Crossing a Picket Line

[LibbyTreehugger]

Hello guys and gals. Long time lurker..

Not sure if this is the correct forum for this, but you all seem like a friendly bunch.

I apologize in advance as I'm going to be long winded, I'm sure (not enough coffee yet)

Anywho, I work as an account manager for a certain brand of products within Giant food stores (Stop & Shop for your guys further north) I've heard unless something major happens over the weekend that Stop & Shop is proceeding to strike on Monday..

Giant Landover's meeting is next week, in which they would presumably follow suit to strike.

I've never had to encounter a situation in which the accounts I work in would be on strike. I would never cross a picket line in the first place, but especially not one amongst "my friends" at the stores.

And the real kicker is in a few of my accounts I have blood relatives, including my own mother working.

I have no idea what to do. I work for a company of about 15 (non-union, no benefits 5+ years later) and my husband is currently out of a job. We have 3 little boys, and barely squeak by every month.

I know we can't afford for me to be fired for refusal to cross, but I just can't do it... Especially with my own family potentially striking.


I'm just so stressed out!



(And although my boss would understand, as she knows I have family working in the stores, I have a territory I manage within the state, not near the main office, so there would be no one to cover me during a strike, we're already down 1 of the four account managers)

[Omaha Steve]

1. Refusing to cross the picket line is a protected activity

Will there be pickets at your work location?

Have you thought about forming a union in your office?

Omaha Steve



http://nlrb.gov/rights-we-protect/employee-rights

Employee Rights
Employees covered by the National Labor Relations Act are afforded certain rights to join together to improve their wages and working conditions, with or without a union.

Union Activity

Employees have the right to attempt to form a union where none currently exists, or to decertify a union that has lost the support of employees.

Examples of employee rights include:

•Forming, or attempting to form, a union in your workplace;
•Joining a union whether the union is recognized by your employer or not;
•Assisting a union in organizing your fellow employees;
•Refusing to do any or all of these things.
•To be fairly represented by a union
Activity Outside a Union

Employees who are not represented by a union also have rights under the NLRA. Specifically, the National Labor Relations Board protects the rights of employees to engage in “concerted activity”, which is when two or more employees take action for their mutual aid or protection regarding terms and conditions of employment. A single employee may also engage in protected concerted activity if he or she is acting on the authority of other employees, bringing group complaints to the employer’s attention, trying to induce group action, or seeking to prepare for group action.

A few examples of protected concerted activities are:

•Two or more employees addressing their employer about improving their pay.
•Two or more employees discussing work-related issues beyond pay, such as safety concerns, with each other.
•An employee speaking to an employer on behalf of one or more co-workers about improving workplace conditions.
More information, including descriptions of actual concerted activity cases, is available on the protected concerted activity page.

Who is covered?

Most employees in the private sector are covered by the NLRA. However, the Act specifically excludes individuals who are:

•employed by Federal, state, or local government
•employed as agricultural laborers
•employed in the domestic service of any person or family in a home
•employed by a parent or spouse
•employed as an independent contractor
•employed as a supervisor (supervisors who have been discriminated against for refusing to violate the NLRA may be covered)
•employed by an employer subject to the Railway Labor Act, such as railroads and airlines
•employed by any other person who is not an employer as defined in the NLRA
More information is available on the jurisdictional standards page.

[LibbyTreehugger]

2. I actually have

But being an office of 15, and knowing the political persuasion of the rest of them, I doubt I could get anyone to seriously even consider it. Most of them are related to each other in some capacity. I'm the black sheep of the company.

[Omaha Steve]

3. I understand

Keep us up to date on what happens.

[gopiscrap]

5. thank you-valuable info!

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

4. It sounds like you are a member of management

Based on your description. If you don't cross you could be fired. Am I
Understanding that correctly?

[LibbyTreehugger]

6. Not exactly "management"

I work for a vendor and manage the account of the products, couple hundred thousand $ worth of goods per year per store.

[Omaha Steve]

7. Refusing to cross the line for fear of bodily harm has worked in some cases 4 mgrs too

http://nlrb.gov/rights-we-protect/employee-rights

•employed as a supervisor (supervisors who have been discriminated against for refusing to violate the NLRA may be covered)

Who is covered?

Most employees in the private sector are covered by the NLRA. However, the Act specifically excludes individuals who are:

•employed by Federal, state, or local government
•employed as agricultural laborers
•employed in the domestic service of any person or family in a home
•employed by a parent or spouse
•employed as an independent contractor
•employed as a supervisor (supervisors who have been discriminated against for refusing to violate the NLRA may be covered)
•employed by an employer subject to the Railway Labor Act, such as railroads and airlines
•employed by any other person who is not an employer as defined in the NLRA
More information is available on the jurisdictional standards page.

[Sherman A1]

8. Monday Update on talks

WESTBURY, N.Y. — Although its contract expired Saturday night without a new deal in place, union workers for Stop & Shop’s metro New York stores have yet to call a strike.

United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1500 here said the retailer, based in Quincy, Mass., refused the union’s offer of another contract extension Saturday but that workers would continue to report to their jobs while negotiations continue. The union was given the authority to call a strike by Stop & Shop employees on late last month in response to what it called Stop & Shop’s attempts to drastically reduce or eliminate employee health care benefits. The union represents 5,500 Stop & Shop employees on Long Island, the five boroughs, Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess counties.

Read More: http://supermarketnews.com/retail-amp-financial/stop-shop-deadline-passes-without-strike#ixzz2jl3P1Jcl