Fresh & Easy Employees Seek Union Recognition

ELLIOT ZWIEBACH

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Tesco’s Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market here said it has received a letter from an employee at a store in Orange County seeking union recognition for workers at that store. A spokesman told SN that company officials were “in the process of investigating the letter and determining their next move.” According to published reports, the letter was sent by a “customer assistant” at the Fresh & Easy store in Huntington Beach, Calif., who is actually a member of he United Food and Commercial Workers Union on a leave of absence from Vons, a division of Safeway, Pleasanton, Calif., and who was “planted” at the store to stir up interest in the union. Greg Conger, president of UFCW Local 324, which represents union members in Orange County, acknowledged the union has “salted” several Fresh &Easy stores with its members. “They are there to help employees if they show any desire for the union, and this particular store has been highly responsive.” Fresh & Easy executives have said in the past it is up to employees to decide if they want to be unionized.

Read More of Today's Headlines