Stonemountain and Daughter Fabrics Workers Unionize

We, the majority of Employees at Stonemountain and Daughter Fabrics has come together as a union!

Even though our store has been part of the Berkeley community for over 20 years, fundamental employee issues continue to be ignored! We need to make positive changes in our workplace so we can better serve our customers, employers and community.

Customers from near and far, can count on Stonemountain and Daughter Fabrics to ofer a superb selection of fabrics at great prices with per sonal, expert customer service.

A very significant part of what makes our store so wonderful is the creativity, love of textiles, expertise, experience, and hard work of the staff. However, for years, there have been serious, unaddressed problems with the way employees are treated by the owners.

The primary problems are:

• Lack of respect
• Inequities in pay and scheduling
• Constant, confusing re-direction of tasks
• Little apparent trust in employee capabilities
• Arbitrary, inconsistent training and treatment
• Few clearly written proceedures
• Little effective delegation of responsibility
• No opportunity for advancement or benefits

These on-going issues cause resentment, high stress and very low morale. They negatively impact our owner/employee relations. Staf departure is very high!

Because...

For more than a year; we have met collectively to support one another, discuss our issues, and research our alternatives. Now we have formed a union in order to bring about positive, last ing change that will benefit not only current employ ees, but also our customers, the whole store, and employee/owner relations for years to come.

AS A UNION, we will be able to work more effectively with our employers. Our interaction with them will be much more professional AND OUR ISSUES WILL BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY.

Improvements we seek include:

• Respect for all employees as skilled and trusted professionals
• Clear and fair procedures for airingand resolving issues
• Equitable pay rates and scheduling
• Job and task descriptions
• Periodic staff meetings
• Access to benefits

We very much care about our customers, our store, and each other.

That is why we are going to so much effort to improve our workplace environment. We want the owners and the community to know that this is not a mere frivolous complaint or personal attack on our employers or the store.

Happy, involved, respected employees make a business stronger and we want both!

Please support our Union drive!

To our Customers:

In this age of dominance and takeover by huge, impersonal corporate franchises there has been a great loss of most of the small, unique, independent fabric stores that once thrived all around the country. Large corporate store chains have bought out many great independent fabric stores and degraded the diversity and quality of goods and services in countless communities around the country.

Stonemountain and Daughter Fabrics is truely one of the few remaining stores of its kind in the Bay Area and the whole country! We want to strengthen our business by creating a more professional and fair working relationship with the owners.

Recognizing our union is the first step towards making Stonemountain and Daughter a happier more vibrant working environment and even more responsive to customer needs.

It is our ardent wish that this process of Union and Owners working together will progress smoothly with cooperation and consideration for everyone involved! Your encouragement will be very helpful and much appreciated!

For more information contact the Bay Area IWW.

Take a moment to complete this Pledge of Solidarity.

Thank you for your Support!!!