In two years of “bargaining,” New Seasons Markets has offered no overall compensation increase for the roughly 1,000 workers at 11 stores that voted to form the independent New Seasons Labor Union.
Then Jan. 28, the company fired the volunteer treasurer of their union. Randy Foster is a well-liked employee who has worked at New Seasons’ Arbor Lodge location for 19 years. His infraction? Helping a blind coworker close out his till while Foster was on his lunch break. Foster’s co-workers were so infuriated by the firing that they walked off the job in protest, made a flier, and called workers at other stores.
Demanding Foster’s reinstatement, they stayed out on strike for nine days, with the strike spreading to other stores. They returned to work Feb. 6 after New Seasons pledged to meet with the union to discuss the firing.
The Labor Press spoke with Foster on the picket line on the first day of the strike. Below is his account.
After 19 years at the Arbor Lodge New Seasons, Randy Foster was terminated for a minor infraction. Was his union involvement the real reason?
AS TOLD TO CAMERON CROWELL
I’ve worked at New Seasons Market for nearly 19 years. It would have been 19 years next month. My last title was lead cashier, but I’ve worked as a cashier and even front end department manager. I started when we were a much smaller local company. The long and the short of it is that New Seasons has become a heartless and soulless company with no connection to its workers.
Two years ago our store had our vote to join the union. At that time it wasn’t quite so apparent to me how far away New Seasons was moving from what they used to be. I wasn’t 100% about whether I supported the union, but at my core I’m a union supporter so I voted yes. Then once we voted, I knew that this union was going to represent me, so I knew I had to do my part for the union and be involved. I didn’t immediately seek out any leadership role, I just started to go to our union meetings. Then in January 2024 it turned out there was a need for a treasurer and nobody else seemed to want it, so I chose to step up and do it.
Here at the Arbor Lodge store we have a visually impaired cashier named Mikey who has worked with us for about 10 years. My troubles started when I did a few things to support him.
A few months ago he needed some assistance at the end of his shift and I stepped off to help him. I checked in with my department and asked them if they needed me to come back or if I was okay to keep doing what I was doing. I was led to believe that everything was fine, but ultimately I got written up for “time theft” — the first time in almost 19 years I’d been accused of something like that.
Then a couple weeks ago I was helping Mikey out again. It’s common practice, for those of us that are in charge of running the break chart, to let Mikey out a few minutes early so that he can catch his MAX train. Mikey has to take the MAX downtown, then transfers to a bus, and he’s legally blind with a cane. He often risks his life crossing busy rush hour streets every evening. That day I had clocked out for my lunch at 4:35 p.m. and Mikey’s shift was over at 4:45 p.m. I told Mikey, “Hey let’s get you shut down so you can get out of here.” I walked behind his register, turned off his light and put up the closed sign so he could take off.
For this I got investigated for working while I was off the clock. The task took all of about 20 seconds, but the company in their infinite wisdom told me that I was violating state and federal law. They also said a decision had been made by front end management to keep Mikey at his register on that particular day. But I was not aware of that decision, so I was also accused of overriding management’s decision.
Today I came into work for my shift at 1:30 and was immediately called up to the HR office. The HR officer and store manager were there and they delivered the news that I was having my employment terminated.
Our store HR manager is someone who has about the same amount of time in the store as I do. She worked in this store as a perishable grocery clerk when I started, and has moved up the food chain. Heather, our store manager, has been here probably five or six years. I’ve had a really great relationship with Heather, but unfortunately it feels like both of them are unable or unwilling to decide to do anything but carry out the orders of their higher ups.
They read a prepared document about what my offenses were and asked me if I had any questions. They didn’t really engage with anything besides that. I wouldn’t have expected any different unfortunately.
I’m active with the New Seasons Labor Union. I’m treasurer of our union. So there’s a possibility it was retaliatory. I’ve also been here for 19 years, so I’m a higher wage earner. The company would probably love to replace my higher wage with someone who makes less than me. And like I said, this company just has no soul or connection to its workers any more. I was just trying to help a co-worker out and now I’m fired.
When I started working here, New Seasons had a slogan [for employees], “do the right thing, always.” They say we’re “the friendliest store in town,” and that was true when we were actually a locally owned company. We’re not anymore.
I came downstairs after getting fired and told my fellow workers what happened. Everyone just lost it. They started going around to everyone informing them that they’re planning to walk off the job at 3:15 in protest of my firing. We communicated with other New Seasons stores around here and made a flier for community supporters. It seems like people really rose to the occasion to support this.
I’m on the edge of being extremely emotional but really I’m just still numb. At the same time I’m blown away seeing my co-workers out here, and people that I don’t even know from other stores are here supporting me. A guy I worked with made a sign that says ‘Randy made this the friendliest store in town.’ Which is right, I feel pride in that. There’s a lot of us here that really embody what New Seasons always said that they were. Some of us still do, but unfortunately the company is just not that anymore.
When I started I certainly didn’t know I was going to work here 19 years, but I liked the company and what this place was about. I found somewhere I felt like I belonged. But in the end that didn’t mean anything to them.
I’m almost 65 years old, so trying to go out and find a new job right now I don’t think is going to be very easy. So I don’t know. I need to figure out how to continue to have an income.
I’ve become so much more in touch with the stories of other co-workers since we unionized. Before I didn’t know what was happening in so many of my co-workers’ lives. I didn’t have a communication network to really know what experiences were like for other people. I’m just immensely grateful to have gotten to know and learn from my fellow union members, and really disappointed in what New Seasons has become.
