Omaha Steve's Labor Group

CatholicEdHead

(9,740 posts) Fri Feb 17, 2012, 12:18 AM Feb 2012

Piggly Wiggly Midwest cuts wages and benefits for unionized grocery store workers

http://www.sheboyganpress.com/article/20120216/SHE0101/120216087/Piggly-Wiggly-officials-say-union-cuts-were-response-growing-competition?odyssey=mod|defcon|text|FRONTPAGE

Piggly Wiggly Midwest officials said Thursday that they were responding to growing competition in the grocery business last fall when they cut hours, wages and benefits for 19 union employees at the company’s south-side Sheboygan store.

The move prompted the National Labor Relations Board this week to ask a U.S. District Court judge in Milwaukee to issue an injunction restoring those cuts, which NLRB officials allege violated federal labor laws.

The cuts were made in September shortly after the union’s labor contract expired. Federal labor laws require employers to provide labor unions prior notice of such changes and an opportunity to bargain.

But officials with the Sheboygan-based company said the changes were made “pursuant to the terms of the collective bargaining agreement,” and their actions were in response to growing competition form non-union grocers, including a Festival Foods grocery that opened that same month....

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Piggly Wiggly Midwest cuts wages and benefits for unionized grocery store workers (Original Post) CatholicEdHead Feb 2012 OP

And then what? Gave Bonuses and pay raises to the executive and management staff? louslobbs Feb 2012 #1

Just one more item in the tale of union busting supermarkets in the Midwest. Old Union Guy Feb 2012 #2

Why doesn't Piggly Wiggly provide the union with funds to organize the competition? Omaha Steve Feb 2012 #3

It is still a pretty anti-Union area CatholicEdHead Feb 2012 #4

It's the Local union that has to take the lead. If the local union doesn't take the demosincebirth Feb 2012 #5

louslobbs

(3,241 posts)

1. And then what? Gave Bonuses and pay raises to the executive and management staff?

Reply to CatholicEdHead (Original post)

Fri Feb 17, 2012, 12:23 AM

Feb 2012

Keep it up 1%ers.
Lou

Old Union Guy

(738 posts)

2. Just one more item in the tale of union busting supermarkets in the Midwest.

Reply to CatholicEdHead (Original post)

Mon Feb 20, 2012, 07:31 PM

Feb 2012

Largely successful, sorry to say.

Omaha Steve

(99,873 posts)

3. Why doesn't Piggly Wiggly provide the union with funds to organize the competition?

Reply to CatholicEdHead (Original post)

Mon Feb 20, 2012, 10:29 PM

Feb 2012

Makes sense.

K&R!

CatholicEdHead

(9,740 posts)

4. It is still a pretty anti-Union area

Reply to Omaha Steve (Reply #3)

Mon Feb 20, 2012, 10:49 PM

Feb 2012

Kohler, WI is only a few miles away and they had the longest union strike in the country in the 1950's before the UAW were able to get in. Management in the area really dislikes unions and look to the Kohler empire as something to emulate with union busting (UAW is getting weaker and weaker in Kohler).

demosincebirth

(12,553 posts)

5. It's the Local union that has to take the lead. If the local union doesn't take the

Reply to Omaha Steve (Reply #3)

Wed Feb 22, 2012, 12:20 AM

Feb 2012

lead into organizing these non-union super markets -- then some other union should step in...like, maybe the Teamsters or another union willing to take over the task.

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