BUFFALO, N.Y. — Walk into Lexington Co-op and from the apples to the oranges, everything may appear to be in ripe condition.
But behind the shelves, there’s a battle ensuing that Phil Kneitinger and Maxwell Bollman are at the center of.
In December, the workers at Lexington Coop voted to unionize. But now six months into contract negotiations, the union organizers say they feel further apart from management than ever.
“When I have to come back from bargaining and put on my apron for my shift, and the first question I get from everyone who's on the floor is ‘where did we get?’ and I have to say, ‘pretty much nowhere,’ it's pretty disheartening,” Bollman said.
The union reps say they have focused their negotiations on better wages, working conditions, and a permanent seat at the table.
But according to Bollman and Kneitinger, management has barely budged, even on issues as small as the dress code, where union workers spent months bargaining for permission to wear shorts.
Tim Bartlett has been the general manager of the co-op for 26 years. He says given the co-op has never negotiated a contract before, despite what the workers may think, it’s going to take time before the two sides can get on the same page.
The workers claim Bartlett has prioritized his public image over cooperating with the union. 2 On Your Side pressed him on that matter.
2 On Your Side: The workers have said that they feel you are saving face over meeting their needs. What is your response to that?
Bartlett: “We're a community-owned business. We're owned by the people who shop here, and we've got over 20,000 owners from across the community. And I'm accountable to them every day. It's not really about me. It's about the community.”
Management’s actions are now leaving many within the community-run grocery store wondering what their future looks like within its walls.
“If management and their attorneys brought the same spirit of collaboration to the table that we do, we will be having a very different discussion right now,” Kneitinger said.