The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) is “quietly laying the groundwork for a major organizing campaign” that will take place at a SuperTarget store in West St. Paul – which, if the union successful, would then be the first unionized Target store in the nation.
Target spokeswoman Paula Thornton-Greear told the paper that the company offers a wage and benefit package that is "among the best in the retail industry" and that workers don't need a union. "We don't believe that a union or any third-party representative would improve anything, not for our team members, guests or the company," she said.
The UFCW has largely been focusing on Wal-Mart as a target for unionization, claiming that the Arkansas-based retailer not only is anti-union but is willing to engage in intimidation in order to stop organized labor from gaining a beachhead in its stores. Until this point, Target has flown underneath the UFCW’s radar…but that may be changing.
"The only difference between Target and Wal-Mart is that Wal-Mart is six times their size," UFCW organizer Bernie Hesse told the paper. "Target was once the darling of the state, but now they've adopted Wal-Mart's business model and are in a race to the bottom as far as wages and benefits."
Target spokeswoman Paula Thornton-Greear told the paper that the company offers a wage and benefit package that is "among the best in the retail industry" and that workers don't need a union. "We don't believe that a union or any third-party representative would improve anything, not for our team members, guests or the company," she said.
The UFCW has largely been focusing on Wal-Mart as a target for unionization, claiming that the Arkansas-based retailer not only is anti-union but is willing to engage in intimidation in order to stop organized labor from gaining a beachhead in its stores. Until this point, Target has flown underneath the UFCW’s radar…but that may be changing.
"The only difference between Target and Wal-Mart is that Wal-Mart is six times their size," UFCW organizer Bernie Hesse told the paper. "Target was once the darling of the state, but now they've adopted Wal-Mart's business model and are in a race to the bottom as far as wages and benefits."
- KC's View:
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One of the reasons that Wal-Mart keeps winning these confrontations with the unions is that it is willing to play hardball. It’ll be interesting to see if Target has the same kind of resolve…what our grandmother used to call “gumption.”
We suspect not. But we’re willing to be surprised.
