latest grocery strike news

[MystikMango]

I think it's sad that these people went on strike over $5-9 extra a week in health care costs. My insurance cost more than doubled to ~$245 a month for family coverage. On this aspect I do not feel anything for the strikers.

Now, I am not totaly heartless... I think the people that put their time in for pensions and related benefits should be entitled to them.

 

[dartworth]

This is from the same article...

Officials with the United Food and Commercial Workers union, which represents the grocery employees, say they recognize their members' hardships and are securing contributions from other labor groups across the country to help keep their strike fund solvent.

They said they are determined to stay on strike as long as it takes to preserve their members' health benefits.

"Our members average $20,000 a year. The employers are asking us to pay $5,000 of that (toward health care)," said Rick Icaza, president of UFCW Local 770 in Los Angeles. "We can't afford to do that. If we lose this strike, every union is threatened."

That is a little more than $5/week...

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: MystikMango
I think it's sad that these people went on strike over $5-9 extra a week in health care costs. My insurance cost more than doubled to ~$245 a month for family coverage. On this aspect I do not feel anything for the strikers.

Now, I am not totaly heartless... I think the people that put their time in for pensions and related benefits should be entitled to them.

Yeah, but they're not taking pension benefits away from current workers. Only from future hires. This only hurts the unions and really will not affect current employees except those new hires who planned to make a career out of scanning bananas.

Heartless has nothing to do with it. It is simple economics. If you can't make a living doing one thing then you will do something else. The non-union stores are coming and the only way for the union grocery chains to remain in business is to stay competetive. Unions do not facilitate competition. Not with non-union stores. People will shop where their money will buy the most. Not where the employees have the best benefits.

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: cricky
The problem, JJYIZ28, is that you continue to pound that no skill drum of yours. Look at your original post. 10 years of experience for the first one. Grocery MANAGER for the second one. Both have earn skilled positions within a company and are paid so. Would you expect $18.90 from an employer if you gave them 10 years of work experience? A manager within a grocery store is a skilled position, demanding team leadership, invoicing, inventory control among other things.

$18.90 is not the norm for union grocery workers nationwide. It is only achieved after years of showing leadership and management potential.

I wrote a ton the last time, I'm not going to be dragged back into it. We vote on our contract here (in Minnesota) at the end of next month. We are going to have to give a lot to get a little, I understand that. The southern CA workers are not willing to give that little.

Quit calling us all unskilled...

--Chris

I worked at walmart and lowes as a cashier. i was also managment.

The job is a non-skilled job. $18+ an hour is about $10 more then they should be paid. Stupid people went on strike when they were makeing more then some people make WITH a college degree. now look at them! out of work and on foodstamps.

you can hire a high school kid to do the job. its not Fvucking hard. The machine does all the work for you. all the person has to do is be able to count.

 

[phonemonkey]

Originally posted by: cricky
....

$18.90 is not the norm for union grocery workers nationwide. It is only achieved after years of showing leadership and management potential.

....

Quit calling us all unskilled...

--Chris

Funny, everyone that I've talked to that's worked in a Safeway store (from both Vons and Phoenix) have said that leadership and management potential had nothing to do with it. Most checkers in Phoenix were making more than $15 an hour after like 3 years. The basic requirement was to show up, do your job competantly, and not get in trouble.

What do you consider to be skilled labor then if you don't think that pushing packages across a scanner is unskilled?

 

[dirtboy]

Originally posted by: dartworth

Let me ask you this. Since hiring in these scabs, has the prices in the stores gone down? Probaly not.

Actually they have.

 

[shopbruin]

the prices will only go down if they direct it to go down.

i've been good, only been going to ralphs. but everyone has been going to ralphs and there have been shortages on some items. so tonite i went to pavillions.

plus 5/$10.00 on hot pockets was just too good...

 

[Dissipate]

By the way, lets not forget the incident of two union worker thugs waiting for a replacement worker to leave to go home and beating him up with baseball bats. :|

 

[SweetSweetLeroyBrown]

ok what is the normal pay for the 1 - 3 year grocery worker?

 

[Shuxclams]

$18.50 is a lot of money? I dont know what you twerps are smoking but you are all very high. As for the service and state of the supermarkets... well I see very long lines of very disgruntled picket crossers... yet they dont even realize why or what this is about... quite like most of you people. I have to pay half as much ($180) as they do for health care and I make WAYYYYYYYYYY more than they do and it is still extremly expensive. Maybe $18.50 is a lot for the bulk of the assbackwards shlt holes 'ya'll livin' in' but California is a expensive place to live........ and $18.50 gets you a very small apartment and probably little else.






For some of you I wish upon you the fate you laugh at now...













