We believe that these firings and targeting of employees, the affects these have on the wider community, and the steps Natural Grocers has taken to impede the rights of their workers to organize are in violation of the company’s proclaimed commitments to crew and community. Community is formed through relationships. Customers and crew have formed meaningful relationships over the years and those relationships can better inform company policies to better serve customers. This is a COMMUNITY CALL to UPHOLD Margaret Isley’s five founding principles (see more here:
https://www.naturalgrocers.com/our-five-founding-principles) by respecting workers’ rights or organize and embracing the desired feedback structure of workers. We understand that COMMITMENTS require ACCOUNTABILITY, and evidence has shown us that the path to that accountability is a union for Natural Grocers workers.
We do believe that the founders of Natural Grocers and the current leadership do genuinely care. We do believe that, unlike a company like Amazon, Natural Grocers could take the feedback of this petition and address our concerns. We hope they will not disappoint us.
Community Member Testimony
“The warmth and genuine conversations that I have with all of the crew is why I love shopping there, and I want them to feel just as comfortable and supported. It is really distressing to me that a store that I love, value, and respect is causing its employees to feel unsafe about asking for better working conditions, pay, and benefits. I hope that through incorporating the feedback of their employees, Natural Grocers can become an even healthier environment holistically because they value everyone who keeps the store flourishing.”
Crew Member Testimony
“I have been an employee at the Natural Grocers in Norman, Oklahoma, store #48, for over 8 years. I work very hard to connect intentionally with each customer I encounter and to find them what they need. I have brilliant and kind coworkers and former coworkers whom I have witnessed do the same. I have seen our store act as a community center in many ways. Whenever I go out in Norman, I almost always run into one of my regular customers and they greet me. I have watched children grow up in our store. My apron is filled with buttons and pins, many of them gifts from customers and others in my community. To this day, this is my favorite job I have ever had. But I am sad to say that the company and my little store are rapidly changing, and not for the better.
I want a union because I do care deeply for my coworkers, my store, my community, and the future of the company. I believe that a union would provide a more accessible feedback and representation system for workers and that this would enable the company to better uphold their principals and goals.”
