About a dozen workers at the Staples store in Brunswick finally have a union election date set for January 3, 2024. If successful, they will affiliate with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 4.
The workers filed an NLRB petition to unionize in July, but the company quickly appealed by challenging the make-up of the bargaining unit. This week, the NLRB finally ruled in favor of the workers, finding that two of the supervisors the company claimed were ineligible to vote were not managers and therefore entitled to vote in the election.
The Brunswick Staples employees say they are organizing to address a lack of livable wages, benefits, predictable schedules, staffing and sufficient hours for employees. The workers also say the store reneged on its promises of pay raises and that managers have not supported them.
The union is currently awaiting the ruling on an unfair labor practice it filed on behalf of a worker it claims was illegally fired just before Labor Day in retaliation for union organizing.