Bartell Drugs - Bartell’s Allowing Little Progress on the Main Issues of Pay, Healthcare, and Retirement
We met with the employer last Friday on January 15 to bargain. While there was some important progress, there has been little progress on the main issues of pay, healthcare, and retirement. Here’s what happened:
The employer tentatively accepted the idea of having severance pay if there is a store closure. But Bartell’s (Rite Aid) does not want to recognize people who have over 10 years of service. Your bargaining committee thinks that is too low, so we proposed an extra week of severance for workers at or above 15 years of service.
Bartell Drugs (Rite Aid) has still not made a counterproposal to us on wages since November of last year. They told us that paying workers above minimum wage and increasing that amount by years of service is so “far out” that they didn’t know where to begin. We told them, that editorializing about our proposal was not making their own. They need to make the move, because we aren’t bargaining against ourselves!
They are rejecting the idea of Hazard Pay and many other safety protections we proposed during the pandemic.
We did not let the subject of wages go at that. We we told them the story of a worker who has been with Bartell’s 30 years and has done just about everything in the store, including helping interview job applicants, and still makes under $15/hr.
“When I heard this story, it sounds almost identical to mine. I’ve been trained to help with ordering, point of sale merchandising, Rx assistant, cashier, photo department, and just about anything to be done in the store. I am still making less than $15/hr, I can’t imagine working here for 30 years, and still be just above minimum wage! Bartell’s needs to do better for their employees!”
— Kia Haggerty (Bartell Drugs Clerk and Union Bargaining Committee Member)
Letting the public know about our fight
We will be near the Lower Queen Anne Bartell’s this Friday at 3:30 PM to wave signs letting Seattle know about our fight for a fair contract, a living wage, and hazard pay! We will be outside, masked, and staying socially distant from each other to stay safe. Talk to your Union Rep or shop steward about the action.