In Minnesota, the Star Tribune reports that a dozen workers at an east St. Paul Aldi store will vote next month on whether to join the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union - the first time in anyone's memory that a union vote has been taken at an Aldi store.
The story notes that unlike other assiduously non-union retailers, such as Walmart and Target, Aldi has not been a big factor as organized labor looks for places to expand its footprint. In part, this is because organizing at Aldi, with more than one thousand small stores spread around the country, is not efficient - each store tends to have 12-15 workers.
But, says Bernie Hesse of UFCW Local 1189, "We have to start somewhere."
The story notes that unlike other assiduously non-union retailers, such as Walmart and Target, Aldi has not been a big factor as organized labor looks for places to expand its footprint. In part, this is because organizing at Aldi, with more than one thousand small stores spread around the country, is not efficient - each store tends to have 12-15 workers.
But, says Bernie Hesse of UFCW Local 1189, "We have to start somewhere."
- KC's View:
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The logistics involved in organizing Aldi employees nationwide makes this a very tough nut to crack. I would not bet on the UFCW's success.
