Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, August 4, 1993 TAG: 9308040294
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SANDRA BROWN KELLY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
They also said their solidarity is intended to send a message to other companies that they can't ignore unions.
"We're concerned about all retail chains who don't treat their workers right," said Harold Bock, organizing director in the mid-Atlantic region of the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union.
The Clothing Workers union has been boycotting the Knoxville, Tenn.-based company's stores since November and holding demonstrations at the openings of new Goody's stores. The company will open two stores in Roanoke - one at Tanglewood Mall and the other at Crossroads Mall - on Thursday.
The union said it intensifies its efforts during heavy selling periods such as the current back-to-school season.
The union contends that Goody's officials have not bargained in good faith with 160 distribution center workers who voted for union representation in January 1992.
The workers still don't have a contract with the company. However, effective Monday, Goody's increased the distribution center workers' hourly wage by 60 cents and began a good-attendance program that gives a day off with pay for every 90 days of perfect attendance.
It was the first raise in a couple of years for the workers who voted for collective bargaining, and the union did not protest the increase.
Roger Jenkins, Goody's president since March, said union representatives have been disruptive at some store openings, but that has not affected the company's plans.
"As we open stores, we are going to open as we always have and not going to allow the union to interrupt how we conduct business," Jenkins said.
He said that since the company began negotiations with the union in October, the union has filed more than 60 unfair-labor-practice complaints with the National Labor Relations Board.
"All except three have been dropped or found to have no substantiation. We expect the resolution of those three will be in favor of the company also," Jenkins said.
Union members said they will hand out leaflets at Thursday's openings and will have other activities in the area during the week to get the public's attention.
The Iron Workers, the Communications Workers of America, and Carpenters and Millwrights unions were represented at Tuesday's gathering, at which a special report on Goody's was distributed.
The report said workers at the company, which employs about 4,500 people throughout its system, get lower-than-average wages and have to bear a heavy burden for health insurance.
The report compared mean hourly earnings in Tennessee for three types of employees with Goody's pay for those jobs. Goody's wages ranged from 83 cents to $1.83 per hour lower. The jobs compared were freight, stock and material movers; hand packers and packagers; and apparel retail clerks.
Goody's officials did not comment on the wages the union made public.
by CNB