BARKHAMSTED, Conn. (WTIC Radio) - Dollar General workers in Barkhamsted rallied alongside union supporters and state representatives Wednesday to protest alleged intimidation efforts from the company to keep those employees from unionizing.
Over two dozen people gathered outside the Dollar General on
New Hartford Road to denounce the company's actions in response to the unionizing efforts, some of which UFCW Local 371 officials say are illegal.
The store's six workers contacted UFCW Local 371 in September to organize a union for job security and representation, especially after two major incidents, UFCW Local 371 Organizing Director Jessica Petronella said.
According to Petronella, a sexual harassment complaint was brought to corporate involving an employee and the district manager, but the company allegedly did not investigate the claim.
Company officials also accused the store manager of stealing, Petronella said.
"It was a false accusation, but this was done where all the workers could hear what was going on and they said to themselves, 'Wow, this can happen to our store manager who did nothing wrong. What could happen to us?' and that's what really initiated the call to our union," she said.
Since the work to unionize began, Dollar General management has taken several steps to block those efforts, she said.
UFCW Local 371 filed unfair labor practice charges against Dollar General for three actions.
Those actions include reducing work hours for union supports, threatening to close the store if workers voted in favor of the union and firing a worker who supported the union.
"We filed charges [for the worker's termination] with the National Labor Relations Board and they're currently investigating those charges. We're confident we're going to be able to get him back to work. We do think his firing was against the law and due to his support for the union," Petronella said.
The company has also sent 15 anti-union consultants to the Dollar General, Petronella said, and added a worker from another store to the voting list "to increase [the company's] numbers."
In a written statement, the Dollar General Corporation said, "At no time have we threatened or retaliated against employees."
Dollar General officials also claimed that the company has worked to ensure that employees have "accurate, factual information" regarding unions, including the company's perspective on "why a union is not in their best interests."
Besides labor representation, the Dollar General workers are looking to get pay raises, holiday pay and better work scheduling, among other benefits.
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