Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.
On Monday, the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union-UFCW (RWDSU-UFCW) announced that workers at Reconsidered Goods in Greensboro, North Carolina, voted unanimously to form a union.
Staff at the thrift store have become the second retail location in the city to join RWDSU-UFCW this year after their union brothers, sisters and siblings at REI Greensboro won their election last month. But the path to get here wasn’t easy: management attempted to exclude two people from the proposed bargaining unit, forcing workers to go on strike until all eligible staff could vote. Members cited concerns like safety issues, working conditions, wages and scheduling as core focuses for when they enter bargaining.
“There has been no doubt in my mind that we would win this election,” said fabric specialist Yvonne Rabel. “We’ve been working hard for over a year to build a sense of community and camaraderie with each other….Our community has been nothing but supportive of our goals to ensure a safer work environment, and we’re going to continue to work toward these goals during negotiations. I can’t say whether I expect our directors to be collaborative or not, but I’m hopeful we can work on a solution that includes the workers having a say in the decisions that affect them.”