`60 Minutes' To Feature Nordstrom Story Tonight

A national audience will be introduced to the Nordstrom story tonight at 7 on KIRO-TV, Channel 7, when ``60 Minutes'' airs a report on the Northwest's largest retailer.

CBS reporter Morley Safer and a ``60 Minutes'' crew were in town early last month to interview Nordstrom co-chairmen Jim, John and Bruce Nordstrom, past and present Nordstrom employees, and Joe Peterson, president of Local 1001 of the United Food & Commercial Workers.

The show is expected to address complaints initiated by the union that Nordstrom required some employees to perform duties such as delivering merchandise to customers and writing thank-you notes ``off-the-clock,'' or on their own time without pay. In February, the state Department of Labor and Industries said its investigation of Nordstrom had uncovered violations of the state's wage and hour laws.

Trouble between rapidly-expanding Nordstrom and the union arose last summer during negotiations to replace a contract that expired July 31. UFCW represents about 1,800 Nordstrom clerks and office workers in six King and Pierce county stores.

Talks between the company and union have been held sporadically over the past 10 months, and neither side has reported progress.