MERS Goodwill quest for workers’ trust fails miserably

Workers speak out on how Goodwill treats them; has failed to earn their trust

By ED FINKELSTEIN
Publisher

In its vicious, dishonest anti-union campaign against workers at its Festus store seeking union representation, MERS Goodwill has put the issue of “trust” at the forefront of its efforts to try to get the workers to vote against UFCW Local 655 in a decertification vote now underway.

A company flyer states: “When you vote in the upcoming election, you will be deciding whom you trust – the union or MERS Goodwill.”

EMPLOYEES SPEAK OUT
Here’s how employees responded on the issue of “trust” in interviews with the Labor Tribune – demonstrating clearly why they voted by 89 percent to join Local 655 some 13 months ago, and where they stand today after 23 negotiating sessions that involved almost 100 hours of talks:

• MERS bosses consistently show favoritism among workers: favored employees get more hours and breaks than others.
• MERS transferred three pro-union supervisors – originally part of the bargaining unit – from the store after management successfully complained to the National Labor Relations Board that they should not be in the union. Prior to the union’s campaign, the supervisors did not have management level authority to hire or fire employees. However, MERS changed that after employees approved the union, thus allowing the Labor Board to take them out of the bargaining unit.
• MERS supervisors often “were bullying people, except for their friends.”

WHEN UNION CAME IN, WAGES WENT UP

• Before Local 655 began its organizing efforts, MERS Goodwill employee raises were some 20 cents an hour on their anniversary date, if that. Although the company denies it, as a result of Local 655’s organizing efforts in 2019, employees got a $1 an hour increase this year with a “promise” of another $1 next year.
• While not providing Christmas bonuses for some years, suddenly MERS decided to give a $200 bonus to workers this Christmas, claiming, of course, it had nothing to do with the union negotiations. In truth, Local 655 raised the issue earlier in talks and the answer was “no.” MERS apparently had a change of heart but, as with the employee raises, the change is obviously directly related to the union’s negotiating efforts.

It’s worth noting that MERS CEO David Kutchback in 2019 received a $100,000 bonus in 2019 and $150,000 in 2018, while employees got none.

• MERS eliminated monthly performance bonuses and reduced holidays for its workers but not for its headquarters staff or officers.

‘ONLY THINK OF MONEY’
Some other issues employees raised:

• Not wanting to be liable for unemployment benefit costs, MERS would consistently suspend bad workers instead of firing them (despite the impact on worker morale).
• “Ungodly turnover because people don’t like they way they are treated.”
• “They (MERS Goodwill) may want to look good (to the public) but they don’t take care of their people… [they] only think of money.”
• MERS management falsely told workers the union was going to have them all replaced.
• MERS favoritism would allow some employees to use their vacation time to cover extended illnesses, but would deny others the same opportunity.

‘THE UNION WILL HELP US’
Said MERS employee Nicole Robinson, who agreed to use her name, “We hope we can get back in the union. The union will help us get better wages and stand with us against bad management.”