Street roots., February 01, 2013, Page 12, Image 12

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Street roots
Feb. 1, 2013
Organic foods supplier leaves local workers hungry
Food distribution p la n t that supplies grocery stores like Whole Foods in a fig h t fo r their livelihood
BY TRACEY A. THOMPSON
C O N T R IB U T IN G W R IT E R
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With seven kids under the age of
L
Tracey A. Thompson is the
principal officer of
Teamsters Local 117,
which represents
approximately 16,000
working men and women
in Washington.
10, Joe Taufao has a lot of hungry
mouths to feed. It’s always been a struggle
to put enough food on the table, but
especially now, with his wife laid off, and
Joe and his coworkers on strike. “Our
landlord told us, ‘Pay the rent now or get
out,’” Joe said. “I told him we were on
strike. He didn’t care.”
Homelessness can often start with a
heartless landlord or an unscrupulous boss.
Joe has both. He sought a break on his rent
because his employer, United Natural Foods
Inc. (UNFI), has taken a ruthless, anti-union
stance, forcing him and his coworkers out
on the picket line.
UNFI is the largest organic foods
distributor in the country and the main
supplier for upscale grocers such as Whole
Foods. UNFI has a virtual monopoly on the
market. The vast majority of organic food
and natural products on the shelves of high-
end supermarkets across the country are
supplied by UNFI.
Joe works as a back stocker in the freezer
and can’t afford to shop at the places UNFI
supplies. But he and his 167 coworkers at
the company’s Auburn, Wash, distribution
center are instrumental in bringing food to
the table of the people who can. He has
worked at UNFI for seven years and seen
the company grow from a small, locally
owned niche market wholesaler to the
corporate food conglomerate it is today.
With UNFI’s expansion have come
enormous profits. The company raked in
half a billion dollars in profits last year and
following day, they learned that the
has enjoyed an 18 percent profit margin in
company had no intention of honoring its
each of the past five years. In 2011, it paid
commitment.
its executives handsomely: over $10 million
Instead, UNFI announced that Joe and 71
in total compensation. As it has grown,
of his co-workers — nearly half of the
UNFI has demanded greater productivity
Auburn, Wash, workforce — would be
from its workers; at the same time, it has
permanently replaced. It is unlawful for an
been unwilling to share its profits with
employer to permanently replace its
workers.
workers in an unfair labor practice strike,
UNFI employees perform the same work
yet that is exactly what UNFI did.
as other workers in the unionized grocery
Workers at UNFI are now in their second
warehouse industry, yet they are paid 25
month on strike. They have held strong,
percent less than other unionized grocery
warehouse and distribution
lee works as a back stacker l i t lit e freezer and cais^t
workers in the Puget Sound
region. During contract
afford to s lo p at the places UNFI supplies« Bat lie and
negotiations with Teamsters
bis 167 ceworkers at the company's l i i b i i r w Wash«
Local 117, UNFI refused to
d lstrlb a tio a center are Infram esilal la b rin g in g food to
bargain over the
the table of the people who can.
compensation disparity and
committed dozens of
additional unfair labor
practices in violation of federal law.
stood together and shown tremendous
courage, integrity and solidarity in the face
“The success of this company was built
off our backs,” said Robert Jurey, a 13-year
of a lawless, adversarial billion-dollar
employer that is driven only by its own
warehouse worker at UNFI. “But rather
than treating us with respect, UNFI is
greed.
spending hundreds of thousands, if not
But they need your support. You can
millions, of dollars to intimidate us into
urge, Whole Foods or your local food co-op
accepting a substandard proposal.”
to use a supplier that shares your values.
In protest of the company’s unlawful
You can join the more than 2,500 people
conduct, workers went on an unfair labor
who have already signed an online petition
practice strike on Dec. 10. The strike was
and donate to the Workers’ Hardship Fund
intended to serve as a wake-up call to
at unfidrivenbygreed.com.
By standing up to UNFI, workers such as
compel UNFI to return to the bargaining
Joe and Robert have shown that they will
table and to bargain in good faith.
not be bullied. They have vowed to continue
After a three-day strike, workers made an
their fight for justice, not only for
unconditional offer to return to work, which
themselves and their families, but also for
UNFI accepted. Workers took down the
picket lines and bargaining dates were set.
all working men and women in this country.
But when employees reported to work the
Where senior and disabled adults
receive the care and respect they deserve.
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