An Open Letter From One Of Our Customers

Here's a letter we received from one of our very good customers. I felt it was so important that I wanted to share it with the rest of our customers.

March 6, 2011


An Open Letter to All the Non-Union Businesses I Patronize:

I love you. I want you to know that. I’m not being sarcastic. I’m being sincere. I love shopping at your stores and buying your materials. I understand why you are not a union shop. In fact, I hate going to the only unionized grocery store but only because those workers at those stores are rude. I don’t think they are rude because they are unionized. I think they are rude because that’s who is hired.

Back to my love for you and what will happen if my union job is taken away. I will no longer be able to shop at your stores. I will be forced to shop at Goodwill. My students will be forced to use scraps of paper for their assignments instead of the paper I bought from your stores. I will not be able to buy your locally grown vegetables and meats. I will be forced into the food bank. I will be forced, shudder to think, to shop at Wal-Mart…the last place any union worker should be shopping.

If you are not aware of what is going on in Wisconsin or our close neighbor, Rhode Island, let me give you some information. They are union-busting. Now you may feel that this is of little importance to you, but it is. The only way I can afford to pay my mortgage AND my utility bills AND my grocery bills AND my insurance AND my first car loan in 5 years AND my pet food bills AND my credit card bills AND my phone bills AND my student loan bills AND my clothes bill AND my Dunkin’ Donuts bill AND my second mortgage bill AND my…well you get it…the only way I can afford these things is because of my UNION.

See, you pay my salary by paying taxes. And I pay your salary by patronizing your shops. I end every month at $0. I have no savings, except for my pension (I don’t even pay into nor collect Social Security. My pension is it, and in CT teachers’ pensions are funded solely by teachers—not taxpayers.). I give back every dollar you give me.

I’m not asking you to turn into a union shop…but I am asking that you are mindful that unions shop at your stores. If the government cuts my salary, they cut yours also. And I don’t want you to lose my business because I do love you.

Thank you.

Jennifer