Worker candidates WIN at PCC!

PCC has just announced that worker candidates Donna Rasmussen and Laurae McIntyre have WON seats on the co-op Board of Trustees! They are the newest board members governing our co-op, alongside new candidate Rodney Hines. 

We know why this happened: Hundreds of PCC workers spent months organizing to make it happen.

We gathered thousands of signatures, wore buttons, held actions outside our stores, spoke up at board & CEO meetings, participated in info pickets and Contract Action Team meetings, and kept talking with each other about why we deserve representation on the co-op board and how we can work for the changes we want to see. We did this!

And our community stood with us all along the way, from signing petitions to contacting PCC administration to showing up in person at our pickets.

“We listen to hundreds of customers every day, and they told us PCC would be a better co-op for members, customers, workers, and the community with both of us on the board. We’re ready to share our expertise in shaping the values and direction of this community.” - Donna (View Ridge)

“Our co-op can expand without losing its core mission and overstressing our existing stores and staff. With our voices on the board, the decisions that steer the future of our co-op can be informed by our one-on-one conversations with our customers and working with the beautiful food from our farmers and providers.” - Laurae (Fremont)

Let’s celebrate this win, and keep the momentum going: Our bargain for a fair contract isn’t over, but we move forward knowing that when we organize, we can win. PCC members are energized, and we are ready to do what it takes to win a contract that respects our work, protects us from harm, and pays us fairly for the essential work we do.

Help nominate PCC worker, Donna Rasmussen, to the PCC Board of Trustees!

Learn more about worker candidate, Donna Rasmussen, and what she stands for:

Donna

I’m a working mom, and my whole family is invested in the mission and success of PCC—in fact, my partner and two teenage sons all work for the co-op. In my 40 years of customer service, I think PCC has hands-down the best customers I’ve ever worked with.

As PCC focuses on its growth, many of my coworkers and I feel it’s time to again have a worker voice on the Board of Trustees to ensure that customers, workers, and our community are kept front and center in decision-making. Members helped build this co-op, and as someone who interacts with our members and customers every day, I want them to know we’ve got their backs and that they can trust us. I spend money here because I trust us and I believe our co-op can grow, while holding onto its mission, values, and connection to the community.

I’m passionate about fair trade, gender and racial equity, affordable housing, and community living. For 10 years now, I have lived in a co-op housing community, where I take an active role and hold a position in community leadership. I’ve been a grocery store worker and active member of my union (UFCW), since the 1980s, serving on the union bargaining team during the big 1989 grocery strike. I also worked for QFC for 12 years, before and after it was bought by Fred Meyer and then the national chain Kroger. I experienced firsthand what happens when a well-loved community grocery store strays away from and loses what makes it unique. I have proudly been at PCC for more than 6 years now.

I’m committed to helping PCC continue to thrive while staying focused on our mission. That means connecting authentically with the communities we’re moving into as we open new stores. It means making sure PCC workers can afford to shop at our stores and live in our communities. When PCC takes care of its frontline staff, we can better take care of our customers. It also means continuing to support our small farmers and local vendors, even if they can’t produce enough to get their product in every one of our expanding locations. After all, as a co-op, our stores should be a reflection of our communities.

Right now, 8 months into the pandemic it remains stressful for most people to shop for food. My coworkers, including my boys, and I have committed to provide our customers access to fresh, healthy food in a safe and sanitized environment. We do our best to hold each other up and try to stay healthy ourselves, while working during such difficult times.

If I ring up your groceries or pass you in the aisle, please be sure to say hi!

Help nominate PCC workers to the PCC Board of Trustees!

Two longtime PCC workers, Donna Rasmussen and Laurae McIntyre, are currently running for seats on the PCC Board of Trustees, and need thousands of signatures to earn their nominations. If you are a member of PCC, please sign their petitions to get them on the ballot! You can find community members collecting signatures outside PCC stores this month, and if you work at PCC contact your Shop Steward to sign a petition.

