During her seven years at the checkouts at PCC Community Markets, Donna Rasumussen has met and chatted with thousands of PCC customers.
Also a PCC member whose two teenage boys and partner work at PCC, too, Donna is passionate about helping the stores continue thriving while staying true to their core values.
Eager to gather and share members’ feedback on the store’s products, services and actions, that first-hand experience is at the core of her decision to run for election to the co-op’s board. Electronic voting opened for members April 8 and continues to May 3.
“Many members were surprised and unhappy when PCC’s CEO opposed pandemic hazard pay for frontline workers. Instead, PCC could join other community co-ops like Central Market and put employees on the board to help avoid missteps like this in the future,” says Donna, who also supports her fellow workers as a volunteer-leader with her union, UFCW 21.
“When PCC takes care of its frontline staff, we can better take care of our customers. It also means continuing to support our small farmers and local vendors, even if they can’t produce enough to get their product in every one of our expanding locations. After all, as a co-op, our stores should be a reflection of our communities.”
Joining Donna in her quest for the board is fellow PCC frontline worker Laurae McIntyre. Like Donna, Laurae wants to ensure they and their co-workers have a voice, and also communicate both the positive and negative feedback they hear in speaking with hundreds of PCC customers each day.
Laurae’s deep roots with PCC reach back to the 1950s when her family’s porches were part of the co-op’s early drop-off network. A PCC member for more than 30 years, she brings experience in accounting and running her own small business, as well as a deep commitment to the co-op’s core values, healthy food and food safety.
As the co-op continues to grow, it’s important to ensure workers can afford to shop at their stores and live in their communities, Donna says.
Laurae agrees, happy to see PCC grow. However, “we need people with direct PCC retail experience on the board to make sure PCC stays committed to LGBTQ inclusion, racial equity, and justice for workers all along the supply chain, including those in our own stores,” she says. “We want to protect the core mission of the co-op, the reasons why we work here, and why our members shop here.”
Electronic voting for active PCC members ends May 3 – check your email for your electronic ballot or vote with your name and phone number at vote.escvote.com/pcc/
Learn more at PCCVoterGuide.org
