Union says Fred Meyer, QFC violating workers’ rights with ban on BLM buttons
Two local grocery chains are at the center of a dispute with workers seeking the right to wear Black Lives Matter buttons during work shifts.
The workers’ union contends at least one Fred Meyer worker in Bellingham was sent home without pay “wearing a button provided to him by UFCW 21,” according to documents submitted to the National Labor Relations Board.
The worker, Herbert Reynolds, told The News Tribune in a brief phone interview Tuesday night that he actually left work on his own accord after being told to remove the button.
“I felt disrespected,” he said.
UFCW 21, in a news release issued Tuesday, called on Kroger-owned Fred Meyer and QFC to reverse the companies’ ban on employees wearing the buttons at work. The union said that in recent weeks store management has told workers to remove the buttons, which had been distributed by UFCW 21.
The union represents more than 13,000 employees at Puget Sound-area Fred Meyer and QFC stores.
UFCW 21 has filed formal grievances with the companies as well as unfair labor practice charges under federal labor law and has launched an online petition drive in support of the workers.
Letters to QFC and Fred Meyer-Allied Employers officials dated Sept. 21 from the union contend that on or about Aug. 17 and Aug. 21, the two retailers “began prohibiting workers represented by UFCW 21 from wearing union buttons, specifically ones that said, ‘Black Lives Matter.’”
The letters also ask that any workers sent home as a result of wearing the buttons “be reimbursed for any and all lost wages and corresponding benefits … and be made whole.”
The union in its news release Tuesday said the ban “violates workers’ rights under the companies’ union contracts and federal labor law.”
On Tuesday, Tiffany Sanders, media representative for the two grocers, told The News Tribune via email the retailers were offering workers an alternative to the button.
“Many associates have expressed a desire to stand together with the Black community and show their support through their clothing, facial coverings and accessories,” she said in a statement provided Tuesday.
“To offer a more consistent solution, we’ve made two wristband options available to our associates: one that represents our commitment to Standing Together with our Black associates, customers and communities against racism in all forms, and the other to serve as a reminder of Our Values that guide us.
“We strive to offer a workplace that is uplifting, inclusive and consistent with Our Values: Integrity, Honesty, Diversity, Inclusion, Safety and Respect.”
Sanders also made note of the efforts the two grocers had put forth in the pandemic.
The grocers since March have “invested more than $1 billion to both reward our associates and to safeguard them and our customers through the implementation of dozens of safety measures.”
In a demonstration early in September, QFC workers sought to bring attention to the elimination of hazard pay by Kroger in May and called for an end to the button ban, according to coverage in the West Seattle Blog.
The hazard pay was replaced in May with a one-time bonus payment.
Workers also have come forward to The News Tribune saying that mask requirements have not been enforced in instances where someone refuses to wear a mask, a policy also reflected in internal documents.
The Black Lives Matter buttons were provided by the union after workers had come up with their own masks and buttons not union-sanctioned, Reynolds told The News Tribune.
“And then we also had other employees who were complaining about not being able to wear All Lives Matter buttons, or Blue Lives Matter buttons,” he said.
“Black Lives Matter isn’t political, it’s a human right,” he said he told the store manager the day he was confronted.
He also considered the wristbands an empty measure.
“Even if you read the paperwork, or you read the wristband itself … I have one here in my hand, none of it says anything about Black Lives Matter.”
Also, he noted, “One of the wristbands is black and white and the other wristband is blue and white.”
Shawntia Cunningham, who works at a Fred Meyer in Everett, said in UFCW 21’s announcement on Tuesday: “I get pulled over by cops for having a nice car to the point that my husband, who is white, has to drive so I can just feel safe. I have been called the ‘N’ word by customers at my store a few times.
“I need this company to respect us as human beings and to respect our rights as workers. I need Fred Meyer and QFC and all Kroger to see that Black lives really do matter.”
In response to questions Tuesday, UFCW 21 media representative Tom Geiger told The News Tribune via email:
“The essence of the right to wear these buttons is that the workers have a right to wear these buttons and express themselves on workplace related issues.
“That is protected, concerted activity as a union member in the workplace. That is not replaced by some wristband the employer wants them to wear.”
UFCW 21 president Faye Guenther said in Tuesday’s announcement: “Systemic racism is real and it negatively impacts thousands of our members on the job and in the community. We are proud of our members who are standing up to say ‘Black Lives Matter’ and we will support their right to do so with every tool available to us.”
This story was originally published September 22, 2020 at 4:42 PM with the headline "Union says Fred Meyer, QFC violating workers’ rights with ban on BLM buttons."
