NEW YORK – Target is having labor pains.

Until recently, the Minneapolis discounter largely had avoided the labor disputes and public relations challenges that have plagued Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer. But now Target could face the same union opposition as its much bigger rival.

Target had its first union election in two decades in June amid allegations by workers of skimpy wages and reduced hours at a Valley Stream, N.Y., store. The measure ultimately failed after Target suggested to workers that the store might not survive if they vote to unionize.

But the labor dispute – and Target’s handling of it – is widely seen as a precursor to a bubbling national battle between Target and labor groups similar to the one Wal-Mart has been locked in for at least a decade.

“There is no question that this is becoming a hostile, caustic battle of wills,” says Don Schroeder, a Mintz Levin labor attorney who has represented corporations in labor battles for 18 years.

While Wal-Mart Stores Inc. remains the biggest target for labor groups as the largest U.S. private employer, unions are increasingly setting their sights on the nation’s No. 3 retailer as it adds locations across the country and aggressively expands into the heavily unionized grocery business.

In addition to New York, more labor disputes are expected in big cities such as San Francisco, Seattle and Minneapolis – where Target is based and remains the second-largest employer behind the Mayo Clinic.

The opposition is coming at a particularly vulnerable time for Target, which is grappling with slack sales growth as shoppers are pulling back amid the painfully slow economic recovery.

Already, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union’s Local 1500 New York chapter, which organized the election in the Valley Stream store, intends to contest the election results and ask the government to order a new one because it says Target intimidated workers. It also plans to fight to get all 26 stores in the New York area unionized.

And the UFCW’s local 1189 in St. Paul, near Minneapolis, is using the New York election as an impetus to recharge its campaign, which failed a couple of years because it didn’t collect enough votes.

The chapter is organizing a group of people to go door-to-door to almost 2,000 Target workers in four stores. It’s also planning to reach out to UFCW’s local Chicago, San Francisco and Seattle chapters to enlist them to join the battle.

“I was inspired. Once we heard that Local 1500 had been building toward an election, we thought we better ramp it up,” said Bernie Hesse, director of special projects at UFCW’s St. Paul chapter. “We have been intrigued with what a national campaign may look like.”

Target Corp. declined to comment on its strategies to counter an escalating labor fight, but spokeswoman Molly Snyder said the company does not intimidate workers or have any “companywide efforts to restructure or reduce hours.”

“Our emphasis is on creating a workplace environment where our team members don’t want or need union representation,” Snyder said.

Labor disputes new

Labor disputes are new for Target, which has used its marketing prowess to become the discount industry’s darling by offering trendy products while Wal-Mart built its no-frills business by offering everyday low prices.

The companies started in the same year: 1962. And analysts say they pay workers similar wages of between $9 and $11. But the similarities end there.

Wal-Mart., which has 1.4 million U.S. workers, for years has been battling labor unions and politicians seeking to block it from opening stores in big cities amid allegations of poor treatment of workers, among other concerns.

By contrast, Target has faced little to no opposition and at times has even had the red carpet rolled out for it – literally.

For instance, Wal-Mart, based in Bentonville, Ark., so far has not been able to penetrate New York City after fighting for years to get its stores there, but Target has opened 10 stores in the five boroughs without any union protests. And when Target’s Harlem location opened last year, there was a red carpet event attended by New York politicians and celebrities such as Jerry Seinfeld and Moby.

As union opposition against Wal-Mart grew across the country, the retailer began employing hardball tactics to discourage workers from organizing.

In 2004, for instance, the company shuttered a Canadian store after it became the first in North America to win union certification, for instance. In 2000, 11 workers in the meatpacking department at a store in Jacksonville, Texas, voted to join the UFCW. Soon after, Wal-Mart began stocking only pre-wrapped meats, effectively eliminating the positions.

The moves hurt Wal-Mart’s public image, and anti-Wal-Mart sentiment spread among labor groups. So, the retailer beefed up its public relations staff, spent hundreds of millions of dollars to settle lawsuits alleging that its workers were denied breaks and rolled out lower-priced health insurance to its employees, among other changes.

