Editor\'s note: This article originally appeared in the Union Advocate newspaper as part of its centennial series in 1997.

The legacy of our labor movement in the Twin Cities has been carefully chronicled by a variety of writers during this 100-year anniversary. Embodied in their stories is a roadmap of successes and failures. It\'s never an easy task to reconstruct what was, at least without substantial embellishment. Time tends to inflate our accomplishments and minimize our defeats. Without regard to exactness, suffice to say our future will ultimately be mirrored in the reflection of our past, but let me save that thought for closure.

How many times can a sane person hear Kate Smith belting out "God Bless America," before completely losing his mind? The person best equipped to answer that question has to be Bernie Hesse, currently the night stock manager at Lunds in Highland Village. For five months he engineered the informational picket line at the corner of Grand and Fairview. His success is the stuff legends are made of.

This is the story of United Food and Commercial Workers (U.F.C.W.) Local 789\'s struggle with Whole Foods. On balance this fight over a small neighborhood grocery store should have been little more than a bleep on the screen; no Richter scale outcomes here. Why an event as minimal as a once-organized grocery store, closed for a year and reopened non-union took center stage, boggled my mind. After all, real labor news is always found in strikes, work stoppages or union corruption. Perhaps it\'s because it\'s a story about action, at a time when much of the labor movement was standing still.

Challenge by Whole Foods
In 1995 Whole Foods opened their first Minnesota store. The Grand Avenue location, formerly R.C. Dicks, was to be the flagship. Three million dollars in remodeling coupled with an inordinately high lease, put pressure on the store to produce big numbers. Their goal was to generate $900,000 dollars in weekly sales within six months and during the next two years open four more Twin Cities locations.

While these are aggressive goals,they are not at all unattainable for the fastest growing organic and all natural food chain in the country. This Austin, Texas-based company has been successful everywhere they have gone. They target high-end niche shoppers who typically frequent co-ops. Market research found the perfect location centered between the colleges of St. Thomas, Macalester and St. Catherines. They couldn\'t miss.

Or could they? On May 17, 1995, when they opened their doors, they were greeted by a handful of Local 789 picketers. Store management had boasted to potential new hires, sent by the union, that we would harass them for a couple of weeks and then be gone. The cavalier attitude was not unique.

Prone to arrogance
The primary stock holder and founder, John Mackey, was prone to arrogance. In past battles with organized labor he had written the book "Beyond Unions," a biased piece of trash with no foundation, little facts and less truth. Further comments from the aging hippie provided this kind of insight on the man. "All not-for-profit organizations, as well as all governments, are essentially parasites." With a mind set like that, it was easy to get motivated. Having just been elected President of UFCW Local 789, I knew employers were closely watching my reaction. Our executive board approved putting Bernie Hesse in charge of the campaign, a costly proposition, and we quickly set an agenda.

The customary picket signs and boring handbills proved inadequate. Whole Foods caters to upscale, highly educated shoppers who often are liberal in their philosophy. This mix resulted in a curious reaction as a steady stream of consumers would come and engage us in conversation. The most often repeated line was, "But why? " Quick questions turned into lengthy debates. The answer to our presence needed more substance than a flyer that said, "Don\'t Shop Whole Foods" and a picket sign stating, "Doesn\'t Pay Area Standards."

Within a week we published the first issue of UFCW Local 789 MacGroveland Neighborhood News. It proved to be critical to our success. The paper allowed us the luxury of explaining why in stories, anecdotes and pictures. We created human interest articles that allowed people an attachment to who we were and how we fit in. More important, it drew them into the fray.

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Visual impact of many picketers
While the paper was the cornerstone, the really impressive visual impact came from the huge numbers of picketers. Bernie built a remarkable coalition of support from unions, organizations and Local 789 members. On any given day we would have more people marching the street than shoppers in the store. The support was uplifting and was truly the handiwork of Brother Hesse. Here is a brief snapshot of the participants:

Like most unions, our members had become lethargic. With a constant barrage of mailings, phone calls and arm twisting we were able to mobilize them like never before. Over the summer, 500+ members walked the line. Special events and promotions helped inspire them as they realized the importance of becoming an active participant in the ownership of their union.

