The Eastside Food Co-op will remain independent, even though a slim majority of its voting owners chose otherwise.
Over the past ten days, three Minneapolis food co-ops (Eastside Food Co-op (EFC), Linden Hills Co-op and the Wedge) held elections at their annual meetings, to vote for board members and to consider the proposal to consolidate their operations into a single entity. Linden Hills, the last of the three to vote, did so at its meeting on Thursday, October 27.
On Friday, the coops announced the results: 82% of the Wedge’s 1,895 votes, 87% of Linden Hills’ 855 votes, and 51% of EFC’s 1,233 votes were in favor of consolidation.
Because EFC’s votes did not reach a “super-majority” (two-thirds) of all votes cast, the coop will not be part of the consolidation approved by the other two.
EFC’s general manager Amy Fields said, “I’m disappointed with the outcome, but 22 percent of our members voted, which was a big increase, and we will continue to serve our owners and customers as we have for the past 13 years.”
Intense campaigns by EFC owners on both sides of the consolidation issue preceded the vote. One co-op employee suggested that there was a similar division within the store’s staff.
Wedge Marketing Manager Jessica Pierce said about the vote, “I’m disappointed; we at the Wedge believe in everything EFC is doing. They have an incredible staff, and it’s sad not having the opportunity to work with them.”
Linden Hills Co-op Marketing Manager Madeline Isaacson echoed that sentiment: “I’m sad that we can’t work with Eastside; they are exciting and energetic people.”
Issacson said that part of the consolidation would possibly involve a new “public face” and name, but “the individual identity of Linden Hills and the co-op’s history would be respected.” She added that while there may be some redundancy in the current organizational charts, both Linden Hills and the Wedge are committed to a “no-
layoffs” policy, and she expects that co-op staff will become specialists in their areas.
EFC board members were also chosen at their October 24 meeting. Chris Pratt, Ginny Sutton, and Suzanne Jaeger were elected to three-year terms; Tom Dunnwald to a two-year term; and Leslie Watson to a one-year term. Carolyn Buzza and Jean Brandes were elected with a tie vote; board members will determine the term lengths for both people at the November board meeting.
For more information, visit www.eastsidefood.coop/node/105