by Anya Firszt, General Manager
Hello March! Hello Spring!
Lion or lamb? March is the first of the three months that make up spring; spring starts March 1 and ends on May 31. March 20 marks the spring or vernal equinox. Spring is on the calendar; spring-like weather remains to be seen.
UE WILLY STREET CO-OP Contract Negotiations
Last month, we began contract negotiations with the United Electrical, Radio and Machines Workers of America (UE) for our second contract. We had some productive discussions in the first week of bargaining and came to tentative agreements on a number of topics, mainly non-economic. The second week we began on the economic items. At press time, we were in the process of bargaining. There were no additional updates to share at the time, rest assured, we will continue to bargain in good faith to address the remaining issues in a way that is agreeable to both parties.
I wanted to take a moment to thank those of you that reached out to me directly or submitted comments voicing your care and concern for our employees.
Mask Mandate Update
Two years ago, the pandemic outbreak changed how we did business. We continue to operate under many of the same protocols that were put in place in March 2020 to keep our staff and customers safe.
Public Health Madison & Dane County announced last month that their Face Covering Emergency Order #7 will expire March 1, and face coverings will no longer be required to be worn in indoor public spaces.
We know that the pandemic is not over yet, and we are committed to continuing to do what we can to protect the health and safety of our owners, customers, vendors, and employees. We strongly encourage our customers to continue to wear a face covering while shopping at the Co-op, but as of March 1 that is a request and not a requirement. Following discussions with our employee union, we are maintaining our Employee Face Covering Policy that requires staff to wear a face covering while working for the safety of their customers and fellow co-workers.
DEI Update
The Co-op and Step Up: Equity Matters launched the Uprooting Bias Online Challenge for staff last last calendar year. The online self-paced challenge teaches about the inherent biases all people from all walks of life possess and how to recognize, own, and disrupt them to make meaningful change. The names for these sessions are Uprooting Bias Online Challenge (UBOC) and Uprooting Microaggressions Online Challenge (UMOC).
The expectation is that all staff including managers will complete these trainings by April 30, 2022. New hires are added on a monthly basis with the same expectation for completion within 15-weeks from their date of hire.
Also late last fall, the Board and senior management worked together with Step Up: Equity Matters to draft vision and mission statements, and identify strategic goals that included DEI initiatives. The three areas of focus that management is working on to include DEI initiatives include Employee Engagement and Development, Retail and Supply Chain, and Member and Community Engagement. This work is being developed in 2022 for implementation later in 2022 and into 2023.
And finally, we have created a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) page on our website. This page will include updates on our DEI work, strategic goals, process and timeline milestones, ways to get involved, and resource links. You can check out the new page at willystreet.coop/DEI.
On the Horizon
Willy Street Co-op will be the host co-op for the 2022 Up and Coming Conference May 19-21. This conference is for those people working to open a new food co-op and those operating a newly opened food co-op; offering attendees networking, collaboration, and operational and Board development opportunities. The conference is coordinated by Indiana Cooperative Development Center (ICDC) and Food Co-op Initiative (FCI). Stay safe, stay healthy.