by Anya Firszt, General Manager
Happy New (fiscal) year, Co-op Owners! Last fiscal year was a year of unprecedented change at the Co-op.
UNION
In my June Reader report, I gave you a brief recap of the year beginning in August, when the Co-op received notification from the NLRB (National Labor Relations Board) that the United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America (UE) filed a petition for an election to become certified representatives for the employees of the Co-op. In September, staff voted in favor of union representation through the UE, which began our six-month journey negotiating a collective bargaining agreement that resulted in a final contract that was ratified by bargaining unit employees on March 16.
COVID-19
In March, the outbreak of the coronavirus forced us to change the way we were doing business to address the health and safety of staff and customers. We changed our hours of business, we held virtual meetings, we worked from home, we continued to sell groceries and we practiced social distancing. Our nimbleness and “can-do” spirit was awe-inspiring.
We have been open for business throughout the COVID-19 pandemic because of our dedicated staff. We owe them a debt of gratitude. Thank you.
SYSTEMIC RACISM
Then, on May 25, George Floyd, a Black man, was murdered by police in Minneapolis that sent a wave of civil unrest throughout the country and sparked protests against police brutality and systemic racism. With all our nimbleness and ability to change the way we did business with regard to COVID-19, we have not eliminated systemic racism in our Co-op. We have a lot of work to do.
We need help to do this work. We will engage with an outside consultant to lead a discussion about organizational racism at the Co-op. We will provide options for staff and the Board to participate and provide input, and then take recommendations from the consultant and develop a plan to move forward to address personal, interpersonal, and organizational racism at the Co-op.
Our long-term commitments to address organizational racism at Willy Street Co-op require a review of our Co-op policies with regard to hiring and on-boarding new staff; identifying and addressing how racial bias impacts decisions made by the Board, managers, and employees, both internally and with our customers; and better identifying and addressing bias, microaggressions, and conflict with and between customers. We will solicit concerns, questions, and suggested improvements from staff members and customers who are people of color in a manner that preserves their privacy, and responds in a way that better acknowledges their experience and addresses concerns. This list will grow as we learn more about necessary change and be reflected in our strategic priorities that guide our most important work for the fiscal year, and will remain in our strategic priorities into the future.
I am personally motivated to address our shortcomings in terms of racism, equity, diversity, and inclusion at the Co-op, and I want to thank those of you who have recently reached out with your concerns. I accept the challenge, I am listening and committed to making our Co-op a place where “everyone welcome” is a reality.
We will provide you with progress updates as we move forward with our work.
Board Election and Bylaw Vote
I encourage you all to participate in the 2020 Board Election and Bylaw Vote!
The Board candidate statements are included in this issue of the Reader, and posted in the store on and online. Candidates will be introduced at the Annual Meeting to be held virtually on July 9 beginning at 5:30pm. See willystreet.coop/2020-annual-meeting for more information.
All Owners will receive an email with information about how to vote online or by phone, unless we don’t have a valid email address; in that case, we’ve sent letters with instructions about how to do so. Voting online or by phone means that our staff will have to process fewer ballots by hand, so please consider these options if you are able! Results of the vote will be announced at the July 21 Special Owner Meeting.
Our production kitchen is open for business!
After six weeks of no prepared foods or bakery production, you will begin to see some of our signature baked and prepared foods items being stocked in the stores. My favorites include Sheba bars, pizza dough, pesto, and chocolate chip cookies. We have also introduced packaged salads to our offerings while the self-serve salad bar is not an option.
Masks required
We are requiring customers to wear face masks unless they are children under the age of two, or they have a medical reason not to do so. Masks will be available upon entry to anyone who needs one. If you do not want to wear a mask while you shop, please consider curbside pickup or online delivery as an option. Check it out: https://shop.willystreet.coop. Stay healthy, be kind to one another.