Unionized workers at a West Philly food co-op seek control over workplace after hours cut and other changes

For Mariposa Food Co-op workers, unionizing and getting their first contract was a short-lived victory.

The West Philadelphia grocery store’s managers voluntarily recognized their affiliation with United Food and Commercial Workers International Union in March 2021. The union got its contract a year later, which included a raise in starting wages from $13 to $15, guaranteed regular pay increases, and protections against unfair discipline and firing.

In the months that followed, unionized floor staff have seen their hours reduced, leading to significantly smaller paychecks, with the biggest change happening in January when the store’s hours of operation changed. Stocker and shop steward Will Inglis says staff believe this was a retaliatory move.

Their boss, co-op executive officer Aj Hess, says it was a necessary change due to ailing sales and late-night security concerns. Some employees confirmed that they had told Hess they felt unsafe working until 10 p.m. with a thin staff in the store, but they had hoped for improved security measures, not shorter hours.

Mariposa is a community-owned cooperative, meant to be an alternative to corporate-owned grocery stores. It started in the early 1970s by a group of West Philadelphia neighbors who operated the storefront and were its only customers. It opened to the public in 2012 and now employs about two dozen floor staff, led by CEO Hess with oversight from an 11-member board of governors.

Even with a union, the Mariposa workplace is still far from ideal, current employees said, so they’re taking organizing a step further. They want to change the co-op’s leadership structure and win more control over the business.

For many workers this would be an impossible task, but for employees of a co-op, a path exists. Mariposa’s unionized staff have been speaking openly about their problems with current management in hopes that co-op members vote for union-friendly candidates in next month’s board of governors election.

Their story illustrates how even when workers aim to seize more control by unionizing, employers usually still hold the upper hand. The ongoing clash at Mariposa has unfolded amid a larger national movement toward organizing, which has included low-wage workers. The National Labor Relations Board saw a 53% increase in union election petitions from October 2021 to September 2022, and approval of labor unions in 2022 was at its highest level in over 50 years.

In discussing what led Mariposa workers here, union-affiliated staff said they don’t feel heard by Hess, and they don’t think the board pushes back enough on Hess’ approach to leading the business.

Some described the work environment as “toxic,” pointing to the cuts in hours and disciplinary write-ups they believed were unwarranted. Workers told The Inquirer they’d been written up for behaviors like taking a long bathroom break or wording a sick-day request as a statement rather than a question.

“We’re supposed to work cooperatively together. That’s just not the way it is,” Inglis said. (Inglis is still an employee of the co-op, but he was placed on a leave of absence by management on March 14.)

CEO Hess, who has 23 years of co-op experience and has managed Mariposa since 2016, painted a different picture. They said the union and management are “partners in creating a good workplace for folks.”

Some employees expressed optimism about the support they’ve garnered so far from co-op members, but many of them are also seeking other employment because their paychecks have shrunk.

“We have a union,” co-op worker Kyle Carraher said, “but we’re hanging in the balance here.”

Mariposa is not a worker-owned cooperative. It’s member-owned, which means customers, including employees, can buy a stake in the business for $200. In exchange, they’re entitled to discounts and may receive a small refund during profitable years. They also can attend membership meetings to have a say in how the business operates or run for the co-op’s board of governors for greater influence.

The 11-seat board does not include the CEO, but it does have one staff-elected representative, and members can elect up to two more paid co-op staff members to other board seats. The current staff representative is a manager, and therefore not a union member, Inglis noted, which is something the union members want to change.

Co-op floor staff want a bigger voice on that board so they can help decide store hours, employee schedules, spending priorities, and policies that affect how the co-op serves the community.

“Sales are down at the store,” Mika Romano, store employee and union steward, acknowledged, “but every institution has its spending priorities, and we don’t feel like our workers are a priority.”

The schedule cut most took place in December. Workers were notified a few days before Christmas that the co-op would be changing its hours.

Stocker John Reimers went from 32 hours a week to 12, he said, and picked up a few more shifts when a coworker quit, but that didn’t make up the difference. Victoria Lambert was working 22 hours a week last year and got reduced to two six-hour weekend shifts.

Carraher saw his Friday shift was shortened after the contract was signed and then saw each of his four weekly shifts shortened by an hour this year. He’s making less money than he did when he started a year ago.

Inglis said he has spoken with at least 10 co-op employees who are trying to find a new job because of the hour cuts.

“I feel very sad that I have to look for another job because I feel a lot of solidarity with my coworkers,” said Romano, whose weekly hours were cut from 32 to 25.

Beyond work conditions, employees say they’re worried about the co-op’s financial condition and its ability to serve the community.

“I don’t see any other efforts being made, besides cutting staff and telling us we have to work harder,” Inglis said.

Sales came in nearly $270,000 under budget in the last quarter of 2022, according to co-op financial records reviewed by The Inquirer, a shortfall of about 15%.

Hess attributed the lower sales last year to supply issues, the community adjusting to the store’s new hours, and the departure of Mariposa’s marketing manager, who wasn’t replaced. Negative social media posts about the co-op probably haven’t helped either, Hess speculated.

“We have had a couple folks say they would shop elsewhere or remove their membership” because of the workers’ complaints about management, Hess said.

Current staff members who spoke with The Inquirer acknowledged some challenges outside of management’s control, such as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and rising prices of many products. Other contributors to the sales dip, staff argued, were decisions by management, such as prices set too high and lack of adequate staffing to restock shelves.

It’s difficult to keep prices low when the store is aiming to stock “natural” products and pay employees more, Hess said. “Those can’t always live together simultaneously,” the CEO said.

The store participates in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and has a discounted membership option for low-income customers, Hess added.

At a January meeting with the co-op’s board, a group of union members proposed restructuring the store’s management. Some have called for Hess’ resignation.

In a group statement sent by board leader Meaghan F. Goodwin-Washington, current board members said they have heard from about a third of the Mariposa team about their “dissatisfaction,” and board members are “deeply concerned” by what they’ve heard. The board said it has asked Hess to do an anonymous staff survey and a staff treatment and compensation policy report.

“Once these steps are completed, the board will have the necessary information to collectively make a fully informed decision on moving forward and next steps,” the board said.

Current employees are hoping co-op members will elect worker-sympathetic people to fill three open board seats. Workers themselves will have a chance to elect a new staff representative to a designated board seat currently held by a nonunion manager.

A group of longtime nonemployee members has been organizing a network of their own, under the moniker “Mariposa Liberation,” seeking more transparency about budget and labor issues. The group plans to vote for union-supported candidates, and they’ve been mobilizing members to attend board meetings. Hess has noticed an increase in attendance at those meetings, they said.

As they all await the election, Romano described the work environment right now as “mutually supportive among floor staff, but otherwise tense and depressing.”

Hess, despite the many criticisms being lodged at them, seemed a little more upbeat.

“I’m always looking forward to a new set of folks on the board,” Hess said. “I will follow their leadership as I’ve always done.”

The Philadelphia Inquirer is one of more than 20 news organizations producing Broke in Philly, a collaborative reporting project on solutions to poverty and the city’s push toward economic justice. See all of our reporting at brokeinphilly.org.