Complaint alleges Jimmy John’s employees threatened, terminated for union related activities

[Omaha Steve]

Source: NLRB

A complaint issued today by the National Labor Relations Board alleges that six employees of Jimmy John’s, an Minneapolis area fast food restaurant, were unlawfully disciplined, threatened, and ultimately terminated for engaging in union and other concerted protected activities.

According to the complaint, the six employees were fired on March 22 and 23, 2011, because of their support for the Union, and also because of their concerted protest about Jimmy John’s sick leave policy. Another four employees were given final written warnings for engaging in the same conduct.

The complaint alleges several additional violations by the employer, including disparaging and threatening pro-union employees on Facebook, removing union postings from stores, interrogating employees about their union activities, and threatening mass firings for union organizing.

In an informal settlement agreement reached earlier this year between Jimmy John’s and the Industrial Workers of the World, which had attempted to organize store employees, store managers agreed not to discipline or threaten employees because of their union activities, and not to withhold raises because of an ongoing union campaign, among other things. All of these activities are illegal under the National Labor Relations Act, which guarantees private sector employees the right to organize.

Absent a settlement, the case will be heard before an Administrative Law Judge on January 17, 2012.

* Printer-friendly version: http://www.nlrb.gov/print/2908


Read more: http://www.nlrb.gov/news/complaint-alleges-jimmy-john%E2%80%99s-employees-threatened-terminated-union-related-activities

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November 09, 2011

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[Donnachaidh]

1. they just opened a few of those restaurants here in NW Atlanta

Good food, but if they are anti-union, they lose my business...

[tcaudilllg]

2. Nice, but you can do better.

Let other people know they are anti-union...

[Donnachaidh]

3. oh I'm planning on that too n/t

[annm4peace]

9. Jimmy John hunts and kills

Elephants, giraffs, lions, and other animals. I would never ever order or eat his food.

[alp227]

Yeah he goes out on safaris.

http://chicagoist.com/2011/06/10/jimmyjohnlikessafaris.php

Hunting for sport and food are way different in terms of acceptance and necessity.

[harmonicon]

18. You know they put meat in the sandwiches? nt.

[LanternWaste]

22. By hunting endangered species?

"You know they put meat in the sandwiches?"

By hunting rare and endangered species?

[harmonicon]

25. If he hunts endangered species, he should be in prison.

As for hunting animals and killing and eating them, I don't care. There are arguments to be made about having controlled hunts of rare animals to encourage their preservation and discourage poaching... anyway, I can't really begrudge people for doing legal things. Illegal is a different matter.

[AngryAmish]

28. I went out drinking with Jimmy John (whatever his real name is, I forget) once

Strange dude.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

15. GOOD food? Seriously?

His salmonella problem killed a dozen or so. Sickened hundreds.
He threatened to move out of Chicago, because a Rush L. segment convinced him that paying taxes was unamerican.

His food sucks, his spoiled attitude comes from his daddy's millions, and his seance of entitlement is truly amazing.

[cascadiance]

4. I hadn't been to one of those at all before... Now I've confirmed I won't ever go there...

I was tempted to go to one here in Beaverton, but I'll always go to Five Guys or other nearby restaurants in the same block of I have to eat near there.

[Akoto]

5. Shame. They have them here in SoFla, too ...

I have always enjoyed their food. In the future, though, knowing this is gonna make me reluctant to be a patron.

[DaveJ]

6. Their employees usually seem nice but unhappy

It's one of those companies where the owner wants to be famous and the thousands of underlings are just pillars to prop up his enormous egos. I guess he's in the Cain camp, "if you're not rich it's your own fault." No wonder.

[Omaha Steve]

11. Thank you for the photo

Most DUers know I'm big on animal rights. I now have TWO reasons to avoid Jimmy John's!

[freshwest]

7. Not hopeful with an ALJ involved, but let's see if the NLRB has any teeth in it now.

I believe that Obama appointed some new members on coming into office, that naturally the GOP didn't want there and their Reichwing media squealed like pigs, just as they did about Warren. May justice be done in this matter and the trend continue.

