NSLU met with New Seasons on March 26th for an all-day bargaining session.
Package Proposal
NSLU heard the latest counter-proposal from NSM on the package of articles including Discipline & Discharge, Grievance & Arbitration, Rights of Union Stewards, and Strikes & Lockouts.
The company responded to our team’s concerns about the definition of “shift abandonment,” which the company has proposed should be grounds for immediate discharge, by defining it more specifically as leaving 10 or more minutes before the end of a shift without notifying a manager. The bargaining team pointed out the current and historical practice many stores have that allows employees to leave up to 15 minutes early without repercussion.
The company also continued to argue that management alone should reserve the right to deny an employee from having a trained steward with them in an investigatory meeting if one is not immediately available. NSLU maintained that union members should have the right to a trained steward, if that is their first choice, even if it delays the start of the meeting.
Seniority & Layoffs
While the two bargaining teams are nearing agreement on the Layoffs article, the discussion around Seniority is still ongoing. Previously, the NSLU team had introduced language that would have seniority be the deciding factor between two candidates when all other qualifications and availability are “objectively comparable.” The company argued that certain qualifications, such as customer service skills, are judged subjectively by an interviewer. The two teams also began discussions around how to most fairly award preferred days off in order of seniority.
The next bargaining sessions are scheduled for April 23rd and 24th. Sign up to attend at nslu.org/observe
