A Year and a Half on the Waitlist
Dear Coop members,
In 2024, I signed up for as many checkout waitlists as I could. After a year and a half, I finally got off one of the lists. I was happy, but also stunned that it took that long: When I joined the Coop in 2017, I got off a similar waitlist in about two months. Today, you can’t even get on a walking or checkout waitlist—every one is filled to capacity.
There’s a lot to like about the changes we’ve made in recent years to our work system. The online system is easy to use and the increased availability of one-off shifts has increased work flexibility. But some of the changes have been for the worse. It’s been getting harder to get one-off shifts and to get onto recurring shifts. Before the pandemic, we had a shift exchange board if you needed to miss a shift. You could also show up for an FTOP shift without pre-scheduling. Those options are gone.
The Coop’s labor model relies on members providing labor, and the Coop needs to manage its labor needs carefully. But the model has to work for both the Coop and the members. It only works if members can actually get on a shift. I’d like the general coordinators to report to the membership on how the work slot system is currently designed, including how work slot numbers are determined and apportioned, and whether there’s an opportunity to review it with the member experience in mind, not just operational efficiency.
In cooperation,
Eric Rasmussen
In Support of a Referendum
Dear Coop members,
As staff members of the Coop with a range of political perspectives, we ask the presenters of the boycott proposal to bring this item forward as a referendum of the full membership, rather than deciding it solely at a General Meeting.
The signatories below represent over 80% of our 70 full-time employees (and excludes the General Coordinators). We have a wide variety of opinions on the boycott itself, but we have come together to request a referendum vote, which would allow every member to vote by email ballot, ensuring equal participation and transparency.
This request comes from care for the Coop, its members and the long-term health of our organization. A referendum offers the clearest way to understand how the entire membership feels about this issue. While General Meetings have served the Coop well for decades, decisions with the potential for division deserve the broadest possible participation. Those seeking a similar boycott in 2012 recognized this and asked for a referendum. Past referendums have determined major issues such as hybrid General Meetings, purchasing another building and selling meat and beer.
A referendum allows all members to be heard, regardless of work or life schedules. It ensures fairness, accessibility and legitimacy by reflecting the will of the full membership—not only those able to attend a single meeting.
As staff, we’ve dedicated our energy and care to the Coop, and we know every decision shapes members’ experiences and the community we share. Our goal is that every member feels at home here, and that means listening to every voice.
The aim is not only to reach a decision, but to reach one the Coop can collectively stand behind. A referendum provides the strongest foundation for that unity and shared purpose.
Sincerely,
Anna Adelson
Carline Aurelus
Masha Bezlepkina
Gillian Chi
Jim Christensen
Gabriel Concha
Sophie Cowen
Jana Cunningham
Ibou Diallo
Elly Dittmar
Dennis Dorgan
Dominique Esser
Francisco D. Ferreiro
Jessa Fisher
Mae Frankeberger
Karina Gee
Britt Henriksson
Martha Hoffman
John Horsman
Fiona Iacovangelo
Ronald Jean-Gilles
Marlen Tapia Jimenez
Joseph Gordon
Phi Lee Lam
Gustavo Lopez
Ken MacDonald
Alexandra MacDonnell
Henry Maldonado
Karen Mancuso
Marion Moran
Karen Martin
Terry Meyers
Jonathan Miller
Chris Moore
Garrett Mukai
Kevin O’Sullivan
Adrienne Pabst
Charles Parham
Lisa Pelavin
Jerome Petitgand
Marvin Pique
Valerie Ratron-Neal
Cecelia Rembert
Craig Roberts
Brian Robinson
Amy Sanford
Eiko Saotome
Jacquelyn Scaduto
Jacob Slaton
Jason Sparks
Renee St. Furcy
David St. Germain
Tanya Steinberg
Jack Stroman
Yuwadee Tantipech
Alexander Walsh
Zili Wang
Yuri Weber
Jason Weiner
Oren Yaniv
Andrew Young
Note: Cecelia Rembert spearheaded and drafted the above collective letter.
BDS Does Not Align with Coop Values
Dear Coop members:
General Manager Joe Szladek is correct that Coop decisions on contested issues deserve thorough deliberation. As part of the cooperative movement, our actions should be guided by the International Cooperative Alliance principles, applying them both to our core mission and to any activities beyond the operation of our store.
In 2019, the ICA issued a Declaration on Positive Peace through Cooperatives. In 2023 it called for peace in Israel and Palestine, urging all parties to pursue a peaceful resolution that safeguards lives and livelihoods on both sides.
