Union Shops that “Feel Like Home”

Many Union leaders can easily identify the shop they came out of as an important part of their personal history.

When working side-by-side with someone for many years, these people become part of your heart and soul. You share work lunches, family celebrations and daily conversations – both important and trivial. Simply stated, Union members become Union brothers and sisters.

For Local 22 (Minneapolis, Minn.) President Wally Borgan, Rich’s bakery in Fridley, Minn. is the union shop that will always “feel like home”. In 1990, at 18 years old, Borgan followed his older brother’s lead and took a job at the plant as a bread divider operator. He worked at the Rich’s bakery for 25 years.

Walking through the plant with Borgan, union members flock to greet him. He calls everyone by their first name and asks about their families. His older brother, Jeff Borgan, has worked as an oven operator at the bakery for 35 years.

“It has always been a great place to work,” says Borgan. “We have a great relationship with this company. Workers enjoy good morale and work efficiently, which means less grievances. Everyone looks out for one another and that is really what makes this a great place to work,” he concludes.

Local 22 members at the Rich’s Fridley bakery produce artisan breads, ciabatta, cookies, brownies and other baked goods that are shipped to in-store retail bakeries and foodservice customers throughout the U.S.