Union employees at Albertsons in Kalispell will soon vote on whether to stick with union representation or give it the heave-ho and as individuals take their chances with management. I’m told that a group of younger employees who resent paying union dues think they’ll have more disposable income by going it alone.
They will — but not for long. Without the union’s power to negotiate a fair contract with the store, benefits such as health insurance will be reduced or eliminated, wage increases will be harder to obtain, if they can be obtained at all, and meaningful job security will all but disappear.
Stay union, workers at Albertsons. It’s in your enlightened self-interest.
Below, union members, and supporters from the Occupy Kalispell group, conduct a pro-union honk-and-wave at Albertsons after midday on Saturday, 4 February.
Above, good honk-and-wave form, and informational signs that crystalize the issue. Ruth is an employee who benefited from the worker’s current health insurance benefit. Below, in front of the store. The group had thinned out by the time I arrived.
