I photographed the following, posted by the entrance to Brooks Pharmacy in Montpelier:
“Will do anything legally permissable” to hinder a union. On the one hand, I suppose there's something refreshing about the honesty. On the other hand, is this the type of corporate citizen a progressive town like Montpelier wants in its midst?
Brooks was recently bought out by Rite Aid nationally. It will be interesting to see if the signs stay after the transition is complete. On the one hand, Rite Aid struck a deal in the late nineties to be the preferred provider pharmaceuticals to the National Health and Human Service Employees in New York in exchange for opening their stores up for unionizing (many already were at the time). On the other hand, there's this report from only a year ago in L.A. County:
The warehouse workers at Rite Aid’s distribution center in Lancaster need our support. They sweat and vomit on the job all because the warehouse where they work lacks air conditioning. In fact, one worker died on the job. Many attribute his death to heat stroke. Now these workers are trying to organize themselves for better working conditions by joining the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 26, but Rite Aid has not been supportive. In response, they have slammed these workers with firings, suspensions, harassment and threats.
In any event, if the sign doesn't come down, there may be an opportunity for local activists to work in solidarity with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), which absorbed NHHSE about ten years ago. SEIU has a strong New England presence and is a very activist-oriented union. Since this sign amounts to a spitting-in-the-face of those of us who consider the labor movement a good thing and the right to organize as fundamental, a little pushback would seem to be in order. Stay tuned.
