04/20/2021
This article was originally published at JustBloNo.net on April 15, 2021.
Local grocery co-op Green Top Grocery is facing several complaints by workers. Workers allege a hostile working environment, violations of Illinois labor laws, & retaliation against whistle blowers.
A website unaffiliated with the Grocery store entitled Green Top Grocery Employees states,
“We ask you as Owners of GTG to raise your voices on our behalf, because the retaliation for speaking out about Michael Talley is real. Unless leadership changes, we know those speaking up here will simply be terminated and nothing will change, except the next wave of employees will be abused too. Staff is demoralized, scared, and powerless. Those of us who are owners are using this platform to ask for fellow owners’ help. We know you care about staff and the treatment of staff. Please help us push back on the misogyny, sexism, violations of privacy, cyberstalking, and intimidation perpetrated by Michael Talley, allowed by the General Manager, Nicholas Walters and HR Manager, Lora Jorgensen.”
The accusations largely revolve around current Green Top Grocery Marketing Manager Michael Talley. Accusations against Mr. Talley include wrongful termination, consistently uncooperative, dismissive and disrespectful behavior towards other team members.
According to workers, the workplace has become so hostile seven employees chose to withhold their labor on Wednesday, April 14th, 2021 by not appearing for shifts. They did this knowing they could be terminated, and that they have few labor protections because they are nonunionized & at-will employees. However, workers feel they have exhausted all other proper channels for addressing these issues stating:
“Staff reached out to Nicholas Walters (GM) with their concerns on multiple occasions. Staff confronted Michael Talley directly on multiple occasions with concerns on his misbehavior. Multiple staff members made formal HR reports related to Michael’s bullying, and his leaving Chloé’s termination letter out. Staff worked together to create a full report that went to the board and the GM. The board responded dismissively and gave staff the runaround. Staff alerted the board that these issues would have to go public if the board chose not to act (the employee handbook states that if staff has concerns with the GM or HR, they should take them to the board).”
As Jon Stone wrote on Twitter: “One reason people insist that you use the proper channels to change things is because they have control of the proper channels and they’re confident it won’t work.”
Employees have several demands of Green Top Grocery but first & foremost is the termination of Michael Talley. Employees may continue to strike if these demands are not met, though they maintain they “love this co-op, and we believe in its core principles. Some of the employees whose stories appear on this website have been with the store since the beginning. They are passionate about GTG and have stood beside owners during campaigns to save the store. We’ve all worked hard to keep you safe and feed you well during the pandemic. We want this co-op to continue doing good work in our community, but in order for the store to succeed, the staff must feel safe at the workplace and supported by the store leadership. This blog was created for the sole purpose of giving employees of Green Top Grocery a means to raise owner awareness about the situation staff is currently in.”
Names were withheld because of the risk of retaliation. This story will be updated.
