Union Workers Strike Against Union Bosses
Posted on January 23, 2007 at 10:52 pm by Chuck Muth
Today, the Center for Union Facts notes the irony of three major union organizations in the “Change to Win” coalition being embroiled in labor disputes — with each other. The Teamsters-organized staff of Canada’s United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union went on strike to protest the UFCW’s proposed use of a two-tiered system in which new employees receive significantly less in wages and benefits than veteran employees.
Ironically, the UFCW organized a strike against Stater Bros., a Southern California grocery chain, when the store implemented a similar seniority system. At that time, UFCW spokesman Mike Shimpock argued, “The two-tier system has resulted in massive turnover,” he said. “The markets can’t keep workers. They have to keep training them and they are running out of places to find them.” Now, the UFCW argues that the two-tiered system is necessary in order to serve its own members.
This is the second time in a week that a local chapter of a major union faced labor problems as a result of competitive business practices. Teamsters employed at the Service Employees International Union in Ontario are also striking for better protection of seniority in addition to protections against persistent relocation.
“According to the ‘Change to Win’ coalition, the only organization that should be able to cut back on labor costs is a labor union,” said Richard Berman, executive director of the Center for Union Facts. “If it’s okay for them, why isn’t it okay for businesses that serve even more people? You know what they say about people in glass houses.”
