NEWS
Monday, December 15, 2003
The Borders Employee Union has released the following statement about last night's vandalism and the state of negotiations:"Monday, December 15, 2003
Negotiations between Borders workers and Borders Group Inc. were cancelled by the company shortly after talks were to begin this morning.
Borders blamed the delay on vandalism to the downtown Ann Arbor Borders store, committed sometime after the store was closed at midnight Sunday night and before 5 am Monday morning when it was discovered by the Ann Arbor police.
The Borders Workers Union denies any involvement and strongly condemns this action. It is completely counter to the way we have been operating and its timing only served to sabotage negotiations.
Borders has gone so far as to suggest a union member may be directly involved, an outrageous claim given the fact that at the end of our last negotiation session Borders indicated that they would bring a proposal to the table today, the first one since negotiations began.
We are concerned that Borders is using this incident to give us a black eye. There is no reason why this minor bump in the road should delay negotiations for the two week delay they want.
In spite of the vandalism, the unfair labor practices and contract issues remain the same. Negotiations should be resumed immediately.
Borders Workers Union"
It goes without saying, but the vandalism did nothing but hurt the worker's efforts to win a just contract, and it seems has become yet another excuse Borders is using to delay settling the dispute. Activists seeking to help the cause should help picket or flyer - efforts which someone may actually see aside from the Ann Arbor Police and a few Borders suits. Another idea: Christmas Carols!
Posted by Rob at 4:25 PM
