A group of protesters rallied outside a Bangor Rite-Aid store Thursday, to condemn what they say is the company's abuse of worker rights.
Members of "Food and Medicine," based in Brewer, waved signs outside the Rite Aid at the corner of Union and Fourteenth Streets.
They say the Rite Aid corporation has threatened and fired employees who wanted to unionize.
Almost a year ago, Rite Aid employees voted to join a union, but according to Food and Medicine, the company has delayed reaching a contract with workers.
The protesters held signs asking Mainers to urge Congress to support the Employee Free Choice Act.
The law would protect the rights of workers on the job, including their right to have a union.
"Membership in labor unions vastly increases your wages, your chance of having health insurance other benefits on the job, as well as having a voice on the job, having some kind of economic democracy where you work."
Similar protests were held on Thursday at Rite Aid stores around the country.
Some years ago (Florida?)Rite Aid pharmacies had a *special key* on their pharmacy registers taht were pressed when cashing out senior citizens that weere add 10% to the their prescription. Then if i recall correctly some executives were caught frying the books. Does not end there, low level workers supposely not given breaks, cheated on time clock cards.
A quick googling of "rite aid" and "fraud" will validate the above claims
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=rite+aidd+fraud&aq=f&oq=
But according to many Wall Street stock experts , Rite aid is on the list of one of those companies that will be out of business by the end of 2009
As for the comment above by the poster who says Rite Aid cheated seniors in Florida, not only is that clearly a fabricated allegation, but a quick search shows that they have not had a single store in Florida in this century.
Unions are always the scape goats for the state of today's economy. The reality is that government policies like NAFTA and CAFTA are the culprits. Whether those people who were working in industries in Maine that were closed down were making Union money or Wal-Mart wages, it's still cheaper to make things in China. In fact, many people working in mills were willing to take drastic pay cuts to save the industry, but it didn't matter to the CEOs. Places like China don't have to respect workers' rights on any levels, they don't have environmental regulations, they don't even have minimum wage, so it's cheaper to make their product over seas. Corporations don't care about moral and just work environments, they don't care about investing in the neighborhoods where their factories are, they only care about the bottom line. And as long as people continue to not hold them socially accountable, continue to remain silent to their elected officials, continue to blame Unions with no proof to do so, and continue to remain ignorant to what is really happening out there, things will continue to get worse.
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