On May Day, TPSS Staff enjoy lunch provided by the Board of Representatives.
By Orly Keiner, TPSS Co-op Board President
The staff at TPSS is the heart and soul of the Co-op. The Board of Representatives hears from our membership over and over that the staff’s knowledge, kindness, and personal connections to our community are a big part of what makes our store so special. It’s no accident that you see the same wonderful people working in the co-op year after year. Our exceptionally high staff retention rate and staff satisfaction is due to the fact that being an excellent employer is a core value of our cooperative.
That’s why the Board was very pleased to see the store come to an agreement with the Takoma Park Workers Union on a new three-year contract on May 1. We are proud to be a union workplace, to pay up to $23.15 an hour, and to offer a generous benefits package that covers 100% of the costs of employees’ health insurance plans, among other benefits.
It’s worth remembering that when you shop at TPSS Co-op, your grocery dollars go to a community-owned grocery store that is deeply serious about treating our employees with the fairness and dignity they deserve. Personnel is by far our single biggest expense line, and we think our staff is worth every penny of it. Also know that Whole Foods/Amazon and other natural foods competitors continue to resist unionization efforts. We’re different on purpose.
TPSS Co-op Shop Steward poses with union literature and swag on May Day.
The Board believes that the cooperative economy offers an alternative, values-based model of business that uplifts people instead of nickle-and-diming them in the name of maximizing profit. This is just one reason why we are so excited to be working on second store expansion – more communities and more workers deserve to have a co-op.