Unfortunately, PCC administration has tried to block union and community advocates from gathering signatures. We believe this violates the democratic process and the values of the co-op. You can help these workers earn a spot on the ballot by calling the PCC office at  206-547-1222 and telling them: “I’m a PCC shopper, and I’m asking the CEO to stop blocking workers from running for the Board of Trustees. Give Laurae and Donna a fair and safe process to get on the ballot and let workers collect signatures electronically.”

You can also file a customer comment with PCC at: pccmarkets.com/contact-us

PCC worker Jared gathers signatures to support his coworkers getting on the pcc board

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Learn more about these worker candidates and what they stand for:

Donna

I’m a working mom, and my whole family is invested in the mission and success of PCC—in fact, my partner and two teenage sons all work for the co-op. In my 40 years of customer service, I think PCC has hands-down the best customers I’ve ever worked with.

As PCC focuses on its growth, many of my coworkers and I feel it’s time to again have a worker voice on the Board of Trustees to ensure that customers, workers, and our community are kept front and center in decision-making. Members helped build this co-op, and as someone who interacts with our members and customers every day, I want them to know we’ve got their backs and that they can trust us. I spend money here because I trust us and I believe our co-op can grow, while holding onto its mission, values, and connection to the community.

I’m passionate about fair trade, gender and racial equity, affordable housing, and community living. For 10 years now, I have lived in a co-op housing community, where I take an active role and hold a position in community leadership. I’ve been a grocery store worker and active member of my union (UFCW), since the 1980s, serving on the union bargaining team during the big 1989 grocery strike. I also worked for QFC for 12 years, before and after it was bought by Fred Meyer and then the national chain Kroger. I experienced firsthand what happens when a well-loved community grocery store strays away from and loses what makes it unique. I have proudly been at PCC for more than 6 years now.

I’m committed to helping PCC continue to thrive while staying focused on our mission. That means connecting authentically with the communities we’re moving into as we open new stores. It means making sure PCC workers can afford to shop at our stores and live in our communities. When PCC takes care of its frontline staff, we can better take care of our customers. It also means continuing to support our small farmers and local vendors, even if they can’t produce enough to get their product in every one of our expanding locations. After all, as a co-op, our stores should be a reflection of our communities.

Right now, 8 months into the pandemic it remains stressful for most people to shop for food. My coworkers, including my boys, and I have committed to provide our customers access to fresh, healthy food in a safe and sanitized environment. We do our best to hold each other up and try to stay healthy ourselves, while working during such difficult times.

If I ring up your groceries or pass you in the aisle, please be sure to say hi!

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Laurae

I’ve been a member of PCC since the 1980s, and I have family whose porches used to be part of the co-op’s original network of drop-off spots in the ’50s! I came to work at PCC about 6 years ago, wanting to work somewhere that aligns with my values and where I get to interact directly with a lot of people in my community. Our role has only become more important now, during the COVID pandemic. For lots of people, coming to the grocery store is one of their only opportunities for community and connection, along with healthy food. I’ve been really humbled by this experience and the appreciation our customers have shared with us.

PCC is a community. People become members because of what we stand for. We support local producers instead of corporate ones, our food is clean and handled properly from its beginning to the store shelves. People work here because of what we stand for, too. As a union shop steward in my store, I get to welcome new people to our staff. We have a young and vibrant workforce that is pushing us to step up on racial equity, LGBTQ inclusion, and justice for workers all along the food supply chain—including the workers in our own stores.

I want to make sure my coworkers are represented on the Board of Trustees.

PCC has been expanding so fast recently, focusing on opening new stores and big remodels. That’s great, I’m happy for us to grow. But given that the people who are usually on the Board of Trustees are business focused, some with no retail experience whatsoever, PCC workers agree we need some representation on the Board. We’re the ones working in these stores day in and day out. We want to protect the core mission of the co-op, the reasons why we work here, and why our members shop here.

With a worker voice on the Board, the decisions that steer the future of our co-op can be informed by the people interacting one-on-one with our customers and working with the beautiful food our farmers provide. We’re ready to have a voice in shaping the values and direction of this community.