The BDS movement is fundamentally at odds with this vision of positive peace. A proposal to align our Coop with BDS should not be considered. Doing so is not neutral; it confers legitimacy on an approach in conflict with our stated principles.
BDS does not advance a shared future for Israelis and Palestinians. It does not foster coexistence and rejects mutual recognition. It presents itself as nonviolent, yet fails to meaningfully address armed groups or violence against Jews.
The contents of recent Gazette letters and the statements at the General Meeting have convinced me that the Coop’s BDS advocates have no practical interest in the welfare of Palestinian Arabs and promoting peace. Rather their efforts are to dehumanize and exclude anyone who disagrees with their cause.
Coop engagement with the Israel-Palestine conflict should promote efforts to bring about a peaceful end to the conflict. Our Coop’s voice should be used for:
- Calling for the disarmament of Hamas and other militant groups so reconstruction can commence.
- Supporting and amplifying voices, such as Realign for Palestine, that work to bring about pragmatic solutions.
- Recognizing the shared humanity and aspirations of both sides.
Our Coop must act consistently with ICA principles and our shared community values.
Sincerely,
Barbara Mazor
Genocide Persists While PSFC Procrastinates
Fellow members,
On March 31, I was one of several members who presented a proposal to boycott Israeli goods, a proposal that waited more than two years to come before the membership. During that long wait, a genocide raged in Gaza, with more than 75,000 slaughtered according to research published in the world’s leading medical journals (likely a vast undercount). Meanwhile, settler violence against West Bank Palestinians radically escalated and the U.S. Israel war of aggression on Iran claimed massive casualties across the Middle East.
In the April 14 Coordinators’ Corner, general coordinators wrote, “There is an urgency among some members to move boycott discussions forward,” adding that “elected governance committees’ responsibility requires resisting compressed timelines.”
There’s nothing compressed about a timeline that prevented the PSFC from having a GM discussion or vote for over two years. Now that we’ve finally had the GM discussion, it’s time for a vote. This is our governance practice.
During these past two years, GCs have made many excuses for this unconscionable delay. They said it would cost over $40K to find a big enough venue to address the matter, simultaneously arguing against hybrid or remote meetings. Throughout this time, we who condemn Israeli genocide and support a boycott have stood in front of the Coop and talked with any member willing to speak with us, we’ve written to the Gazette (and have often been censored), we’ve written our own publications that have been condemned as “rogue” for expressing criticism of GC actions or genocide.
And here is a link to an article by me from the 04/14/2026 Gazette.
The GCs are right about one thing: Many of us feel urgency to do whatever we can to stand against genocide and to implement a boycott of Israeli products. It’s time to vote on this boycott—as soon as possible. Let’s stop procrastinating and make it happen at the next GM.
Now is the time,
Alyce Barr
Vote to Keep a Supermajority
Dear members and editor,
Because I believe that the Coop is at a critical juncture, I am asking members to:
- Look for emails from the Coop and check the Coop’s website for the GM Agenda each month. When any agenda item has the word “boycott” please sign up for attending “online” or “in person.”
- Please vote for me in the Board election this June. You’ll receive an email in late May or early June which will guide you on how to vote online. Here is a link to all candidate statements.
- My Campaign: I might lose this election because 3000+ members will be receiving an email urging them to vote against me. Please talk to and reach out to all members that you know if you believe that electing me is important. Please also, if you have the time and inclination, campaign for me on the sidewalk outside the Coop.
Members of the Board of Directors have the final vote after receiving the advice of the members at a General Meeting or through a member referendum. As the senior General Coordinator, I had a vote on the Board from 1977 to May 2025 and I approved the advice of the members every time. I look forward to continuing to help nurture the Coop in the coming years whether or not I am on the Board.
Currently there is a great difference of opinion on whether the Coop should boycott products from Israel. The problem we face is that all prior boycotts at the Coop were supported by nearly 100% of the members. The Coop is a community and this situation could rip the Coop apart. Please vote to preserve the supermajority needed for boycotts.
Sincerely,
Joe Holtz
Joe Szladek Is Moving the Goal Posts
Dear Linewaiters’ Gazette,
I have a lot of time and respect for Joe Szladek, but must call him out for moving the goalposts in his Coodinators’ Corner column of April 14, 2026. Just as the groundswell of support to boycott Israeli goods at the Coop has inched us closer to adjudication by members in our newly-minted hybrid General Meeting, a call for this issue to be settled by referendum is a nonstarter. This sort of manipulation from the bully pulpit illustrates exactly what I distrust about our Coop leadership, namely its unwillingness to let our vibrant democracy flourish. Please sit this one out, Joe, and let this issue be decided in the General Meeting.
