Instacart employees in Skokie are set to vote on whether it is best to unionize with the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1546 but the grocery delivery app's employees have reportedly received seemingly anti-union memos.
According to a report published by VICE on Tuesday, Instacart managers recently started showing up at the Mariano's grocery where workers who are set to vote on February 1 are assigned to.
In memos obtained by the outlet, it appears that the company is trying to convince workers not to vote for unionizing with the UFWC. The memos were written by Instacart senior operations manager Chris Nolan.
Nolan argued in the memo that union fees are expensive, reaching as much as $48.50 per month. He added that the dues increase yearly by "at least $1.00 per month."
At the end of a separate memo, Nolan went on to encourage workers "to look at all of the FACTS and vote 'NO' on February 1st." However, the company said in a statement that it supports the freedom of choice every worker should be endowed with.
Before talks for a vote emerged, there have been worker-led strikes over the past couple of months among Instacart workers. The main issue was due to pay cuts and other pay-related issues such as the now defunct 10 percent default tip.
Among the in-store Instacart workers who are spearheading the union drive is Joe Loftis. He said his co-workers have been questioning the app's algorithms that implement penalties frequently.
Loftis pointed out that the app seems to punish workers "even if there's a glitch" on the Instacart app. He also revealed an experience where he suffered injuries but he was written up twice when he missed work due to the injuries.
Business Insider reported that Instacart workers have previously criticized the new pay system that was implemented in late 2018. For most employees, the wages independent contractors and part-timers receive is too low.
Earlier this month, Instacart workers, including drivers and in-store employees, called on the company to restore the 10 percent tip. At that time, they called on the use of the DeleteInstacart hashtag on social media to make the company listen to their woes.
It is unclear how the grocery app will react to next week's voting results. On the other hand, some industry analysts noted that Instacart has been called out previously for "retaliation" when it eliminated a worker bonus program after workers held a three-day strike in November.
Instacart also said last year that it is planning an IPO. More details have yet to be revealed regarding the said plan.
