Rite Aid workers at six stores in Northeast Ohio went on strike on March 14th to protest unlawful harassment and threats against union members by management . The unfair labor practices strike is asking customers not to shop or fill prescriptions at any of the 61 Rite Aid stores in the Cleveland area.
The contract between United Food & Commercial Union Local 880 and Rite expired in April 2010, but they have been unable to reach an agreement despite almost a year of negotiations. The company wants workers accept a concessionary contract, including increases in health insurance costs for workers.
“Rite Aid refused to meet until June,” said Local 880 President Thomas H. Robertson . “During the ensuing nine months of negotiations, Rite Aid’s insistence upon a concessionary contract never changed, despite admitting that they were able to afford the modest proposals of their workers.”
While Rite Aid workers are being asked by the company to take concessions, the same austerity measures have not applied to Rite Aid management. Rite Aid CEO, John Standley’s, pay and perks amounted to $4.54 million in 2010.
“Local 880 is asking the public to support the workers in their battle with this corporate giant, to refrain from shopping at Rite Aid, and to take all new prescriptions to union pharmacies at Acme, CVS, Dave’s, or Giant Eagle,” said Robertson. “Local 880 is also asking customers to pull any existing prescriptions from Rite Aid for one year to show their support for the workers and to send a strong message to Rite Aid.”
Rite Aid’s labor problems are not limited to Cleveland.Workers throughout the United States have been fighting for a fair contract from the company. Several National Days of Action have been organized by a coalition of Rite Aid workers and community groups to draw attention to the struggle of Rite Aid workers fighting for fair contracts across the country. The next National Day of Action is planned for April 1, 2011.
Five hundred workers at a Rite Aid distribution center in Lancaster, CA represented by the ILWU have been fighting for a fair contract from the company for over 2.5 years. In February, workers overwhelmingly voted to rejected the company’s contract proposal which would have overcharged workers for health insurance up to 28 times over increases being charged by health care providers.