Shoppers at the stores in Davis could soon see picket lines and protesters–but they won't be employees of that store.
The grocery union United Food and Commercial Workers Local 8, based in Roseville, plans to picket all area Nuggets, according to the Sacramento Business Journal.
The union, which is in the midst of heated contract negoiations with , and Safeway, is encouraging shoppers to visit those stores instead of non-union alternatives like Nugget. And it "intends to establish picket lines at all Nugget stores after it wraps up current contract negotiations," the Business Journal reported.
Nugget, which has been repeatedly ranked in Fortune Magazine's 100 Best Companies to Work For, lags in pay and benefits, the union told the Business Journal.
“These lines are meant to inform the public of the need to maintain and improve standards in the industry, and they will continue as long as this need exists,” United Food and Commercial Workers Local 8 president Jacques Loveall said to the Business Journal.
Other local grocery stores, like and , do not have unionized employees.
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Disclosure: Cody Kitaura is a former Raley's employee and former member of the United Food and Commercial Workers union.
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What do you think of this dispute? Should all grocery stores be unionized, or is it OK that stores like Nugget are not? Would a picket line stop you from shopping at a non-union store? Tell us in the comments section.
As someone who works in a unionized environment and is forced to pay into it, I will gladly cross the picket line, and tell them exactly why: Unions in this day and age do not protect workers rights, unions protect the employee that thinks doing a good job means merely showing up to work on time. “These lines are meant to inform the public of the need to maintain and improve standards in the industry, and they will continue as long as this need exists,” Really? These lines sound like a bullying tactic to me: If you're not unionized, we'll harass you until you are. This union says Nugget lags behind in pay and benefits. How much of the assumed pay increase that will happen if the employees are unionized will the Nugget employee be forced to pay up to support the union and all of its supposed altruistic activities? Unions don't care about the employee, they care about getting and keeping the money rolling in. That's been my personal experience and I will not support unions any more.
As a state worker I know the state worker unions are pretty near worthless. But, they still require up to $100/month union fees (amount depending on union). Members of state unions very definitely don't get what they are forced to pay for. Some counterbalance is needed for workers against businesses and corporations, but unions are no longer it.
And I too have been "unionized" from time to time and paid for a whole lot of nothing.
Seems like it's the Nugget employees' decision whether that store will become union or not. As it should be. Oh, and as a customer, Nugget wins hands down. They're a bit pricier, but they have great selection and excellent customer service.