FOOD FIGHT UNION OFFICIALS CLAIM PHIL WOODMAN IS TRYNG TO BUST GROCERY WORKERS UNION

[Omaha Steve]

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By Mark Lundey — Wednesday, May 14, 2008

A move is under way to get rid of the long-established unions at area Woodman's grocery stores and union leaders are pointing the finger at owner Phil Woodman.

"The question everyone is asking is why is Phil Woodman taking such an aggressive stance against his hard-working employees,'' said John Eiden, president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1473, which represents Woodman's grocery workers and meat cutters.

A spokesman for Woodman says it's the workers themselves who are questioning the value of being in the union.

Eiden said Woodman's and the union have a 50-year history of negotiating fair contracts that "enabled union members to provide for their families" and helped "make Woodman's the successful business it is today.'' On April 30, according to union officials, Woodman's "unlawfully" withdrew recognition of the grocery workers union. That move came after petitions were filed in March with the National Labor Relations Board to decertify that bargaining unit. The meat cutters, who are also part of Local 1473, were not involved in the decertification petition.

Whether union members or management filed the petition to decertify grocery workers is in dispute. A decision by the NLRB is pending.

The petition affects Woodman's unionized stores in Madison, Beloit and Janesville. Union officials said a petition circulated at the Onalaska store was withdrawn on April 2 because of "substantial'' support for the union at that location.

FULL story at link.