Wal-Mart acts

Analysts say Wal-Mart’s efforts to repair its battered reputation worked and deflected the attention at least partly over to Target, which is a fifth of the size of Wal-Mart with annual revenue of $65.7 billion in its latest fiscal year.

To be sure, some of the increased focus Target is experiencing from labor unions is simply a growing pain of being a bigger employer. Target now employs 355,000 workers and operates more than 1,700 stores, up from about 280,000 workers and 1,050 stores ten years ago.

But there is another big reason unions are beginning to scrutinize Target. The company is aggressively expanding its grocery business, which threatens to shrink market share of unionized supermarket chains. The UFCW says 80 percent of its 1.3 million members are grocery workers.

How Target handles the new scrutiny will be critical, analysts say.

So far, they say, the union battle in Valley Stream, N.Y., exposed how a still-harsh economy has pushed Target to compete better with Wal-Mart and copy the retailer on all fronts – including wages and benefits.

Over the past year, Target has followed Wal-Mart by shifting more of its workers to part-time, analysts say. Some employees say their hours have been cut from 30 per week to less than 10. Part-timers must bank at least 20 hours a week, on average, to qualify for benefits.

Tashawna Green, 21, who started working at Target’s Valley Stream, N.Y., store a little more than a year ago, said she voted in favor of organizing because her weekly hours have been cut from 30 to just over 20 in the past year. She recently got an 8-cent raise added to her $8 per hour pay – an increase she says isn’t satisfactory.

“I can’t live off this,” said Green, who has a 6-year old daughter and lives with her aunt in Queens. “We’re just looking for more respect.”

When addressing workers’ concerns, analysts say Target should look closely at what worked – and didn’t work – for Wal-Mart. They say one of the biggest mistakes Wal-Mart made was to not respond quickly enough.

Schroeder, the Mintz Levin labor attorney, says Target should get ahead of the attacks by making sure managers are sensitive to workers’ needs.

It also should hone a message that’s conciliatory, not arrogant, he says, and communicate better with workers.

“You have to think how you’re going to change,” he says. “If you don’t change, it will come back to you.”

Read more here.

Tour to Donate 20 Million Servings of Protein over Three Years

Published: Monday, Apr. 18, 2011

With food banks facing record requests for services, providing protein is often a challenge. To help meet the high demand for much-needed protein, the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW), Smithfield and Food Network’s Paula Deen will deliver 120,000 servings of protein to the Food Bank of Western New York, 91 Holt Street, on Wednesday, April 20 at 10:30 a.m.

“We are so thankful to the UFCW, Smithfield and Paula Deen for delivering such a generous donation of protein that will help nourish our neighbors who are experiencing hunger in the four counties we serve in Western New York,” said Marylou Borowiak, president and CEO of the Food Bank of Western New York. “Hunger is an issue here 365 days a year and this is the time of year when our protein supply is very low.”

“Feeding the Hungry” is a joint program of the UFCW and Smithfield to donate and help deliver 20 million servings of protein over three years to food banks around the country. The partnership is designed to bring much needed assistance to the growing number of people facing hunger and food insecurity in our communities.

“Last year we fed over 6 million people and as we take our nationwide Feeding the Hungry Tour on the road for the second year, the UFCW is committed to ensuring that families across the country have the relief and the opportunities they need to weather the current economic crises,” said Joe Hansen, United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) International President. “All across the country, UFCW members are on the frontlines of efforts to improve and strengthen their communities, and this partnership reflects their unwavering commitment to protect and advocate for families during tough times.”

Over 50 million people in the U.S. experience hunger daily. One in six adults and one in four children know what it is like to go to bed hungry or to have to decide between buying food and paying for other necessities such as utility or medical bills.

“Smithfield is proud to continue the second year of our hunger relief tour. We’re well on our way to feeding 20 million people,” said Dennis Pittman, Public Affairs Director, Smithfield. “We hope to continue increasing awareness and encourage individuals and companies to donate to their local food banks.”

“Feeding the Hungry” is part of the UFCW’s renewed commitment to lead communities in finding solutions based on shared responsibility. UFCW members have a long history of helping those in need, not only for the well-being of workers, but also for the broader community, especially in difficult times.

