Cook’s Corner is home to the only Staples retail store in the country where workers have petitioned to unionize.
Wanting higher pay, more hours and better benefits, the 12 workers at the Brunswick Staples submitted a petition on June 27 to the National Labor Relations Board to unionize, according to The Times Record.
This is the latest in a Maine wave of union efforts this summer — Little Dog Café in Brunswick was shut down after a strike last month, the UPS union workers across Maine picketed in support of a new contract and the interpretive staff at MaineHealth voted to form a union.
An unnamed Staples worker told the Times Record that pay at Staples ranges from $15 to $18 per hour. The Maine minimum wage is $13.80 per hour, but the McDonald’s and Walmart in Brunswick, which the worker mentioned in the story, pay $17.49 per hour for crew members and $18 per hour for cashiers, respectively, according to Indeed.
The worker told The Times Record that the reason they haven’t left Staples for a higher-paying job is because they love their job — they like their fellow employees and helping small businesses with their office supplies.
In addition to the wage requests, the worker told The Times Record that benefits for non-managerial staff are “insanely expensive” and that despite being full time, workers are often denied working 40-hour work weeks.
Staples could either voluntarily recognize the union or the workers could vote in a union election. A simple majority vote is required to unionize.
Following the closure of Little Dog after the union strike last month, the Staples workers fear retribution, according to The Times Record.
The Brunswick Staples general manager declined The Times Record’s requests for comment. Staples corporate and the Brunswick Staples’ legal representative did not respond to The Times Record’s requests for comment.
Jules Walkup is a Report for America corps member. Additional support for this reporting is provided by BDN readers.
