Jimmy John's workers reject union attempt
Workers at 10 Twin Cities-area Jimmy John's sandwich shops have rejected an attempt to form a union.
The National Labor Relations Board, which oversaw the vote, said of the 204 eligible voters, 85 people voted for the union, and 87 voted against it. The union needed a majority to win.
Individuals have seven days to object to the vote before the results are certified.
Workers who supported unionization complained they don't get sick days or health care. But other employees, including Ben McCarthy, say they like their jobs and want to be represented only by themselves.
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"It's like a minimum wage job. There's no skill required. You don't need an extensive training regimen to get where you want to go," he said. "It seemed silly to me from the get-go to be unionizing for something so simple."
But others who supported the union effort say they will continue to work toward that goal.
"We meet on Sunday, as we do every Sunday. We'll take it from there," said Ayo Collins, a driver at a downtown Minneapolis Jimmy John's. "We discuss our steps in our union meetings. And I can't talk further on that."
Local Jimmy John's owners say they treat their employees fairly and pay them as much as they can afford.