Sincerely,
Damien Neva
Szladek Responds to Neva Letter
Dear Coop Members,
Contrary to the claim made in Damien’s letter, there is no attempt to move the goalposts. Rather, there is a call to maintain consistency with past practice. In supporting a referendum, I am advocating for the same standard the Coop followed when it last considered a boycott of Israeli goods in 2012—ensuring that all members can participate and have their voices heard.
A referendum is not a barrier to democratic participation; it is a way to broaden it. Keeping that standard in place ensures fairness, transparency and continuity in how the Coop handles matters of this importance.
Joe Szladek
General Manager
Nationwide Resistance to BDS
Hello Coop:
The Hamas-supporting BDS movement continues to receive strong nationwide pushback. Join the fight against it. BDS violates our PSFC’s International Principles of Cooperation and our Mission Statement. They need PSFC, not the other way around.
Cornell rejected a Student Assembly’s resolution divesting from the Cornell-Technion partnership, signaling that when Israel is singled out among other nations, it exemplifies social injustice. Reminds me of how BDS quietly ignores PSFC goods from human-rights abusing countries of China, Turkey and the U.S.
University of Texas at Dallas suspended its SJP chapter through 2027 for disrupting official proceedings, stripping them of university recognition. The Coop’s General Meeting Chair Committee long ago should have taken similar action against BDS’s illegal takeover of the Coop’s April 2025 General Meeting, leading to our votes becoming meaningless.
Burlington, Vermont rejected an anti-Israel ballot question, while a separate resolution funded screenings of “The Other,” a documentary exploring the complex relationship between Israelis and Palestinians, plus up to $10,000 for “restorative community dialogue sessions” with trained facilitators. Can PSFC follow suit?
The state of Indiana signed Senate Bill 160, legislation designed to prevent individuals from concealing their identities while committing acts of intimidation in public spaces. Why not apply this to the average PSFC General Meeting?
Duke University’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine was suspended after an it posted an image on Instagram of two pigs—one labeled “U.S. Imperialism” holding the torch of liberty and the other labeled “Zionism” holding the Star of David.
Informed by disruptive “protesters” calling for violence outside of synagogues, the New York City Council established protest-free buffer zones outside houses of worship and religious schools.
More to come!
Jesse Rosenfeld
Some Questions Regarding the DRC’s Response to My Letter
Dear Coop members:
The Gazette published a letter of mine (“The DRC’s Shameful Failure” from April 14) regarding my dissatisfaction with how they handled a mediation between me and another member. The DRC responded to my complaint with a letter of their own in the same issue.
I request that the DRC answer these questions for consideration by the Coop membership:
You state that you “felt that offering mediation was an appropriate conclusion to our investigation.” What exactly did you hope this mediation would accomplish?
What “agreement” do you believe resulted from my mediation? The person I was conversing with simply checked out of the meeting without as much as a “goodbye.” If the DRC can simply hide behind the confidentiality clause here, what kind of clarification, not to mention enforcement, can ever be made for such supposed “agreements?”
What is the point of offering mediation as an option if there is no clear stated goal as to what the mediation is meant to accomplish? If I had known that agreeing to “participate” in a mediation meant shutting all doors for future action regardless of the mediation’s conclusion, I would never have agreed to mediation.
It feels to me as if the DRC proposes mediation not as a sincere effort to try to resolve a conflict, but rather to pat themselves on the back so they can claim that they “followed all the procedures” and “did whatever they could” so they can then wash their hands from any further involvement or duty in the matter. This is quite irresponsible.
I do not see anything in my experience that could be deemed a “resolution” of anything.
Sincerely,
Sarede Switzer
Israeli Products Boycott
Dear Members,
We will soon have a chance to vote on a proposed Coop boycott of Israeli products. Voting YES will affirm Palestinian civil society’s nonviolent Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) call for the international community to uphold their human rights. I appreciated the informative presentation by PSFC4Palestine at the March 2026 General Meeting, as well as Board candidate Taylor Pate’s clear and principled advocacy on this issue.
I will be voting YES for the following reasons:
- The Coop’s Mission Statement commits us to social responsibility and care for others.
- BDS is a call from Palestinian civil society to act on those values through nonviolent economic pressure.
- Palestinians are asking the international community to boycott goods and companies connected to Israel as a protest against ongoing violence, displacement and systemic injustice.
- Targeting products made in Israel not antisemitic. I strongly oppose antisemitism, and I also oppose the genocide, violence and displacement of Palestinians in Gaza, Israel and the West Bank.
- As members of the Park Slope Food Coop, we have a responsibility to uphold principles of fairness and justice both locally and globally.
Sincerely,
Christine Schmidt