I find it odd that out of all the employees at the Turlock Raley’s only five employees felt the need to honor the picket line. In talking to the employees who have decided to stay with Raley’s and keep doing their jobs all have said that their wages and benefits are very fair. Everyone that I talked to was disheartened that the union refused to let them vote on the proposed settlement offered by Raley’s management.
On two occasions I have talked to gentlemen staffing the picket line concerning why their union is taking this action and neither one was able to articulate exactly why this was being done. One gentleman said that Raley’s would not open their books to a union audit. My question to him was to ask him if he would open his personal books to an audit by me or someone else. Of course, he said no – that it was none of our business.
The other gentleman said that he is striking because Raley’s employees will lose their health care at the age of 65 and have to go on Medicare. My answer was that this is what is going to happen to just about everyone. I told both of these men that as they are probably aware times are hard and are probably going to get harder.
It just may be time to bite the bullet and be thankful of a job.
— John West