In Minneapolis, Unite HERE Local 17 walked away from employees of Murray’s Restaurant, which have been union-represented since 1946. Nancy Goldman, president of the local, commented, “In a small shop like that, where they have a few workers who are wanting to carry the company’s water at the expense of the rest of them, that’s not a group I want to represent,” she said. “They don’t deserve it.” When the current contract expired in September of 2009, the 40 members twice voted down contracts that called for concessions. Owner and general manager Tim Murray said the recession has taken its toll, as locals cut back on eating out, and the weekday convention business died down. “We needed serious financial assistance from the union,” he said. “We tried to open up discussions six months before the contract was opened up. They weren’t open to talking about it then.” When the restaurant made its last and final offer, the union simply walked away from the table. Shane McCaffrey, a server at the steak house, filed a complaint against the union for not properly representing workers, and started a drive to decertify the union. “We like our management team,” he said. “We like the Murrays. They have a high standard of integrity. They were being ethical and honest. I can’t say the same for the union.”
