Schnucks again delays firing Teamsters as scab warehouse still can’t deliver products

Scabs are refusing to work for $10 an hour

By ED FINKELSTEIN

Publisher

Firings of almost 200 Teamsters by Schnucks have been delayed a second time for two awkward reasons for the company:

• NO PRODUCT: The scabs can’t get products delivered to the stores, so for a second time, it’s being sent from the scab warehouse back to the union warehouse where Teamsters Local 688 members are doing their job efficiently and getting product into Schnuck stores.
• NO WORKERS: So many of the scabs, hired for $10 an hour, once they find out the hard, often dirty work that’s required, quit because they are not willing to do the work required for that low pay. Additionally, because of the low pay, Schnucks can’t find enough people with the proper certification to run the critical warehouse forklifts.

“In fact getting something from the warehouse is so bad,” a Schnuck’s store employee told the Labor Tribune at the Labor Day parade, “we’ve had to scrounge around and call other stores to get some products on our shelves. It’s comical!”

Schnucks did fire some 50 Teamsters on July 31 and was scheduled to fire the rest on Aug. 21 and Sept. 11. However, after the first firings, when Schnucks began moving products to the new scab warehouse for distribution, huge problems began. Stores initially went without fruits, vegetable and dairy products. So the mass migration of product began with the scabs sending all the products BACK to the union warehouse for Teamsters to do the distribution to the stores.

The new layoffs are schedule to begin Sept. 20 thorough Oct. 10.

PICKETING CONTINUES

Meanwhile, Teamster Local 688 continues mass weekend picketing at Schnuck stores throughout the region.

Throughout the Labor Day parade, workers from many unions carried “Boycott Schnucks” signs.

“We are having a major impact on the company’s bottom line, there’s no doubt about that,” said Local 688’s Chief Executive Officer Mike Goebel.

“We thank everyone whose standing against Schnucks firing 231 loyal workers, 201 are Teamsters and 30 are management types, most of whom have decades of loyal service to the company. Destroying lives in the name of even more profits! That’s obscene.”

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Schnucks NLRB trial postponed

The National Labor Relations Board trial scheduled for Sept. 7 has been postponed at Schnucks request to sometime this week, the Labor Tribune has learned.

It seems the company needs more time to produce the documents requested by the NLRB trial judge.

The union is contesting the company’s right to prevent it from handbilling directly in front of the stores, given that they let many other groups do it. In a callous and obscene effort to influence the trial, Schnucks issued a proclamation two weeks ago that they will no longer allow groups like the Girl Scouts or the Salvation Army to conduct fund-raising at their stores. There has been a major community outcry against this horrible tactic.

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