Sheer chaos is the theme of this roundup, which includes disputes over the contentious subject of unions’ first contracts, some strike authorizations, a high-profile decertification filing, and a surprise CEO shuffle:
- New Seasons Market workers at 11 locations in Portland, Oregon, are preparing for a strike authorization vote after the independent New Seasons Labor Union failed to negotiate a contract for more than a year. If the vote is successful, 1,130+ workers will stage a one-day walkout.
- Apple retail store workers in Oklahoma City also authorized a strike – supposedly for within the next few weeks – after unionizing in 2022 and growing weary of stalled first contract negotiations. We will be watching this story closely because a strike could be especially inconvenient for this tech giant’s customers, given that this particular Apple store/Genius Bar is the only one of its kind in central Oklahoma, with the nearest counterpart being a two-hour drive away.
- Trader Joe’s workers at the company’s first store to unionize have had enough of their SEIU overlords and filed for decertification with legal aid from the National Right To Work Foundation. TJ employees in Hadley, Massachusetts, seek decertification of the union nearly a year after frustrated workers spoke out about deceptive organizing tactics and divisive union reactions when members expressed concerns. This petition also follows two years of representation, and you guessed it, no first contract exists here, either.
Yet, filing for decertification is only the first step in a complicated process. The NLRB could easily deny the petition, but at least these workers will not be subject to the revised NLRB rule, making decertification more difficult as of September 30.
- Walgreens pharmacists and techs at a Vancouver, Washington store became the first to file for a union election at the company. Their decision to organize under the IAM-affiliated Pharmacy Guild follows CVS pharmacists and techs unionizing earlier this year at a Las Vegas retail location as well as two Rhode Island stores – each situated at the intersection of retail and healthcare.
- Starbucks gave the boot to CEO Laxman Narasimhan after only a year on the job. He will be replaced on September 9 by Chipotle CEO Brian Niccol, with the company citing a sales downturn that is surely tied to people pulling back on purchasing $9 drinks during inflationary times. Still, Starbucks hopes that Niccol, credited with boosting Chipotle’s revenue severalfold, can turn this trend around.
An interesting aspect of this shakeup is how it might affect Starbucks’ ongoing mass negotiations with Workers United. We will discuss this issue in the coming weeks. Still, it’s enough to mention that Laxman’s attempt to fix the company’s labor unease likely happened too little and late, and Niccol only saw a single Chipotle location unionize under his tenure.
Only time will tell how these developments will continue to unfold, but we are in the dog days of summer, and conflict’s sweltering out there.
