Noe Valley Real Food Co Workers Locked Out!

In 2003, The Real Food Co. store in San Francisco's Noe Valley fired all its workers and closed abruptly, with no notice to customers.

The popular health-food store's new owner, Utah vitamin giant Nutraceutical International, said the layoffs and closure were due solely to long-planned renovations. But former Real Food employees are charging that the actual reason they were sent packing was because the store's 30 workers were planning to unionize with the UFCW (it had begun as an IWW drive). Nutraceutical shut the 24th Street store because the company was afraid of union activity spreading to its other Bay Area health-food shops. Grievances have been filed with the National Labor Relations Board. Here are some of the details:

News:

• November 24, 2004 - Fired Workers Get Boost - NLRB may rule in workers' favor.
• May 2002 - Real Food Company Sold to Utah Corporation - By Olivia Boler, Noe Valley Voice.

• September - David Lazarus' Columns in the San Francisco Chronicle
  • September 3, 2003 - Real Food Noe Shuts Real Fast
  • September 10, 2003 - Closure Quashes [IWW] Unionizing
  • September 24, 2003 - Noe Valley Up In Arms


• September 2003 - To boycott or not? - Growers offer a fresh perspective on Real Food - By Carly Earnshaw, San Francisco Bay Gaurdian.

Resolutions:

• September 16, 2003 - Bevan Dufty, San Francisco City & County Board of Supervisors, Resolution Requesting NLRB, DBI, and Other Appropriate Agencies Investigate the Closure of Real Food Company on 24th Street in Noe Valley.

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