Other unions played a huge role in our success. Bernie\'s relationship was the key. Twelve different labor organizations pitched in to make it work. On several occasions, locals took on a commitment to run the line for the entire day.

Organizations outside the labor movement contributed continuous support. The New Party, No Grapes Minnesota, the Green Party and the Coalition of Labor Union Women were just a few of the more active groups. In addition, Bernie sought support from campus justice committees and local area churches. It was seldom he was turned down.

Neighborhood as a resource
The neighborhood became an important resource, as we got a constant flood of support from passers-by. We never failed to marvel over the donations of food, pop and money. The continuous honks, waves, cheers and thumbs up buoyed the picketers beyond belief.

As our energy levels increased and the number of picketers swelled, the line began to take on a circus-like atmosphere. Early in the campaign, John Neuman joined us. This retired G.C.I.U. member is a dedicated trade unionist who understands the importance of creating images through sight and sound. With no regard for weather conditions, John established an outpost on the corners of Grand and Fairview. He donated hundreds of hours with the ever-present American flag, lantern of life, workbench of life and anvil of life surrounding him. He saluted every passerby. None will forget the words to "God Bless America." The beloved Kate Smith filled the air from Brother Neuman\'s boombox of life.

Media attention grew to incredible proportions. Radio and television coverage greeted us when the store opened. It was just the beginning. Newspaper columnists jumped on the bandwagon. Feature writers from local papers to national magazines followed suit. The debate over our right to be there was waged time and time again. Slowly, the acceptance of our position took on a legitimacy that people embraced. The crowning glory was a feature story in City Pages. Author Roger Swardson did an in depth analysis of Whole Foods compared to unionized grocery stores. The cover page had our picture. The inside assessment proved fatal to Whole Foods. Roger\'s insightful dissection of the company\'s lame labor policies left them reeling. The very consumer they appeal to loved the alternative press and his expose was critical in destroying their credibility.

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Labor Day events
The carnival continued with our Labor Day clothing drive. Running promos in several papers, we requested donations for Joseph\'s Coat, a free clothing store on University Avenue. Local 789 members joined with throngs of other union members to surround the sidewalk with bags, boxes and barrels of used clothes. By our 4 p.m. shutdown time we had collected enough clothes to jam a moving truck and a 15-foot trailer to the rafters.

We kept the line up until January 1. Bernie Hesse went back to Lunds in October and we hired pickets to take over. We had gone five months using primarily volunteers. The impact on store sales was unbelievable. We had an inside source who provided us weekly sales figures. Many times they failed to hit a $100,000. They bought advertising on radio, television and newspaper, something they never do. Their entire plan of operation was turned upside down by our relentless assault.

Whole Foods stopped in its tracks
It\'s been 18 months since we last held a sign in front of Whole Foods. Sales are still sluggish. There are no plans for more stores in the Twin Cities. In the 1996 report to stock holders, John Mackey reported spectacular growth and unbridled success for the company. There was one glaring footnote. The St. Paul store had suffered enormous start up costs and posted even larger losses. His explanation was simple. The union had a stranglehold on the marketplace and we had just really kicked their butt.

In retrospect there aren\'t too many things we could have done better. I\'d like to say we had a master plan that worked to perfection. It wasn\'t quite that pure. Many of our decisions were day to day. They were made with some reasonable expectation for success. Not because we knew they would work, but because we had learned from those who had gone before us.

The history of the labor movement is filled with a never ending series of ups and downs. The highs always came when it turned to people and asked them to participate. Because we mobilized our membership and forged coalitions with other unions and organizations with common interests we were able to run an effective campaign. By turning to the community and communicating our message well, we insured a long standing impact on Whole Foods.

Bill Pearson, president of United Food & Commercial Workers Local 789, when this article was originally published, is now retired. For more information on UFCW Local 789, visit the union\'s website: www.ufcw789.org

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