?Target workers in Virginia filed on May 10 with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to become the only unionized store within the company, but the status of that effort is now closed. We’ve gathered articles on the news from SHRM Online and other media outlets.
Higher Pay Sought
The starting pay of workers at the Target store in Christiansburg, Va., where the organizing effort was located, is $16, according to the pro-union media outlet More Perfect Union. Workers sought $2 per hour above that for those who have been there for five years and another $2 for those there for 10 years or more. A letter approving a withdrawal request was filed May 17 and the status of the unionization campaign is closed, according to the National Labor Relations Board. However, if the case was closed “without prejudice,” it may be reopened in the future.
Target’s Statement
Target said in a statement that it has been investing in its workforce, with a starting wage range of between $15 to $24 per hour, health care benefits and a program that covers the cost of some associate and undergraduate degrees. “At Target, our team members are at the heart of our strategy and success, and we have a deep commitment to listening to our team and creating an environment of mutual trust where every team member’s voice matters,” it said.
(CNBC)
Prior Unionization Drive
A pharmacy department at a Target store in Brooklyn, N.Y., became the first to unionize at Target in 2015, but Target sold their pharmacy business to CVS shortly after the election win.
Unionization Wave
The unionization effort at Target came amid a wave of unionizing. Last month, the Amazon Labor Union won a union election at a warehouse in Staten Island, N.Y., although a subsequent vote at another nearby warehouse failed. Workers at an REI in Manhattan voted to unionize in March. Union elections have been called at Apple stores in Atlanta and Baltimore. About 60 Starbucks stores have voted to unionize since December, with dozens more elections filed.
Amazon Challenges Vote to Unionize One of Its Warehouses
Amazon has filed numerous objections to invalidate a vote to unionize one of its warehouses, JFK8 in Staten Island, N.Y.—objections that will be aired at a hearing starting May 23 and that could take weeks to resolve.