Union voted down at Valley Stream Target

Employees of the Valley Stream Target store voted not to unionize during a federal election on June 17. The vote was 137 to 85 against joining the nation’s largest union for retail workers, announced the National Relations Board on June 18. Several reports cited it as a “test case” for United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1500 to make it the first ever Target store to be unionized.

Representatives of Local 1500 said the results were not shocking. “We were not surprised,” said union organizer Ali Waddy. “The company’s behavior was so aggressive, and we know workers were afraid.”

Target officials offered insight on the vote. “The Valley Stream Target store is filled with a team of dedicated, enthusiastic team members,” said Derek Jenkins, vice president of Target’s Northeast region stores. “We believe in solving issues and concerns by working together with the help and input of all team members. Our team has embraced that philosophy by rejecting union representation. We are pleased that today’s results mean that we’re going to be able to continue to work directly with our team members to solve problems and make Target an even better place.”

The union began eyeing the retail giant after store employees expressed concerns in February. Employees said they were being denied hours, wage increases, and benefits and entitlements, including health care. Several workers complained that they were only allowed as little as five hours a week, according to Pat Purcell, a Local 1500 spokesman.

Following a petition filed with the National Labor Relations Board in April, several hourly full-time and regular part-time employees were allowed to cast a secret ballot vote. But tensions quickly arose after Local 1500 accused Target of “illegal threats, and aggressive campaigning.”

Local 1500 said that Target put up huge posters telling employees to “Say No” to unionizing, and showed “anti-union” videos leading up to the election. “We felt like the election was tainted,” Waddy said.

On the day of the election, union representatives were worried about Target’s security. The company had more security guards in the store than on “Black Friday,” Waddy said, and vans transporting employees to the store were ridden with enforcement personnel. That seemed to be an intimidation tactic, union officials said.

Employees were also not allowed into the voting room once the results were tabulated, a move union officials called “cruel.” And they were told that replacement workers would come in if workers voted “yes” for unionizing, employees said.

Target spokeswoman Molly Synder responded to the complaints following the election. “Target believes we have followed the policies and procedures as outlined by the National Labor Relations Board in a completely lawful manner,” she said.

Local 1500 filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board against the retail giant for inhibiting a fair election at the end of last month. Those proceedings are still ongoing.