original article on pdx indymedia
author: Kollibri terre Sonnenblume
Many of you reading this might remember me as "spArkle", a former cashier at People's Food Co-op, in Southeast. "Former"? That's right. They fired me, back in April. And now they're contesting my eligibility to get unemployment benefits. "Fired"? "Contesting" my unemployment? That doesn't sound like what a Co-op should do, you say. I agree. But it's not actually surprising, considering the direction that place is going these days. If you shop at People's and think of it as being a comfy, caring, community store, read on...
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This is a small story in a big world. In telling it, I am not claiming any special suffering or making any call-to-action. Yet the story is relevant if you live in Portland and know People's Food Co-op, and the themes and trends revealed are reflected in other situations, many of which are widespread and dangerous.
I worked at People's Co-op in SE Portland from January 2003 to April 2006. I went by "spArk" or "sparkle" at the time. This story is primarily for all the people who shopped at People's during that time -- non-members and members alike -- with whom I enjoyed such pleasant relationships, and who have been wondering why they don't see me there any more. Outside that community, this story might not be very compelling. So be it.
I was fired from the Co-op on April 21st. It was unjust, pure and simple. The Co-op staff generally describes itself as being "collectively run" by its "co-managers," so my firing was labeled as a "collective decision". They have claimed that this decision was the result of "reaching consensus" together. I have included quotation marks around these phrases to a) acknowledge the Co-op's terminology, and b) call out the terms as the theoretical/intellectual constructs that they are. As we have all seen, the gulf between theory and practice can be wide, and jargon is often put forth in the place of honesty. So it is at People's, as is the case throughout much of the organized "Left".
Why'd they fire me? Officially, it's not clear. No reason was given in my termination letter. Yes, accusations were made, lists of alleged incidents produced, and stern words delivered. Some framework within which to make it sound professional was constructed. If you have the stomach for it, you could even wade through all the dead trees worth of paper that were presented as "documentation". But that was all window-dressing. It was clear from the beginning to anyone who was present and paying honest attention that a personal vendetta was being taken out against me because I was not "on the same page" philosophically. My firing sent a simple message: "Shut up and go away now. We don't want to listen anymore." A close friend described the situation as, "He would not assimilate." True that. Some people on staff weren't happy about what happened, but allowed themselves to be mowed over. They are happier assimilating, apparently.
In short, People's Co-op falsely claims that "diversity" is important to them. In their hiring they seek diversity of gender, sexual orientation, and color. But not diversity of Opinion.
The firing was not the-end-of-the-world for me by any means. My lifestyle has been joyfully simplifying for some time now, and the loss of monetary income was not the disaster for me that it would be for many other people. I am grateful for that circumstance, one for which I have worked hard. I didn't even feel any animosity against my former co-workers -- even though they did a low-down dirty thing to me -- because I figured it was just the way it was gonna go. The only karma getting fucked up was theirs, and that was their business. I had just been made more free. I decided not to make a big deal out of it.
My feelings changed, however, when I received a letter from the Department of Employment last Friday, saying that the Co-op was appealing the state's decision to consider me eligible to collect unemployment. That is, I had applied for unemployment benefits a few weeks after the firing, and was approved to be eligible for them, and now the Co-op is contesting that decision. A hearing with a judge is being scheduled soon.
What bullshit!
I don't care what legalese reason People's might spit out for this situation, or how "reasonable" they might sound in their official response. The long and the short of it is that they actively, knowingly, consciously made a choice which resulted in the threatening of my unemployment benefits. Adding Insult to Injury is what I call that. And unnecessary.
"That's not how the Co-op should be!" people have been saying to me when I tell them this story. "That goes against the values of a Co-op."
I agree. But we must make the distinction between what a Co-op is culturally and what a Co-op is in reality. Culturally, people expect Co-ops to be open, community-oriented, good to their workers, generous, focused on health, etc. In reality, a Co-op is merely a business model wherein ownership is spread out among many people or legal entities, often through the use of shares. People's Food Co-op is undergoing a transition in which the cultural components are being abandoned bit by bit as a more business-centered approach is being adopted. In fairness to People's this trend could be interpreted as representing the changing demographic of its shoppers, who are increasingly wealthier as that part of SE Portland continues to gentrify. The converse relationship between wealth and generosity -- in which the richer you are, the less you give -- is nothing new in human civilization. It's just showing up at People's in a way it hasn't before.
The People's Food Co-op that is emerging is less open, more exclusive, stingier, and much more motivated by Fear than it once was. Check out the bars on the windows that were recently installed. Or the fact that the Free Box was closed and will probably never re-open. Or that street people can't get a glass of water inside without being hassled to pay for it. Or that getting a straight answer out of anyone who works there about anything is rarer and rarer. Try asking them, "Where's sparkle?" and watch 'em squirm. They do not behave like people who feel good about what they did. It's very telling. I'm damn happy to be clean on this one myself.
Not that any of this is really a big deal, I'd like to stress. It's just a small store in a small city, and this story is a small part of all that. But many people in Portland support People's because they believe it is different; that the Co-op is not "business-as-usual". If that's true, it's not as true as it once was, and it's getting less true every day.
July 10th
movie night - Mon, July 10th, 7:00pm
A night of films from Portland's hidden talent. Featuring Frank Freeman's "Camping With Frank", Jason Ferris' "Thin", and Jeff Bugbee's "Mass Media DeMOCKracy (or How i learned to stop worrying and become the media)" plus more. As each film flows with a unique perspective of truth, consequences, and hyperreality, viewers will be treated to an evening which will open the mind and explore various themes important to the everyday. Free for all to experience.