Nordstrom Union May File New Charges
The Nordstrom department store chain has reached a final settlement with federal officials on six unfair labor practices charges. But a union representing some store employees plans to file new claims charging that Nordstrom is already violating the agreement.
Nordstrom’s settlement with the National Labor Relations Board marks the latest turn in a bitter 15-month struggle between the Seattle-based retailer and two locals of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union.
The battle erupted after Nordstrom proposed making union membership optional at its six organized stores in the Seattle-Tacoma area, a move the UFCW regarded as an effort to drive it out.
A spokesman for Nordstrom said Tuesday that a preliminary settlement between the company and the NLRB announced in August has gone into effect after the federal agency’s rejection of final appeals by the union.
The settlement calls for Nordstrom to post notices promising not to penalize employees for union activity, not to bargain with workers directly and not to withhold information rightfully sought by the union for negotiations. The company is not required to pay a fine or to admit guilt.
But Joe Peterson, president of UFCW Local 1001 in Seattle, charged that Nordstrom has violated the settlement by helping a group of employees seeking to vote the union out of the company’s stores.
Peterson said the union will soon file new unfair labor practices claims with the NLRB accusing the company of, among other things, harassing union supporters, withholding information from the union on the profit-sharing plan and providing the anti-union group with the names and addresses of employees.
Under federal law, the anti-union group is barred from petitioning for a decertification vote while unfair labor practices are pending. Timothy J. Doke, a Nordstrom spokesman, accused the union of planning to file new charges simply to delay the decertification drive.
Separately, the union and the Washington Department of Labor and Industries are seeking back pay for employees from Nordstrom. The state agency ruled in February that Nordstrom pressured sales staffers to work without pay while performing such tasks as writing thank-you notes, delivering merchandise to customers and attending meetings.
Nordstrom is suing to invalidate the agency’s finding, and a state judge scheduled a hearing for Thursday to consider whether the state agency denied Nordstrom due process.
Earlier this year, Nordstrom set aside $15 million to cover back pay claims, but the union maintains that the company owes more than $300 million to Nordstrom employees in Washington, California and other states. The UFCW represents about 2,000 workers at the six Washington stores.
