natural Grocers union

1. Hi! What is your name and position at Natural Grocers? How long have you been there?

My name is Bridget and I have worked at the Norman Natural Grocers for 8 and a half years. I have held several different positions over the years, but for the past few years I have been a general staff cashier. I enjoy cashiering because I have more opportunities to connect with our regulars. I make it a practice to try to genuinely connect with everyone who comes through my line. 

2.  What events led up to your store's decision to form a union?

Natural Grocers is no longer the small mom and pop private company it once was or still promotes itself to be. It is a publicly traded corporation with over 160 stores nationwide; turning a profit of 326.5 million dollars in 2023 alone. I have seen the company becoming more and more corporate. Our benefits have been consistently getting worse. We have been micromanaged more and more. People who have been with the company for years have been getting written up or fired for minor policy violations, before and since the union effort started. And my pregnant and nursing coworkers have been consistently mistreated by a company that claims to "empower health."

I work very hard to connect intentionally with each customer I encounter and to find them what they need. I have brilliant and kind coworkers and former coworkers whom I have witnessed do the same. I have seen our store act as a community center in many ways. Whenever I go out in Norman, I almost always run into one of my regular customers and they greet me. I have watched children grow up in our store. My apron is filled with buttons and pins, many of them gifts from customers and others in my community. To this day, this is my favorite job I have ever had. But I am sad to say that the company and my little store are rapidly changing, and not for the better. 

Particularly throughout the pandemic, longtime coworkers and I began naming to each other how the company seemed to be treating us as more and more disposable. We saw people give over 10 years of exemplary work to the company, risk their lives as essential workers during a global pandemic, only to be fired for minor policy violations that could easily be addressed by a conversation and resulted in no loss to the company, save the expense of flying someone from Colorado to Oklahoma to fire them. We decided we needed to organize to protect what we still love about our store and the company, and to fight for better healthcare and worker protections.

I want a union because I do care deeply for my coworkers, my store, my community, and the future of the company. I believe that a union would provide a more accessible feedback and representation system for workers and that this would enable the company to better uphold their principals and goals.

3. What was the early process (before the vote) like? Was there a lot of support? Opposition?

The early process of organizing the union, really starting in late 2021, felt natural and exciting. Every coworker we talked to said they were on board. We were able to build solidarity with each other by naming the issues we were facing or had faced over the years. There was some confusion about where to start. None of us had organized a union before and did not readily know many examples, aside from the odd story from a friend out of state or a grandparent or a history teacher. 

We were eventually able to connect with UFCW Local 1000, which currently represents and organizes grocery workers in our region, through a coworker's connections in the punk music scene. Once we chose a union to work with, we were assigned an organizer who went over the process with us. First, we had to establish our bargaining unit, which includes all the workers at the store who do not have a say over hiring and firing. Next, we needed to get 70% of our bargaining unit on board before filing for an election. This is a common practice, even though workers only need 50% plus 1 vote to win a union election, but company opposition and union busting usually flips some people. As we talked to people, we were making a growing list of what we would want in a union contract, and making sure that that list reflected and met the needs of the group. 

4. How did Natural Grocers react when they learned of your plan to unionize?

The unionizing process was going very smoothly, and very quickly, until the company found out. It was unfortunately another worker who ratted out the campaign, and that person gave the company the name of the worker who reached out to them. I will never understand why they did it, but the company had a whole playbook ready. In 2022, the company sent a revolving door of higher ups who all used the same language and similar tactics. They would tell us they were there to help and listen. They would tell us they care about us. They would tell us that we could get our concerns addressed by talking to HR or higher ups directly. But when we did raise concerns, they were pushed off, not addressed, or we were told they actually weren't real. All the while, the higher ups were looking for anything they could use to target pro-union employees and write them up. 

It is illegal for a company to tell workers not to unionize, so Natural Grocers brought in a third party to do it for them. Labor Relations Consultants are often hired by companies to do this. Miko Penn, the first Labor Relations Consultant hired by Natural Grocers, was featured in the "Union Busting" episode of John Oliver's Last Week Tonight. We started having to attend mandatory captive audience sessions, ranging from 1.5 to 2 hours, where we were told unions just want to use us and make money off of us. We were told that corporations actually care a lot more about workers than unions do. We were told that membership and interest in unions is constantly declining. We were told a lot of half truths, out of context, to dissuade us from unionizing. This eventually led to the union campaign losing a great deal of support and we had to rebuild over the next couple of years. 

