Special
to DBJ:
SuperValu
working to put walkout behind them
By Julie whitehead
DBJ Contributing Writer
After a rocky few days scrambling to fill orders after losing
38 workers from a single shift due to a spontaneous walk-out,
SuperValu Lewis Grocer in Indianola is back up to full-strength
staffing and has even called back several of the workers
who left their posts on June 19. Harry Davis, director of
human resources for the facility, says that the 38 workers
were not fired but had been replaced permanently. Fifty
people were hired the following day, with 36 of them accomplishing
training, orientation, and testing for work at the distribution
center, which supplies over 250 supermarkets in a four-state
area.
As of now, we have called five of the original 38 back,
says Davis, indicating that those five, whom he did not
name, were hired back as full-time workers but not necessarily
to the jobs they had before the walkout. There are a number
we have contacted to return as part-time, says Davis, adding
that the remaining workers who took part in the walkout
were on a waiting list for jobs that may come up in the
future. That list is our first recourse, and we are going
by seniority, Davis says.
The work disruption occurred when 38 employees asked to
discuss various issues with management as a group. According
to reports published in the Indianola Enterprise-Toscin,
division manager Ben Gaston told the employees, most of
whom were stock pickers and forklift operators, that he
would be glad to meet with them on an individual basis to
discuss any grievances they may have. Differing accounts
of what happened next have either the workers leaving the
plant when Gaston did not allow them to air their concerns
or workers being ordered to leave after Gaston demanded
three times that they begin their shift. SuperValu personnel
from as far away as Denver and Indianapolis came to the
center to help fill customer orders, while other local employees
put in many hours of overtime to pick up the slack. In order
to supply our customers, that first day we worked 24 hours,
says Davis.
According to the Enterprise-Toscin, the workers had a meeting
with representatives of the state NAACP chapter on June
25 at the United Steelworkers Union Hall to discuss the
situation. State NACCP director Eugene Bryant was in a meeting
and could not be reached to get an update on his group's
involvement in the issue.
Davis
indicated that he felt SuperValu treated its workers well,
offering high hourly wages and good benefits to full-time
workers, while offering nearly equal wages to part-time
staff after a trial period. One point of contention cited
by workers who walked out was a computerized order picking
system installed this year. Davis says those sentiments
were not shared throughout the facility. Those who stayed
were very disappointed we went back to the tick-pick system
that we had to use while we were training (new workers),Ó
Davis says.
Blake
Wallace, executive director of the Sunflower County Economic
Development District, says that he was not aware of similar
incidents in the area of a spontaneous job action since
coming to work at the agency three months ago. Asked if
the incident might have been a precursor to union organizing
efforts, Wallace says that worker/management communication
seemed to be an issue in the incident, not a need for organized
labor unions. The company that locates here, whether unionized
or not, wants to have good relations between workers and
management, says Wallace.
When asked about the incident's potential to deter companies
from locating in Indianola, Wallace says, ÒIndustrial
recruitment is not easy in the first place. Certainly it
doesn't help you when you're recruiting new industries.
Wallace was glad to see that SuperValu was able to add back
the jobs and return to full strength fairly rapidly. ÒSuperValu
and any other employer is very important to the area right
now with the economy, says Wallace. With over thirty years
of experience working in economic development in the Delta,
Delta Regional Authority federal co-chair Pete Johnson says
that he could not see the incident having any effect on
industrial development in the region. I don't think you
can broad-brush it, says Johnson. I don't think an incident
like that is indicative of a mood or a trend. This may certainly
be an exception, but I don't think it's the rule.
Generally
walkouts happen when a one-way street develops or the perception
of a one-way street, says Johnson, who indicated that he
could not remember any previous incidents of wildcat strikes
at Delta companies. ÒAs an employer, you'd want to
know if there was substance to those complaints. And if
he were to come to an area, he'd want to make sure he'd
address those concerns, Johnson says.
Johnson
pointed to the long history of union activity at Cooper
Tire and Rubber in Clarksdale as a model of effective union/management
relations. The unions and management really work well together
at that plant, Johnson says. When asked if Delta employers
should be concerned about such actions spreading to other
businesses, Johnson says most companies in the Delta are
deeply rooted in their communities and understood those
communities needs. I think employers as a whole know their
employees and they know their needs, says Johnson. I don't
think there's a fragile relationship (between companies
and workers). Davis says SuperValu is working to put the
situation behind them and rekindle working relationships
with those employees who felt compelled to walk out. With
those who walked out, we are indicating to them that that's
in the past, Davis says. DBJ
