As shoppers go into the Oregon branch of Berkeley Bowl, they may see a table set up nearby with pamphlets talking about unions and justice.
Six years after the government ordered Berkeley Bowl to bargain with the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 5, that union is struggling to survive.
On Wednesday, workers at Berkeley Bowl will vote whether to decertify the UFCW, or continue to have it represent them. The workers’ contract with Berkeley Bowl management is set to expire July 31.
On Monday, Berkeley Bowl workers on both sides of the issue held a rally outside the Oregon Street store. The UFCW set up a table, and its supporters held up signs saying “Stop Union Busting in Berkeley.” Non-union workers from Berkeley Bowl West set up a table with a sign “Union Free Works for Me.”
The National Labor Relations Board will hold the de-certification vote.
The Berkeley City Council will consider a measure tonight opposing the attempts to de-certify the union.
Photos by Bob Patterson from Berkeleyside Flickr pool.