In January of 2024, we saw our store manager fired, our assistant store manager pushed to quit, and 14 workers written up in one day. While we had been rebuilding our union campaign, the company had been making plans to clean house. We decided we needed to go public and rely on our wider community to expand our capacity and put pressure on the company to halt their union busting tactics. I launched a petition on coworker.org to raise awareness about what had been going on at the store and collect public support. The company sent an even longer line of higher ups and store managers from out of state to observe the staff. Pro-union employees continued to be written up for minor infractions, like clocking in 8 minutes early or hugging each other with mutual consent. Captive audience sessions became weekly if not bi-weekly occurrences. The company spent so much money in such a short period of time. They were paying for flights, hotel rooms, rental cars, gas, food, and more for all of the managers and higher ups they were bringing in. In addition, the labor relations consultants were being paid $450/hour plus expenses. The company was able to pin workers against each other. This was all extremely taxing on our small and close-knit crew. 

Finally, we had the 70% of our bargaining unit file authorization cards, and we filed for an election on Monday, April 8th, 2024. This was announced at the store by some workers bringing in a cake that read, "It's a union!" That final month, leading up to the election on Thursday, May 9th, 2024, was a new level of union busting intensity. We really had to rely on our wider community to keep up morale. Many supporters signed our petition, offered words of support when they came in to shop, wrote Google reviews of the company, and called the Home Office to let them know they saw what was going on and supported us. The most beautiful expression of solidarity and support I think we received was in the form of two pickets in front of the store in the week leading up to the election. We had over two dozen people on two different days show up to hold signs and chant and let us know we were not alone.

5. How did you feel during the vote itself? What about that situation did you find surprising or interesting?

I was extremely anxious the day of the vote. I knew we had given it our best, but I could not let go of the anxiety that all that work was about to be for nothing. What if the company had flipped more people than we thought? 

I was selected to be the union election observer. Both UFCW Local 1000 and Natural Grocers chose a worker to be their observer. I was not expecting the company to choose the person they did. It was a strange but polite atmosphere. Our union organizer and I walked in together. We were greeted by a handful of Natural Grocers higher ups, the company's legal representation, a labor relations consultant, my coworker, and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) representative. We went over the rules and processes of the election and had some time to raise any issues we might have. Then my coworker who was chosen by the company and I sat in a room with a representative from the NLRB for 2 hours while my coworkers came in the room one at a time to vote. 

With all the union busting done by the company, as well as our work to counter it leading up to the election, it felt strange to have all that culminate in a small room. We had to work so hard, and so many workers before us had to work so hard, to carve out a space for a fair election. We had 20 people in our bargaining unit. The final tally was 11 for the union and 9 against. The company had managed to flip more people than I thought they would, but it was not enough and WE WON. That cannot be contested.

6. Since successfully voting to unionize, what comes next for your group?

We have now entered our campaign for a union contract. This could take a few months or a year. It depends on how effectively we can pressure the company to negotiate. Several labor board charges are being filed with the NLRB against Natural Grocers. If Natural Grocers is found guilty by the NLRB of violating labor law, they are required to sign a contract with us. It is also very helpful to keep building public support and pressure. Solidarity from our community is really what helped us win this campaign. Other Natural Grocers workers at other stores have tried to unionize before, and the company has been successful in stopping them. The community support and solidarity helped keep my coworkers and me from being fired while we were organizing. Solidarity expanded our capacity to advocate for ourselves. We want to offer appreciation and expand that solidarity through this t-shirt fundraiser through Oscillator Press for Norman Care-A-Vans. We hope to accomplish a few things with this fundraiser. 

First, we hope to spread our message that unionizing is an act of love. According to the Economic Policy Institute, unions are statistically shown to benefit not only workers but their surrounding communities - helping to improve income and economic protections, improve health and wellbeing, and help combat voter suppression laws. It is also important to us that this message is spread by supporting a local print shop and that we showcase the NG Community United logo developed by workers in Oklahoma. There is a rich history of union organizing in Oklahoma, but it has been widely suppressed and erased. We want our community to have the opportunity to wear these shirts with pride, that a store in Oklahoma was the FIRST Natural Grocers to successfully unionize. 

