Alert! - Reinstate Joe Richards
Submitted on Fri, 09/05/2008 - 12:36pm
Joe is an IWW member.
On Tuesday, September 2nd, Joe Richard was fired from Ward's Supermarket. He
believes, as do his co-workers, that the firing was illegal and was direct
retaliation for his workplace organizing efforts. On August 8th, Joe and 14
other employees in the Natural Foods Department submitted a petition to
management requesting an increased employee discount (raising it to 20%, which
is not uncommon for the industry) and a regular schedule of employee performance
evaluations. Our petition was largely ignored for three weeks while the owners,
Billy and Trish Ward, went on vacation. After they returned, on August 25th they
held one-on-one meetings with the employees who signed the petition, elaborating
a new 'open door' policy, by which employees could have 100% access to
management if they had a concern or grievance. Beyond that, the requests listed
in our petition were largely ignored.
Little over a week later, Joe was
fired, ostensibly for 'stealing' a bag of coffee, which is donated by Sweetwater
Coffee Company explicitly for the personal use of Natural Foods Department
employees. This free coffee, which was and continues to be intentionally given
for employees to drink at work and take home, was routinely taken home and made
every morning by numerous Department employees, including Joe. To our knowledge,
no employee has ever been punished (either received written warnings or been
discharged) for the offense of taking home this free product, which the store
never paid a single cent for. Joe didn't receive a written warning (as the
employee handbook stipulates is appropriate for minor infractions) but was fired
two days after checking out with the coffee in hand (buying eggs and donuts as
well, on a Sunday morning).
It is obvious that Joe was illegally fired
for taking part in the petition drive, as someone who vocally and outspokenly
supported improvement in the working conditions of all the employees in the
store. Having been identified as a 'troublemaker' by the Wards, he was made an
example of. As the National Labor Relations Act stipulates in Section (7)a,
'Employees shall have the right to self-organization…for the purpose of
collective bargaining or other mutual aid of protection.' And thus, 'It shall be
an unfair labor practice for an employer to interfere with, restrain, or coerce
employees in the exercise of the rights guaranteed in section 7.' Ward's has
broken the law by firing Joe, and they've sent a chilling message to the rest of
his co-workers who still insist on bettering their conditions. Please, support
the workers at Ward's in their demand for a better life, and support their
demand for Joe's immediate reinstatement. What they did is illegal, and the
community must not stand for it. We all benefit from having Ward's as an
alternative to corporate grocery stores. Because of the important role Ward's
plays in our community, it is imperative that they set a high standard in
treatment of employees. We expect more from Wards - the community supports them
and they should support the community.
Sincerely,
Concerned Ward's
Workers
Here's what you can do:
- 1) Call the store and demand that they reinstate Joe. The number is (352) 372-1741 ext. #4.
- 2) Write a letter to the Wards expressing that this was an illegal firing and demanding reinstatement. The address is 515 NW 23rd Ave, 32601.
- 3) Tell the Wards the next time you shop that what they've done is illegal and unfitting for a family business that prides itself on being better than Wal-Mart.