Sandwich Workers and their chosen union, Unite Here, will be holding a picket and sticker up campaign at 5:00 p.m. on August 18, 2022 right outside the main entrance of the hospital.

The Sandwich Workers are asking all staff at SJMC to support them by wearing their stickers, especially on the 18^th, the day of their picket.

WSNA nurses should not picket, but should wear stickers, sign their petition, and not buy the listed products.

Stickers will soon be available on the union bulletin boards throughout SJMC and also at the picket.

Please take pictures of groups of each other stickered up and send the pics to Maris Zivarts mzivarts@unitehere.org.

This is why:
Workers at Homegrown, that work in their cafes, and wholesale production are organizing to win a union. Homegrown products, which include the brands Molly’s, Tosti, Shine, and Bolt, are sold at St. Joseph.

In June, Homegrown workers delivered a petition signed by a majority of workers calling on Homegrown to agree to a fair and quick process to decide whether to form a union.

Organizing workers are asking customers to not buy Homegrown sandwiches until the company agrees to a process and respects their decision.

While Homegrown likes to advertise their “Sustainable Sandwiches”, workers are organizing because they want to have pay and benefits that would make their lives sustainable and they want respect on the job. Current company policy says that workers are not eligible for the company health care plan in the first 6-7 months of their employment. A Homegrown worker who made or delivered a sandwich to your medical center in the first 6-7 months of their job would likely not be able to afford to seek care there.

A union at Homegrown would mean wages, benefits, and working conditions that would make Homegrown workers’ jobs sustainable.

We are asking you to respect the workers’ wishes, stand with them in solidarity, and not buy Homegrown product until the dispute is resolved. Urge your friends, family, and coworkers to do the same. Do not buy Homegrown products.

You can show your support by wearing a sticker and signing the Homegrown worker solidarity pledge: https://bit.ly/homegrownpetition.

Questions? Contact WSNA Nurse Representative Barbara Friesen at bfriesen@wsna.org.