The Number: 43-42
That was the margin by which Whole Foods Co-op employees recently voted to join the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1189. However, seven of the ballots are being challenged, so results aren't yet certified through the National Labor Relations Board. The NLRB will look over the challenges, possibly order a hearing and make a determination ... eventually. Unlike the co-op, the federal government can't open another checkout lane when it gets busy (there's a hiring freeze even if agencies wanted to) so it's hurry-up-and-wait before a final tally is recorded.
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The Word: "Hey hey, ho ho, HF 600 and SF 680 have got to go!" I assume that's one of the chants planned when members of the Main Street Alliance of Minnesota gather at the capitol today to protest bills that would prevent cities and counties from adopting their own minimum wages and sick pay rules. The pre-emption proposal is a copy-and-paste kind of bill that has been seen in statehouses across the country in recent years. Some business groups want to keep decisions about sick pay and minimum wage at the state level - where it could be harder to pass, but also easier for firms to follow since it would be uniform and not patchwork. Others want decisions faster, and in local hands.
The Lead: Microfinance has been a big help in the developing world, giving small farms and businesses a small but much-needed capital injection - and now the premise has returned to the Northland. The Chequamegon Food Co-op in Ashland is offering micro-loans up to $5,000, with two- or three-year payback, for regional farmers and "value-added food producers." Visit chequamegonfoodcoop.com/co-op/community or call (715) 682-8251 to learn more.
The Happy Hour: Hey man, you got the loaf? The secret's out on the secret bread club over at Duluth's Best Bread. Much like a CSA program, the bakery will take an upfront payment in return for weekly pickups of fresh loaves and/or treats. And much of the subscriber goods aren't made available at the storefront for "regular" customers. It's $77 for a weekly one-pound ration of bread for 14 weeks and $133 for a six-croissant-equivalent ration of sweet treats. Go get your backdoor dealings on at duluthsbestbread.com/bread-shares-order.
The Meeting: Social skillz Glensheen hosts a social media expert every Wednesday in February to help attendees with a 10-minute talk on a single topic. The free event starts at 6 p.m. at the mansion; don't forget those smartphones.
The Memo is a weekly roundup of things to know, ya know? Send business news of all kinds to biz@duluthnews.com and give multigrain business reporter Brooks Johnson a call every now and then at 218-723-5329.
