Palermo Villa Inc. CEO Giacomo Fallucca and AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka are trying to set a time and place to meet to talk about union organizing efforts and the labor strike at the frozen pizza manufacturing plant in Milwaukee, a spokesman for Palermo's said Friday.
Fallucca wrote to Trumka last week asking for a meeting, saying, "There has been much misinformation communicated regarding Palermo's" after Trumka endorsed a national boycott of Palermo's Pizza and its major pizza customer, Costco.
Fallucca said he wanted to "reach out to you and discuss the real issues that Palermo's faces to allay your concerns."
Friday, Trumka said he "welcomes a dialogue" with Fallucca to discuss the company's recent actions in response to the union organizing efforts.
"I am encouraged by your willingness to discuss workers' desire for a voice on the job," Trumka said in a news release responding to Fallucca's letter. "It is only through open dialogue that management and labor can reach a just and fair resolution of workplace problems and I am happy to participate in opening such a dialogue."
Fallucca said he was willing to go to AFL-CIO headquarters in Washington, D.C., for a meeting. Palermo's director of marketing, Chris Dresselhuys, said Friday that discussions are under way with the union leader about setting a time and place for the meeting.
Meanwhile, Voces de la Frontera, which has been organizing the workers, said it will launch a "national day of action" Saturday at the Costco in Grafton asking the store to pull the Palermo/Kirkland pizza from its shelves. Rallies and informational pickets will also be held Saturday at 25 Costco stores in 15 cities, including Los Angeles, Seattle, Philadelphia, Houston and Miami.
Christine Neumann-Ortiz, the executive director of Voces, said Costco has not agreed to pull the Palermo's pizza.
About 80 to 100 production workers at Palermo's went on strike June 1 after workers said the company tried to thwart their efforts to form a union to discuss issues of pay, worker safety, promotion and discrimination.
The company has called the complaints "categorically false."
Further, Voces claims the company used an immigration audit at the company as a tactic to stop organizing efforts, again allegations the company denies.
A July date had been set for a union vote, but Voces filed numerous complaints with the National Labor Relations Board and the election was subsequently canceled. The charges include refusing to bargain with employees, retaliation and replacing striking workers.
Last week, Palermo's said it asked Voces to agree to a vote by employees on forming a union. But Neumann-Ortiz said there can be no election until the NLRB resolves the complaints.
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