Safeway Pressuring Members To ‘Beg At The Till’

The union is once again being flooded with reports from Safeway members who have been embarrassed and frustrated by the company’s demands that they ask  customers to donate to charities that Safeway supports.

The union’s members at Safeway find it difficult that management is creating a competitive environment around their fundraising, and that management even goes so far as berating union members for not raising enough money. Store  managers have been using intimidation to pressure members to ‘beg’ for money at the till, as it has been referred to by a number of Safeway members.

Worse, managers are talking to individual members and demanding to know why they aren’t raising as much as their co-workers.

This is simply wrong.

“Of course we understand Safeway wants to get out there and raise money for their charities of choice, and that should be a good, positive experience for everyone involved,” said Ivan Limpright, President of UFCW 1518. “However, the tactics Safeway management are using are too often totally inappropriate.”

“The union’s members are being placed in the terrible position of having to ask customers for more money, at a time when the economy is slumping and  consumers are having to be more cost-conscious than ever,” he says. “The union and its members understand the importance of supporting charities, but you can be sure that no one appreciates feeling pressured to donate - customers certainly don’t and neither do the employees who are being forced to ask them for donations.”

Any union members who have concerns about their treatment by management over the issue of asking customers to donate to charity are asked to contact their Union Representative, or call the union office at (toll-free) 1-800-661-3708 to speak to a Union Rep about what they have experienced. Members can also e-mail their concerns to webcontact@ufcw1518.com