workers come in from the rural areas, work a few weeks get paid and leave, for a while, but then come back. But the production never stops. Additionally Mr. Hatch stated that as Asia pulls itself up by the boot straps and becomes more effluent, these prospects turned into buyers will demand a higher quality toaster and then maybe the demand for the higher quality Wisconsin toasters will spike.
When I was a laborer for Dana Spicer building truck axles in Toledo our unionized division was decimated and we lost our jobs. That work went to Mazda. I guess it was “non-union-cheaper.” But I read where this manufacturing became too expensive in Japan for Mazda, so the work went to China. And that became too expensive in China the work moved. This time it went to South Korea. Have you priced a Kia? Hyundai? LG washers and dryer? “Non-union-cheaper.” ? Yep.
And this is why I wrote–>”And it is the duty of any company to seek out these areas and people world wide as employees thus lowering the cost per unit and passing on the savings to purchasers and maximizing profits to owners and investors creating a profit that can pay workers, be taxed, and fund the non-private workers, of whit I am one. I work for the County. It’s not possible to tax the company once it leaves the state thus eroding the tax base.”
Don’t you agree CommonCents and Jayne?
skip.
> It’s not possible to tax the company once it leaves the state thus eroding the tax base.
Welcome to your 21st Century race to the bottom, and America’s looming status as a newly minted Third World country. Just because it’s POSSIBLE for businesses to do a thing, doesn’t make it the RIGHT thing. What we really need is a truce among states who are all fighting over the same crumbs, while the “job creators” keep right on creating jobs in places like China and Indonesia, and destroying them here.
Like Craig, I don’t shop at Walmart either. Except for sale or loss leader items, I did not find Walmart cheaper. And, customer service was bad. (Plus, there’s the issue of the People of Walmart: http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/ ). However, when I shop elsewhere, despite the growth of non-union companies and wages declining, I do notice the overall prices in stores are increasing.
Maybe Craig’s wife would not have had to “quit working at Wal-Mart because of discussting {SIC} management practices” if Walmart had a union.
For me, and most of my co-workers, collective bargaining isn’t about wages as much as it is safety issues and working conditions. While a lot of our work is with the private sector there are also a lot of us who are city/county/state workers. The trade we’re in is kinda unusual when compared to other jobs, and (among other things) we work with some heavy high-voltage equipment while 80 feet in the air. OSHA regulations simply do not keep up with all of what we do, so naturally we want language in regards to safety issues in our contracts. Our negotiating team is pretty stubborn about safety, even to the point of giving in on wage/benefits in order to accomplish what is REALLY important. (Doesn’t matter how much ya make if you’re not alive to spend it) However, it is now illegal for those safety issues to be part of a union’s contract with a gov’t agency.
Granted, I may be a tad bias…after all, it is MY life I’m talking about….but I don’t understand how anyone can justify making it illegal for the workers and the employers to negotiate/contract on safety issues and workplace conditions.
Purple,
Thanks for the spot-on comment.
I am hoping that when we recall Scott Walker in a few months we also talk candidly as citizens about the very thing your comment points to as a reason why not only a new governor needs to serve, but what must change.
Good call Common. “Maybe Craig’s wife would not have had to “quit working at Wal-Mart because of discussting {SIC} management practices” if Walmart had a union.
You do realize that Wally-World has a G-7 in Arkansas and a team of muckity~mucks that at the very first utterance of any union talk anywhere in a Wal-Mart store, it’s wheels up in two hours and a complete and total removal of all management in the offending store.
I can see Wal-Marts point. With 16 million employees, it’s like Lee Iacocca said to Doug Fraser, ” I have plenty of jobs at $8.50 an hour but none at $10.50 an hour.”
And that brings to mind this crazy burden placed on the business owners within the city limits of San Francisco, raising the minimum wage up to $10 an hour.
Lets say Emanuel struggles to open a Dairy Queen and has four high school kids working for him at about $6.00 an hour. The kids are happy to be making that much part time. Now Emanuel must pay $10.00 an hour. The sales of ice cream did not go up. The building rent did not go down. The franchise still demands their cut. Emanuel’s part of payroll taxes goes up, The cost of inventory didn’t go down. What can Emanuel do? He move out of the city limits and open up on the other side of the street or the next town down the road, Or he can raise prices and risk loosing business or he can terminate a few kids. Rock and a hard place.