Tuesday, Jul 12, 2022

To: Aj Hess <aj.hess@mariposa.coop>
Cc: Board Convener <convener@mariposa.coop>, Board Vice-Convener <vice-convener@mariposa.coop>

Hello, Aj:

This is a followup to our brief communications during the Mariposa Board meeting on July 5th, 2022.  Mariposa Liberation still wants to invite you to a community forum that we will sponsor very soon. That night, the date July 19th was mentioned  but we could definitely be more flexible than that, depending on your availability. Certainly we would want a clear confirmation and a week or more advance notice to promote the event. Here’s some background information on the invitation:

Through your changes from transitional General Manager in 2016 to permanent General Manager in 2019 and now CEO (“Co-op Executive Officer”) since February of this year, there have been changes at Mariposa throughout that time and yet important details are not clear. Getting more information around some key issues is what seems most important. With that in mind and with issues developing over years now, here are 7 areas of concern:

1. We would like to see a more detailed accounting of the Mariposa books.

This would by necessity be a more thorough accounting than that which has been shared at the annual meeting for members in recent years or the financial document proffered at last month’s Board Meeting. A fundamental area of concern at the co-ops centers on staff equality, so more data on differentials (given all the usual caveats) is very important. To cite but one example, the meeting minutes from February note that along with the official redefinition of your position from General Manager to CEO, a new “compensation proposal”  was approved but no detail is given. Member-owners should know what exactly that entails.

2. We would like to see the relevant info on Mariposa’s labor policies and practice. 

This would be much more thorough than anything your administration has released to the public up until now. Information disclosed would clarify if any funds have been disbursed to persons and organizations that maintain an emphasis on “union avoidance” for sure but also go beyond that. This information will  go back to the initial organizing drive for a labor union at Mariposa and include not only management’s development of a negotiation position but also all your efforts to inform the public at large (e.g. member-owners) about the union.

3. We would like to see a clearer commitment to a Mariposa centered on worker rights.

There is cause for concern about the effect on floor staff in terms of cuts to hours and staffing since the union contract was signed in March and a wage increase negotiated, in terms of safety and sustainability (everyone deserves to know that they can pay the bills each month with something extra left over).  You have access to the data and can explain the justification for these decisions to us. Member-owners should, by all rights, hear it directly from you.

 To cite a different example, there seem to be a lot of surveillance cameras in the back of the store, so that in fact there may be no place in the storage and work zones (besides the administrative area) that is not under constant watch. Is this actually so? This could fruitfully be discussed with us in greater detail, so that everyone is on the same page about this.

4. We would like to hear what Mariposa has been doing with consultants from the “Columinate” group, including in terms of funds expended.

“Columinate”, the renamed iteration of  “CDS Consulting” has been guiding parts of the Food Co-op Movement in a certain direction for several years now- but not without controversy. Articles like Consumer Grocery Co-op Consolidation by Filiberto Nolasco Gomez or WHY DO COOPS HATE UNIONS? by Marianne Garneau contain representative critiques of the corporate-style models sometimes sold to co-ops by Columinate. It would be great to know specifics on training our Board and/or other staff have received through Columinate consultants, including: Who has been trained? How much did it cost? Which specific Columinate/CDS models have been incorporated into the Mariposa structure?  Sharing this information more widely would help all of us.

5. We would like to hear more specifics about Mariposa debts and loans.

Certainly a balance sheet of money in and money out is helpful, but a more detailed report than that would be much more helpful. To be much more informed of the details- or at least to be able to assess the situation for those that choose to- is essential to consent for the overall governance of Mariposa.

6. We would like you to make a formal commitment to greater transparency central to Mariposa’s operations from here on out.

 How can Mariposa can do much better on all this in the future? Let’s discuss.

7.  We would like you to bring member-owners in general together with the Mariposa Administration for a more accountable, participatory, progressive future for Mariposa.

All the above issues represent potential causes for concern, above and beyond the financial metrics. The future of our Co-op should be one that keeps Mariposa accountable to the greater community, clearly based in cooperative principles and social justice values generally, centering worker rights in particular. That is the ultimate goal of the upcoming public conversations we intend to sponsor.

We are looking at Tuesday July 26th as a likely time for such a public forum to be held by Zoom, lasting probably an hour and starting at 6PM. As stated previously, we would want to confirm a week or more in advance to adequately promote. What are your thoughts, Aj, will you participate?

Thanks,

Austin Kelley

for Mariposa Liberation

Clarifying questions can be directed to Mariposa Liberation, an independent grouping of people who are concerned about where Mariposa is heading:  c/o austinamerican@gmail.com

Supplementary information can be found at www.mariposaliberation.org

[Lightly edited]