Harvest Board of Directors Election
From Harvest Members
Evaluating the Harvest Election
Tuesday, November 20th, 2007
The Harvest Coop's Board of Directors election is over. The votes were counted on Saturday, November 17th. Long time IWW activist Bill Bumpus observed the counting. Sadly, the final tally put me four votes short of being elected to the board, coming in last out of six candidates.
Having come so close, it is hard not to recount every missed opportunity to have made the campaign better. The bottom line is that we weren't as well organized as we could have been. We should have done a better job of reaching out to workers, especially at the Cambridge store where we are not well represented, as well as to environmental and labor organizations. We never got a pdf version of our flyer on our website, www.harvestmembers.info/. When my irregular work schedule interfered with my ability to attend, plans to flyer outside the store fell through. We also faced stiff opposition from management and incumbent board members. We currently have a ULP charge against management for prohibiting me from placing flyers in employee mailboxes for a community party. Management never had such a rule before I declared myself as an IWW member and candidate for the Board. Perhaps even more egregious, Board of Directors incumbent Amy Cotter censored our web address out of my statement of candidacy which was sent to all coop members with ballots. Nobody on the Board responded to my request for a dialogue on the matter, nor have I been told who participated in the decision. This activity, coupled with the fact that this very same management and Board conducted the election, undermines the credibility of the entire process.
On the bright side however, my candidacy received 188 votes. That's ten more than the highest received in last year's election. In terms of absolute votes, we met our goal. However we did not anticipate the higher overall voter participation, which worked against us, probably due to the campaigning efforts of the candidates, management, and my efforts to politicize the process. I was the only candidate to run on any sort of platform. I was the only employee running. I identified myself as a member of the Socialist Party USA and the Industrial Workers of the World. Despite the common wisdom that declaring yourself as a red is political suicide, I won votes from 58% of the 322 ballots cast.
Having an ally on the Board of Directors would have been a major victory. Being one voice among nine probably wouldn't lead to policy changes, but it would have at least challenged the values and analysis management spoon feeds the Board. A worker on the Board could have exposed the dismal labor practices and mismanagement that workers see at the shop floor level. We could have at least aired proposals and maybe forced a vote. Coops should model alternative economics, not replicate the failures of capitalism. Next time I hope we run a more vigorous campaign with a full slate of candidates.
Despite having failed to win a seat on the Board, I believe the campaign has put us in a stronger position. I was able to put forward a radical pro-worker platform without fear of retaliation. My position in the public eye, and links with supportive activist organizations, gave me a freedom to speak that my fellow workers have not had. At least 188 members know about me and supported my candidacy. During the campaign I met former coop employees and long time members who expressed an interest in playing a supportive role. After a year of agitating against pessimism among my fellow workers, I finally started to get optimistic responses.
Most victories for the working class are built off nominal failures that nevertheless increase our capacity to struggle. The final analysis on our decision to run a candidate for the Board will depend on how workers and members react to the results - whether it is viewed as an example of inevitable defeat, or a rallying cry for what could be.
Now that our campaign is in the open, we must talk to every worker and make the argument that only collective action can win us the raises, better working conditions, and respect that we deserve. We must cast aside the illusions that lawyers or enlightened bosses will solve our problems for us, and begin to create the changes we want to see ourselves.
I want to call upon all workers at cooperative grocery stores to join the Industrial Workers of the World, IU 460 Foodstuff Workers. We are building an international campaign to restore coops to their founding values, and raise the living standards of all workers in our industry.
All candidates for Harvest's Board of Directors are encouraged to submit statements and platforms for our website here for members to consider when voting.
[edit] Matthew Andrews
STATEMENT OF CANDIDACY
I am running for the Board of Directors as part of a broader effort to reform the Harvest Coop. I have worked in the produce department of the Jamaica Plain store for the past year. Before coming to the Harvest, I earned my Masters Degree in Labor Studies and have been an activist for the Socialist Party and the Industrial Workers of the World.
Little remains of the Harvest Coop to distinguish us from our corporate competitors. A traditional corporate mentality of cutting corners has put both employees and our community on the chopping block. I would like to take this opportunity to begin a dialog with workers and members about how to make the Harvest more democratic, foster a sense of ownership among workers and the community, find creative solutions to workplace problems, and promote related progressive movements.
The conduct of labor relations at the Harvest should alarm everyone. Most employees are paid poorly. Raises are routinely late or non-existent. We are ignored when we voice workplace problems. A hierarchical power structure is used to extract hard labor and discipline. Workers are treated like tools and are discouraged from getting involved as members. Furthermore, our lack of clear policies leaves the door open to favoritism and neglect. Workers are unaware of their basic rights. The expansion of workers' rights and equality in the workplace are essential first steps. Democracy cannot exist when a few managers hold all the power and can even fire workers at will.
The Harvest should be at the center of local movements to change the way we relate to food, the Earth, and consumerism. We should also exemplify a model for economic democracy. To this end, some of us have already begun meeting. I encourage everyone to visit our website, www.harvestmembers.info/.
MY PLATFORM FOR THE HARVEST BOARD OF DIRECTORS
1. FAIR PAY. The highest net income should not be more than twice the lowest for any Harvest employee. The starting wage for any employee should be at least $10 per hour. Workers should expect annual raises that keep pace with the rising cost of living. Employees should receive a share of the profits based on hours worked. Quality health care should be affordable to individuals and families. Lunch breaks should be included as paid time.
2. WORKPLACE DEMOCRACY. Department heads should be elected by the workers in their department for limited terms. Employees should be allowed to meet by department to discuss any work related issue, establish new policies or petition management. Every full time employee should be required to spend one shift per week receiving, prepping, stocking, cashiering or providing customer assistance.
3. JOB SECURITY. Managers and supervisors must show that they have tried to resolve specific problems before taking disciplinary action. An employee may only be dismissed by a majority vote of the Board of Directors. The employee in question shall have the right to see all evidence in advance of a board hearing and shall have the right to representation.
4. MINIMIZE WASTE. Every effort should be made to avoid wasting edible food that cannot be sold. When no refund is possible, products should be given away, either as a benefit to employees, or a charity that serves the most needy in our community.
5. SOLIDARITY. The Harvest should build strong relationships with local farmers and businesses that share our values. We should educate the community and promote local, organic, fair-trade and cruelty-free foods.
6. FREEDOM OF INFORMATION. All employees should be free to communicate through the employee mailboxes. The community message boards should be restored at both stores where customers can easily see them. Minutes from Board of Directors meetings should be posted on the Harvest website in a timely manner. Employees should be informed of their rights when they are hired, including the right to discuss wages, hours, working conditions, benefits and their right to organize with co-workers.