A-Infos (en) US, Berkeley Fabrics Workers Join the IWW

[Worker <a-infos-en@ainfos.ca>]

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      A - I N F O S  N E W S  S E R V I C E
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We, the majority of Employees at Stonemountain 
and Daughter Fabrics has come together as a union!

Even though our store has been part of the Berkeley 
community for over 20 years, fundamental employee issues 
continue to be ignored! We need to make positive changes 
in our workplace so we can better serve our customers, 
employers and community.

Customers from near and far, can count on Stonemountain 
and Daughter Fabrics to offer a superb selection of fabrics 
at great prices with personal, expert customer service.

A very significant part of what makes our store so 
wonderful is the creativity, love of textiles, expertise, 
experience, and hard work of the staff. However, for years, 
there have been serious, unaddressed problems with the 
way employees are treated by the owners.

The primary problems are: Lack of respect Inequities in 
pay and scheduling Constant, confusing re-direction of 
tasks Little apparent trust in employee capabilities 
Arbitrary, inconsistent training and treatment Few clearly 
written proceedures Little effective delegation of 
responsibility No opportunity for advancement or benefits

These on-going issues cause resentment, high stress and 
very low morale. They negatively impact our 
owner/employee relations. Staff departure is very high!

Because...

For more than a year; we have met collectively to support 
one another, discuss our issues, and research our 
alternatives. Now we have formed a union in order to bring 
about positive, lasting change that will benefit not only 
current employees, but also our customers, the whole store, 
and employee/owner relations for years to come.

AS A UNION, we will be able to work more effectively 
with our employers. Our interaction with them will be 
much more professional AND OUR ISSUES WILL BE 
TAKEN SERIOUSLY.

Improvements we seek include:

Respect for all employees as skilled and trusted 
professionals Clear and fair procedures for airing and 
resolving issues Equitable pay rates and scheduling Job 
and task descriptions Periodic staff meetings Access to 
benefits

We very much care about our customers, our store, and 
each other.

That is why we are going to so much effort to improve our 
workplace environment. We want the owners and the 
community to know that this is not a mere frivolous 
complaint or personal attack on our employers or the store.

Happy, involved, respected employees make a business 
stronger and we want both!

Please support our Union drive!


Link: www.iww.org

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