CostCo, Starbucks And Whole Foods Offer Fake EFCA Compromise

The fight over the Employee Free Choice Act has been a tough one, with pro-union forces looking for more freedom to start unions and corporations wanting to stifle worker collectivity. For decades corporations have largely been winning, evidenced by a long-term decline in union membership. With a majority of people supporting the Employee Free Choice Act, some companies are trying to pull a fast one on union supporters by offering a fake compromise.

From ThinkProgress:

The Wall Street Journal reports today that Costco Wholesale Corp., Starbucks Corp. and Whole Foods Market Inc. are seeking to compromise with union groups to support a modified version of the Employee Free Choice Act. The compromise would allow a union to be formed if 70 percent — instead of the current bill’s 50 percent proposal — sign a card favoring unionization. However, the anti-union lobby refuses to back the deal:

“These huge companies are apparently willing to sell out hundreds of thousands of small ones under the guise of making some phony and misguided compromise with Big Labor,” Mix said in a statement. “We believe we have this draconian bill defeated outright, so these actions may well lead to the bill’s passage.”

The Workforce Fairness Institute’s (WFI) Danny Diaz slammed the proposal in his morning e-mail, Politico reports, calling it a “non-starter” and “even worse” for workers. WFI’s executive director Katie Packer said, “Calling a proposal which exposes 70% of employees to intimidation instead of 50% a ‘compromise’ is beyond absurd.”

Basically this is a last-ditch effort by corporate America, who are using the names of somewhat progressive companies to tout a "compromise" that is anything but. I wonder what group of PR flacks hatched this convoluted plan? Trying to trick us is simply a waste of everyone's time. Now imagine if all the money that goes into subverting the working class from getting better represenation at the companies they work for were used for helping employees. Now that would be a novel idea.

Un-Whole-ly Foods

Their food is great but still ridiculously overpriced and a perfect fit in New York City. Whole Foods has boomed in our town and in other wealthy areas across the country. Yet the chain is still cutting corners where it can and in the most devious of ways. Down at the Union Square store, ex-employee Ralph Reese found out just how heartless they can be.

From the NYT Cityroom:

Whole Foods fired Ralph Reese for taking a tuna fish sandwich. But was it misconduct? It is a question that matters. Anyone fired for misconduct is denied unemployment benefits.

Whole Foods argued that Mr. Reese, 57, of Queens, tried to steal a sandwich by taking it from the trash at the end of his shift as a deli clerk at the Union Square Whole Foods on Nov. 9. The company’s policy is that food cannot be taken without being paid for, though employees receive a 20 percent discount.

Yet it doesn't end there. Thankfully the judge listened to Mr. Reese, who did not actually eat the sandwich and called the matter a "moment of poor judgment," thereby restoring his access to unemployment benefits.

Despite the minute details that allowed him to get the benefits, the real problem lies with Whole Foods and their idiotic policy of not allowing their employees to take what's going to be thrown in the trash. If something is going to be tossed anyways, give it to the people like Reese, who was making a measly $11.50 an hour. Further, this petty way of "laying people off" and denying them benefits is simply cruel. This is where workers would benefit from the Employee Free Choice Act, so that more workers can unionize and strike companies that treat their employees so poorly.