Tops Markets, a longstanding retail partner of Smithfield and a dedicated supporter of the Food Bank of Western New York, will also participate in the program. “At Tops, our community mission is focused on helping to eradicate hunger, and we are happy to join forces with the UFCW, the Food Bank of WNY, Smithfield and Paula Deen as we continue that hunger relief effort,” said Frank Curci, Tops Friendly Markets president and CEO. “We applaud the ‘Feeding the Hungry’ program and are thrilled to bring Paula Deen to western New York as we challenge others to join us in this effort.”

Smithfield Foods and its independent operating companies have a long history of stocking food banks, supporting after-school nutrition programs and providing food relief in the wake of natural disasters. In January 2008, Smithfield established their “Helping Hungry Homes” initiatives to help ensure that American families in need do not go hungry. “Feeding the Hungry” is one of Smithfield’s “Helping Hungry Homes” initiatives.

About Food Bank of Western New York

Founded 30 years ago, the Food Bank of Western New York distributes more than 1 million pounds of nutritious food to 100,000 residents in Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie and Niagara counties through 400 member agencies. 39,000 of whom they serve are children and 11,000 are seniors.

About the United Food and Commercial Workers Union

The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) represents more than 1.3 million workers, primarily in the retail and meatpacking, food processing and poultry industries. The UFCW protects the rights of workers and strengthens America’s middle class by fighting for health care reform, immigration reform, living wages, retirement security, safe working conditions and the right to unionize so that working men and women and their families can realize the American Dream. For more information about the UFCW’s effort to protect workers’ rights and strengthen America’s middle class, visit www.ufcw.org.

About Smithfield

Smithfield, a name familiar to millions of Americans, is committed to environmental leadership, community involvement, employee safety, animal welfare and high-quality food. It is seeking to help the people of western New York by providing these needed servings of protein. With sales of $12 billion, Smithfield Foods is the leading processor and marketer of fresh pork and packaged meats in the United States, as well as the largest producer of hogs. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/CookingwithSmithfield and www.smithfieldfoods.com.

About Tops Friendly Markets

Tops Friendly Markets, LLC, is headquartered in Williamsville, NY and operates 134 full-service supermarkets – 129 company-owned and five franchise locations. With more than 14,000 associates, Tops is a leading full-service grocery retailer in upstate New York and northern Pennsylvania. For more information about Tops Markets, visit the company's website at www.topsmarkets.com.

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- This morning, in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the tragic Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, the White House and Department of Labor hosted a forum with women workers and organizers, discussing their courageous roles in organizing their workplaces.

U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis and Valerie B. Jarrett, Senior Advisor to the President and Chair of the White House Council on Women and Girls, were joined by women who are currently working to organize their workplaces, including Ernestine Bassett, a Walmart Associate from Laurel, Maryland.

“We are still fighting to provide adequate working conditions for all women and men on the job, ensure that no person within our borders is exploited for their labor, and uphold collective bargaining as a means to give workers a seat at the tables of power,” said President Obama in a proclamation released at the event.

“At today’s event, the Administration made it very clear that it values the role unions play in building the middle class in this country,” said Joe Hansen, UFCW International President. “We thank them for standing with courageous women who are currently trying to improve their lives by organizing their workplaces.”

“Walmart is the largest private employer in this country,” said Patrick O’Neill, UFCW Director of Organizing. “Their practices set the standard for the retail industry. We are pleased that the White House and Department of Labor gave a Walmart associate the chance to testify about the intimidation she and her coworkers face when trying to exercise their legal rights to organize for respect on the job.”

“I am committed, despite significant intimidation from my employer, to winning respect for my fellow associates at Walmart,” said Ernestine Bassett. “We are organizing to ensure safety and a better life for all Walmart associates.”

by: Rick Nagin

February 14 2011

The weather was freezing but spirits were high as several dozen labor and community activists picketed Rite Aid at W. 117th St. and Lorain Ave. in Cleveland to protest the giant pharmacy's attempt to take away fully paid union health insurance.

