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Karen Nichols/Daily Inter Lake

Asking shoppers to spend their money elsewhere, Tidyman's employees Nanci Welter, left, and Maria Conrad carry signs and offer fliers to motorists entering the store's parking lot on Monday afternoon. Negotiators for the local union and Tidyman's will soon meet to discuss wage, pension and health-care issues for employees.

Employees picket Tidyman's

Informational picket line set up as negotiations over union contract continue.

By ALAN CHOATE

The Daily Inter Lake

Tidyman's Northwest Fresh Marketplace employees have started an informational picket line outside the Kalispell store as negotiations continue over a union contract for store workers.

Negotiators for Tidyman's and the United Food and Commercial Workers Local No. 4 are scheduled to meet again Oct. 19 and 20, with wage, pension and health care issues at the forefront of discussions.

In the meantime, employees are carrying signs outside the store and passing out papers asking shoppers to spend their money elsewhere until a contract is in place.

"We're just trying to get them what they deserve," said Marlene Sewell, business agent for the union. "They should be equal to everyone else."

She said the union has contracts covering the employees at Kalispell's Rosauers and Albertsons stores and Safeway stores in Whitefish and Polson, as well as meat department employees at Smith's and Super 1.

Patty Kilcup, the company's director of consumer affairs, said company officials didn't expect the picketing.

"We were actually surprised about the union's decision to have an informational picket, because we've been meeting in good faith with the union since February," she said.

Kelly Riba, the company's human resource manager, said the main points still to be worked out include a wage scale and a disagreement over whether to continue the current employee stock option plan or form a pension plan.

"We feel the ESOP is a better fit in the company than a pension," Riba said.

Nanci Welter, a Tidyman's checker for the past 9 1/2 years and the one who initially contacted the union, disagreed, saying that the stock options aren't a reliable way to plan for retirement. She also said that not having a pension plan in this agreement would set a bad precedent for union contracts at other stores.

Workers at the store narrowly voted for union representation on Nov. 12 last year. If a contract is not in place on the one-year anniversary of that vote, there could be a second employee vote for or against the union that could bring the effort to a halt.

The Tidyman's company, based in Spokane, includes Tidyman's, County Market and Dissmores IGA stores in Montana, Washington and Idaho. Some of the company's County Market stores are unionized.

Reporter Alan Choate may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at achoate@dailyinterlake.com