This round of bargaining began with discussion over the company rescinding Covid protections for staff effective at the beginning of January, which have been the primary focus of the ongoing pickets at NSM stores. At the close of the last bargaining session, NSLU’s Bargaining Team made a proposal for the reinstatement of these benefits. You can read that proposal below.
New Seasons Market opened with remarks in response to the union’s proposal from Daniel Blocker, Senior Director of Governance, Risk & Compliance for NSM, who sits on the company’s Covid task force, composed primarily of senior HR and executive leadership, in ongoing conversation with store managers. Mr. Blocker outlined the task force’s overall response to the pandemic, commending company leadership on action taken throughout the pandemic to curb the spread of Covid with things like masking, cleanliness and other precautionary measures. Moving forward though, the company’s bargaining team made clear that NSM believes the pandemic has moved into the endemic phase and that Covid may now be treated like other illnesses.
NSLU returned with some questions and perspective: Why weren’t provisional protections for employees implemented before being completely wiped out? Why is New Seasons no longer interested in maintaining its place as an industry and community leader in Covid protocols, a status the company has prided itself on throughout the pandemic? What data sources was the company looking at? We understand that to some extent it is up to the individual worker to judge whether or not they should go to work, but we are still grappling with a historic public health crisis. The union feels that a more suitable response that would live up to NSMs values (and DEI lens) would at the very least excuse all Covid-related absences. Many members have not only had their PTO banks completely drained, but are also racking up attendance violations with some staff coming extremely close to being terminated for doing the responsible thing and staying home to recover when they get Covid.
In response to these questions, Mr Blocker responded that all Covid precautions were of a provisional nature, and that the company could have rescinded all protections back even earlier in September of 2022, which was apparently being considered by executives. NSM currently refers to the New York Times coronavirus map for its data.
After this response, the company told us that they reject in full our proposal to reinstate Covid protections. The bargaining team reiterated the fact that getting Covid is still a reality for workers in our industry, and without any protections, some of us may have to choose between recovering or being able to provide for ourselves and our families. Furthermore, the CDC still recommends 5 days of isolation after the onset of symptoms, if one has been symptom free for at least 24 hours. We believe that company leadership’s attitude towards the pandemic now is at odds with the initiatives and values previously championed.
Following discussions on the Covid proposal, we presented the five following proposals :
Following an understandably long caucus, management returned in the last portion of the bargaining session, and presented a counter-proposal on the Union Security clause with some edits made. At that point the bargaining session ended, but the feeling is that both parties are in tentative agreement on the Union Security clause.