While passing motorists honked in support, Councilwoman Dona Brady took a delegation inside and presented Store Manager Stacey Braddock with a letter backing efforts of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 880 to resolve the issue and sign a new contract.

"You're not being fair to your employees," she said. "Health care costs are skyrocketing. We want you to provide full coverage. Health care is not a privilege. It's a right."

Braddock would only say she would forward the letter. State Representative Nikki Antonio got the same response when she came later and confronted pharmacy district manager Tom Freda, who had been summoned to the scene.

The action Feb. 11 was part of a "National Valentine's Day of Action" and kicked off a week of protests against the company's anti-labor policies by a coalition including the UFCW, the International Longshore and Warehouse union, Jobs with Justice and United Students Against Sweatshops.

"Rite Aid Don't Break Our Hearts," read a flyer. "Show your love for workers' rights."

Mike Martino, an organizer with the UFCW, said the company was seeking to decertify the union in New Jersey and refusing to settle a contract dispute with 500 warehouse workers at Rite Aid's distribution center in Lancaster, California.

In northeastern Ohio, the UFCW represents 275 workers at 25 stores who have been working without a contract since the old agreement expired last April. Negotiations have been fruitless, Martino said, as the company has refused to back off its demand to end the union health plan and make workers pay for premiums.

"These are workers who have given up pay increases for health coverage," he said. The store clerks, who only make eight to nine dollars an hour, have twice voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike, he added.

"A strike is imminent unless the company relents."

Other employers are watching the situation closely, said Laura Grissinger, a union steward at Giant Eagle.

"Our contract expires in September. We pay no premium now but Giant Eagle has said it wants us to make co-pays. We are all in this together."

The union has called on supporters to make their views known to Rite Aid store managers and transfer prescriptions to other union pharmacies until the dispute is settled.

Read the original article here.

Yesterday the UFCW joined together with community-based organizations from all over Washington, DC to take part in the 5th annual MLK Peace Walk, to commemorate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. His inspirational words and moral leadership ring especially true in light of the struggles D.C. residents face today.

"It is a crime for people to live in this rich nation and receive starvation wages." - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dr. King put his life on the line to stand up for Memphis sanitation workers who were on strike for their right to dignity, respect, and a living wage. UFCW Local 400 and its partners in the Living Wages Healthy Communities Coalition are drawing on his wisdom and courage as they face Walmart's plans to open four stores in our nation's capital. The coalition has been organizing to demand that no Walmart opens in DC without a strong community benefits agreement that protects workers and communities.

We are standing together to tell Walmart that D.C. residents, and all Americans, deserve respect. From America's largest employer, we deserve more than the below-poverty wages and few benefits Walmart gives its employees. We deserve basic dignity at work. We deserve good jobs in our communities.

That's why yesterday, the UFCW joined with our brothers and sisters and marched behind the "Walmart: Respect DC" banner in the MLK Peacewalk. In the spirit of Dr. King's work, and in order to keep our D.C. communities healthy, we stand united to say:

Walmart: Respect DC

UFCW's official position on Walmart:

"At the UFCW, we know what makes our union strong: members standing together for respect and dignity in the workplace. In the grocery industry, union contracts guarantee protections and a voice on the job. But at the company with the most grocery sales in America, Walmart, our fellow workers are not receiving the respect they deserve. In the meatpacking and food processing industries, Walmart's price pressures on suppliers can lead to downward pressure on workers' wages.

Our vision for American workers – in grocery, retail, and in our communities – is respect and dignity at jobs that pay fairly and guarantee workers a voice. This is the American Way, and it’s what made our country great. But Walmart has a different view – one where it, the employer, has all the power.

We are Making Change at Walmart. We are making change by working directly with Walmart Associates to claim the respect on the job they deserve. We are making change by holding Walmart corporate managers accountable to hourly employees and the public for their practices. We are making change by joining with community leaders in major cities across America to make sure that any new jobs offered by Walmart meet strong standards for healthy, growing communities."

Click here to learn more about the Living Wages Healthy Communities Coalition. 

Read the original article here.