I heard from friends today who claim to be 'strictly non-political' about the win in Ohio last night. So the word is getting around.

I read last year that a WalMart in Canada, where I expected a better labor environment, closed their store in a town because the people that worked there voted to be in a union We need to put an end to this heavy handed treatment of workers. Anywhere.

Nice to see the IWW getting on this. A NYC Starbucks negotiated a contract with the help of the IWW this year. We're pushing back.

[seeviewonder]

8. The original Jimmy John's

is in the town where I went to college. Loved it when I was a student but I refuse to go there now.

[WildEyedLiberal]

14. Yeah, and they closed the original location, too

Just to open a generic drive through store around the corner. WTF? I'm glad I never liked it to begin with.

[Scruffy1]

10. The organizing unit was six franchise owned stores.

The election was held last fall and the IWW lost by two votes. However, the NLRB threw out the election after finding the owners guilty of twenty one violations of the law. These workers were fired in retaliation of the organzing attempt and to keep them from getting ready for a new vote. I don't honestly know or care if Jimmy John's has corporate stores or if the Jimmy John's corporation has been involved in this.
There is no doubt in my mind that they will receive back pay and be reinstated and the organizing will continue.

[SomeGuyInEagan]

12. "... *an* Minneapolis area fast food restaurant ..."

"an Minneapolis" ... tsk, tsk.

Oh, and, yeah, I don't patronized the place. Been stories like this floating around the Twin Cities for a while now.

[harmonicon]

19. ...

"I don't patronized the place" ... tsk, tsk.

Seriously though, you aren't the NLRB. That "an" drove me crazy too. I'm pretty sure that within a few generations, English will no longer exist, having been replaced entirely by a mixture of nasal vowel sounds.

[SomeGuyInEagan]

23. ...

Oops ... smeared my ink before even dry on that one. Nice catch, harmonicon.

[stlsaxman]

13. Some time ago (year?) Jimmy Johns had a nation-wide vote on unionizing...

it lost by the narrowest of margins.

at least the company allowed a vote....

"anti-union"? i'm not too sure.

[rpannier]

16. If the employees were terminated for union activities

that makes the company anti-union

[Omaha Steve]

17. There has never been a nation wide vote to unionize JJ

Sorry to burst your bubble.

[stlsaxman]

20. no bubble burst- maybe it was just the that particular franchise. there WAS a vote nonetheless.

i make mistakes all the time- that's how i learn.

[Scruffy1]

27. The union is the Jimmy Johns Woorkers Union-and is IWW

The vote was for a bargaining unit of six stores owned by Miklin Inc. in the Twin Cities area. (Minneapolis). It was considered an historic vote because it only lost by two votes despite the finding of fact that the Company was guilty of 21 labor law violations. The election was thrown out, and the union can file for another election anytime. That is why the IWW members were fired-to prevent another vote.
Franchises are independent businesses from the corporation. I don't know if Jimmy John's Inc. owns any stores.

[myrna minx]

21. K&R n/t

[The Stranger]

24. I wouldn't eat at that shithole if I were starving to death.

[Omaha Steve]

26. Downtown diners clamor for $1 subs (guess where)

http://www.omaha.com/article/20111110/NEWS01/111119919#downtown-diners-clamor-for-1-subs

Photo: http://www.omaha.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=OW&Date=20111110&Category=NEWS01&ArtNo=111119919&Ref=AR&maxw=490&maxh=275

Customer appreciation day took on a whole new meaning outside of Jimmy John's in downtown Omaha on Thursday afternoon.

A lunch-hour line snaked around the block near 14th and Farnam Streets, where diners are waiting for $1 subs.

Although the downtown line passed Jazz to the west and Ashley Lynn's Tanning to the East, Jimmy John's is known for their. “Freaky fast” sub making and delivery.

The customer appreciation event will last from 11 to 3 p.m. and includes menu items one through six, according to the company's Facebook page.