We're back. The IWW is hosting the site now. After Borders closed the unionized store in Minneapolis, UFCW789 decided they didn't want to maintain the site anymore. It took awhile (understatement) to sort out the technical stuff, find the *time* to move it, and get it back online. It's back. Thank you, IWW.

Disclaimer - Yes, this is a work of satire. Fiction, if you will. Any resemblance to actual memos, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Shaky McWhorter
Corporate Manager
Rewards Division

Greetings Fellow Booksellers,

I am proud to announce that our company has decided that a more solid employer/employee relationship would be beneficial for everyone involved, so the executives have asked me personally to inform you about all the exciting new programs, ideas, and thoughts that are coming out of the head office.

Actually, we had to draw straws at our weekly company party, and while I can't prove it, I'm fairly certain that Hinkly from accounting switched my average sized straw with the shortest one. I was rather inebriated at the time, so like I said, I can't prove it, but that's not important right now. What is important is that I'm going to be filling you in on everything you need to know to be the best, most productive representative of our company you possibly can be! Isn't that exciting?

Can anybody say, Book company for sale?

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Hours at some stores are being adjusted.

Do you feel adjusted?

Has anyone had a chance to check the new handbooks rules about blogging? Some of the rules are comment sense (like not threatening a coworker with bodily harm) but the not revealing company information sounds like a handy way of shutting down dissent. I wonder if this site is on the 'inappropriate' list?

At my store they've unleashed a new dress code policy. They said that it was company wide and will be in the new June employee handbook. Are other stores going with a new dress code too?

So what does everyone think about the new attendance policy?

Today Borders decided to close one of its two union stores. Borders will be shutting down its Uptown Minneapolis store this coming June.

Today we opened the talks for renewing or renenegotiating our contract at #001. Borders Lawyer (Mark Shiffman), District Manager (Fritz),HR (Jenny)
sitting across the table from 4 UFCW 876 reps and 3 members.

It was pretty congenial; contrasting nicely with the chest thumping that went on in '03. Mark gave us a handful of language changes Borders would like and we gave them about 20. We will get to economic issues after we iron out most of these changes.

We will meet again on March 9.

I hope this entry raises awareness that you can organize and you can sit down with your employer and you can have productive talks...But first you have to organize, so talk to your coworkers.

New research from the NPD Group shows that iTunes sales have exceeded those of brick-and-mortar stores Borders, Tower Records, and Sam Goody, making it the seventh largest music retailer in the U.S. In September, Apple revealed it had sold more than 600 million songs to over 10 million iTunes customers.
Here's the Top 10 List of Leading U.S. Music Retailers: 1. Wal-Mart 2. Best Buy 3. Target 4. Amazon.com 5. FYE 6. Circuit City 7. iTunes 8. Tower Records 9. Sam Goody 10. Borders.
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11.25.05