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Rainbow IN
THE NEWS:
Rainbow Grocery Cooperative Statement
Regarding Boycott on Israeli Goods
As you may be aware, an organization, BIG (Boycott Israeli Goods), has made public statements regarding Rainbow Grocery participating in a boycott on products from Israel. In order to clarify Rainbow Grocery's position on boycotting Israeli goods, we are releasing this statement to communicate to our clients and our community that there has been no decision to enact a boycott on Israeli products and to clarify the process by which any boycott would become enacted.
We are a democratically run workplace. Our policy is that the membership of Rainbow Grocery, comprised of all worker-owners, has to have a chance to discuss and vote on any proposed boycott. While there was some internal confusion among some workers about this policy when the issue first came up, the membership did vote on a proposal to boycott Israeli products in 2003. This proposal was defeated and no boycott was enacted.
In recent months, members of our communities, customers, and workers have suggested that Rainbow revisit the issue of instituting a boycott of Israeli goods. Any worker can begin the process of voting on a boycott by following the procedures we established. As of March 2007, no worker has brought forth a proposal to institute a boycott. We have had discussions as to whether we should institute a boycott, but as of now, the process to boycott products has not begun.
Recently we have become aware that groups in support of a boycott of Israeli goods have begun making public statements regarding Rainbow and a boycott of Israeli products. Some of these statements are misleading or contain inaccuracies about both the reasons why there is no boycott and the process by which we would institute a boycott. Specifically, in "An Open Letter to Rainbow Grocery" posted by the organization RBIG, there is mention that:
Rainbow shoppers are asking for an open debate on this question. Why won't Rainbow respond?...As regular shoppers at Rainbow, we have been asking the store to reconsider its position in support of a boycott of Israeli goods and are getting stonewalled."
To say that Rainbow Grocery is refusing to respond or is "stonewalling" is inaccurate and unfair. The worker-owners make decisions at Rainbow Grocery democratically, and with an opportunity for discussion and debate. As of now, none of Rainbow's worker-owners has brought the issue to a vote. While we understand that some members of our communities feel that Rainbow should institute a boycott, the decision must be made by the membership of Rainbow Grocery, according to the procedure that was adopted in 2003.
In the same letter, RBIG writes:
"Is Rainbow's financial success from a small coop on Mission Street to a major Bay Area store affecting the decision to boycott, a fear that taking such an action might affect the store's profits? If not, then what are the reasons? Are opposing groups pressuring you privately?"
The implication that Rainbow is making its decisions because of "opposing groups... pressure" or financial concerns is grossly inaccurate. Our decision as to whether or not to boycott anything is solely the outcome of a proposal by any worker and a vote from all of our (currently) 207 members. Our Board of Directors, which is charged with shepherding the collective's financial health, neither advises on nor decides on any boycott. Our success as a worker-owned and operated collective owes in large part to our ability to retain our own agency to run a grocery store in the cooperative manner that we believe best serves both our communities and our members.
Finally, RBIG writes:
"We have heard that when Rainbow discussed a boycott in 2003, the opposition threatened to poison the bulk bins. Is this what Rainbow is afraid of? That those anti-boycott forces will commit acts of terrorism against them if they boycott? Among us are Jewish people and we abhor such terror tactics reminiscent of the Zionist Irgun/Stern Gang in Israel which used violence, blackmail and extortion to get its way.
"What is Rainbow's commitment to the community? If such a threat occurred, why wasn't it made public? Keeping something like this quiet would protect rather than expose those who made such a threat to life even in this country. Your customers have a right to know about threats to our safety. You have a responsibility to tell us."
When Rainbow discussed a boycott of Israeli products in 2003, we certainly received a significant amount of attention from all sides of the issue - most of it negative. We reported any threats made, of course. We have stringent guidelines of what to do in the event that any sort of threat is received - whether it is in relation to our products, our store, or our customers. One of the fundamental values of Rainbow is the quality and safety of the food that we provide for our customers; nothing would ever compromise that.
It is our hope that members of our communities that are in favor of the adoption of a boycott of Israeli goods have a clearer understanding of our process and respect that ultimately this decision must be made by the over 200 members that collectively make up Rainbow Grocery.
If you have any other question or concerns regarding this issue, we urge you to address them to our elected Public Relations Committee.
Thank you for your understanding.
Rainbow received a Bay Area Green
Business Award for our outstanding commitment to recycle,
conserve resources, and eliminate pollutants and toxins
from the workplace. Read
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