Ed Humbert Sr.

Appliance Technician, Sears Denver Electrical Workers

Ed Humbert Sr.

Ed Humbert has been an appliance technician for Sears in Denver for 20 years; 10 in Buffalo, N.Y., and 10 in Denver. Humbert’s son also is an appliance technician at Sears.  Humbert and his co-workers go to customers’ homes to fix their stoves, refrigerators, washers, dryers and heating and air conditioning systems.

Humbert has watched conditions at Sears deteriorate over the past six years, starting when the company took away the workers’ pension. A promised replacement 401(k) was never delivered. The company instituted a new system of raises using a bell curve based upon performance, which meant workers were receiving unequal raises based upon arbitrary performance reviews. Two years ago, Kmart bought Sears and things for Humbert and his co-workers got even worse. Over the past year, the workers’ health insurance costs have doubled to nearly $600 a month.

In May 2006, Humbert and his co-workers filed a petition for a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) election. The company immediately went to work trying to delay the election and convince workers to vote against forming a union. The company held mandatory meetings twice a week to convince workers to vote "No" and sent letters to workers’ houses urging them not to vote for the union. The district manager came to Humbert’s job site and said that new technicians should not vote for the union. Despite the company’s attempts at delay and intimidation, the workers won their election 91 to 65 in August 2006.

However, the workers’ victory has been hollow. For the past six months, no agreement has been reached with the company on a first contract. Companies often stall at the bargaining table knowing that after a year without a contract, workers will be forced to vote in another election to recertify their union. Humbert, who is a member of the bargaining committee, says, “It has not been a negotiation.” Humbert and his co-workers may end up like the 30 percent of workers who never reach a first contract after winning an NLRB election.  

Humbert says he is sickened by the lack of respect he has been given after dedicating 20 years of his life to the company, and he is now fighting for his son’s future and the future of all the other young workers at Sears.