Next, we hope to illuminate the connections between workers rights, the rights of the unhoused, and the rights of those who are incarcerated. Earlier this year, AP News released an article exposing many grocery stores and other food businesses utilizing prison labor. Natural Grocers was not among the companies listed, but  many of their top competitors were, including Whole Foods and Aldi. We are observing an industry trend of utilizing the free or cheap labor of incarcerated people, while effectively degrading the rights of employees to unionize. Meanwhile, according to Labor Notes, minimum wage has remained mostly stagnant and wealth inequality has skyrocketed as "owners and managers of large corporations have waged a relentless and highly successful campaign against the collective power of workers." This is especially important in Oklahoma, where we have an incarceration rate of 905 per 100,000, far above the national rate of 608 per 100,000, according to the Prison Policy Initiative. There is also a clear link between being unhoused and being criminalized to the point of incarceration. According to an article released by KGOU earlier this year, "People experiencing homelessness are far more likely to have run-ins with the legal system than those with stable housing, For people experiencing homelessness, daily activities like using the bathroom, drinking alcohol and, starting Nov. 1, sleeping on state property are criminalized." This is about to be compounded by the Supreme Court decision on June 28th of this year, which states that cities can criminalize unhoused people for sleeping outside, even if there is no city shelter or other shelter that they can access. 

It is very apparent to me that my ability to advocate for myself as a worker is connected to my ability to stay employed, which is connected to my ability to stay housed. If my employer can exploit the unpaid or cheap labor of incarcerated people, that also takes power away from me as a worker. If I am unable to advocate for myself or protect myself as a worker, I could be fired and become unhoused very quickly in this economy. According to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, homelessness increased 12% nationally between 2022 and 2023. And if unhoused people can be criminalized for simply existing outside, we truly are all in danger of entering this cycle of exploitation. The solidarity of our community at the Norman Natural Grocers expanded our ability to advocate for ourselves and protect ourselves. We see and admire the way Norman Care-A-Vans builds solidarity with our unhoused neighbors and we hope that by spreading our message that unionizing is an ACT OF LOVE, and by fundraising for Norman Care-A-Vans, we can help build awareness of shared interests and objectives across our community.

7. Are you working with other stores to do the same?

We are in communication with other workers and organizing is happening at other stores. However, the company is working very hard to suppress organizing efforts. For example, many pro-union employees at the Tulsa, Oklahoma, store were fired and people from upper management in Colorado were brought in to run the store. As of now, one other store in Tuscan, Arizona, has filed for a union election. Two pro-union employees have been fired at that store since the election was filed. UFCW will be filing charges with the NLRB for this retaliation, but public support and customer support can be especially helpful in this fight. We ask supporters to look for action steps at bit.ly/NGCommunityUnited and support the t-shirt fundraiser as we work towards retaining a union contract. 

8. Would you agree with the claim that there is a rising labor movement in the U.S.? If so, do you feel that you are a part of it?

I absolutely agree that there is a rising labor movement in the U.S. and I am proud that we are a part of it. When I started looking into unionizing a few years ago, I had no idea where to start and I didn't really know anyone in a union. As I have gone through this process, I have been in communication with family and friends who are also working to unionize their workplaces or have successfully unionized their workplaces in the last few years. I have seen more and more stories in the news about union campaigns and wins. I think the pandemic really shifted something in people, it is time for workers to take back our power in the United States. 

9. What would you like to see happen in the future for workers? For your company and others?

Ultimately, unionization is about power. Right now, corporations have an absurd amount of power. Corporate greed affects all of us daily, from inflation to the poisons being pumped into our food and water. I want to see all workers have a voice and protections in their workplace.  One of our union buttons reads, "United we stand, divided we beg." I want to see a future where working people do not have to beg for basic protections and a living wage. I want to see working people mobilized, empowered, and connected in solidarity. We have so much more power than we realize when we work together. 

10. Any final thoughts we didn't cover? Thanks! 

I want our community to know that this is just the beginning. This process taught me that there was so much more labor organizing happening around me than I realized. When we filed for the union election at our store, we had multiple members of other unions stop by the store just to congratulate us, worker to worker. This process also taught me I have access to more labor organizing histories and resources than I realized. Organizing this campaign also gave me the opportunity to hear stories from my retired neighbor about his decades of experience working in a union job in Oklahoma City; it activated memories for my parents of their family and friends who had organized or worked in unions; it gave me the opportunity to organize and trade resources with loved ones who were states away or just down the street working to unionize their workplaces; and it grounded my relationships with my coworkers, former coworkers, and regular customers in solidarity. Together, I truly believe that we can build a foundation to grow our collective power every day.