SHUX

 

[CanOWorms]

Originally posted by: Shuxclams
$18.50 is a lot of money? I dont know what you twerps are smoking but you are all very high. As for the service and state of the supermarkets... well I see very long lines of very disgruntled picket crossers... yet they dont even realize why or what this is about... quite like most of you people. I have to pay half as much ($180) as they do for health care and I make WAYYYYYYYYYY more than they do and it is still extremly expensive. Maybe $18.50 is a lot for the bulk of the assbackwards shlt holes 'ya'll livin' in' but California is a expensive place to live........ and $18.50 gets you a very small apartment and probably little else.

For some of you I wish upon you the fate you laugh at now...

SHUX

I don't think that bagging groceries is a viable career and not meant to provide an income to live on or raise a family on.

 

[IGBT]

The mba's are rapidly removing any semblance of careerism from middle class jobs..like it or not most of you offals are middle class and your spawns will be middle class as well. You may be laughing at the grocery clerks now...but 10 years from now I'll bet most of ya will be crying in your beers when you finally realize your middle class reality.

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: cricky
The problem, JJYIZ28, is that you continue to pound that no skill drum of yours. Look at your original post. 10 years of experience for the first one. Grocery MANAGER for the second one. Both have earn skilled positions within a company and are paid so. Would you expect $18.90 from an employer if you gave them 10 years of work experience? A manager within a grocery store is a skilled position, demanding team leadership, invoicing, inventory control among other things.

$18.90 is not the norm for union grocery workers nationwide. It is only achieved after years of showing leadership and management potential.

I wrote a ton the last time, I'm not going to be dragged back into it. We vote on our contract here (in Minnesota) at the end of next month. We are going to have to give a lot to get a little, I understand that. The southern CA workers are not willing to give that little.

Quit calling us all unskilled...

--Chris

We have to get down to 25 cents an hour to compete with China.

 

[gsaldivar]

Originally posted by: cricky
The problem, JJYIZ28, is that you continue to pound that no skill drum of yours. Look at your original post. 10 years of experience for the first one. Grocery MANAGER for the second one. Both have earn skilled positions within a company and are paid so. Would you expect $18.90 from an employer if you gave them 10 years of work experience? A manager within a grocery store is a skilled position, demanding team leadership, invoicing, inventory control among other things.

$18.90 is not the norm for union grocery workers nationwide. It is only achieved after years of showing leadership and management potential.

I wrote a ton the last time, I'm not going to be dragged back into it. We vote on our contract here (in Minnesota) at the end of next month. We are going to have to give a lot to get a little, I understand that. The southern CA workers are not willing to give that little.

Quit calling us all unskilled...

--Chris

No the REAL problem, Chris, is that you're confusing SENIORITY with SKILL.

Just because you pushed 6-packs across a laser for 10 years, doesn't make you a skilled worker.

You are a SKILLED WORKER when you devote months/years of studying, apprenticing, or interning in order to earn a certification or degree.

The last time I checked, a job at VONS/Ralphs didn't require a college degree, apprenticeship, internship or years of experience.

Now I can understand grocery workers not wanting to be labelled as UNSKILLED LABOR, but in truth - that is precisely what 99% of them are.

In return for above-average paychecks and free healthcare, the workers at these stores voted IN FAVOR of union labor representation, knowing that the day might come when the union would order them to strike.

Now the free lunch is over and it's time to pay the price for healthcare benefits.... JUST LIKE THE REST OF US.

 

[gsaldivar]

Originally posted by: Shuxclams
$18.50 is a lot of money? I dont know what you twerps are smoking but you are all very high. As for the service and state of the supermarkets... well I see very long lines of very disgruntled picket crossers... yet they dont even realize why or what this is about... quite like most of you people. I have to pay half as much ($180) as they do for health care and I make WAYYYYYYYYYY more than they do and it is still extremly expensive. Maybe $18.50 is a lot for the bulk of the assbackwards shlt holes 'ya'll livin' in' but California is a expensive place to live........ and $18.50 gets you a very small apartment and probably little else. For some of you I wish upon you the fate you laugh at now

I live in Socal and I think $3000 a month (before taxes) is generous for a grocery worker.

Now if you don't find that adequate to raise a family of five on, then its simply time to think about another "career".

 

[gsaldivar]

Originally posted by: Shuxclams
"...I have to pay half as much ($180) as they do for health care and I make WAYYYYYYYYYY more than they do and it is still extremly expensive...."

According to UFCW Local 324, Ralphs/Vons/Albertsons is asking workers for $780 per year, to help offset the rising healthcare costs of 13% annually.

That works out to $64 per month, or $32.50 per paycheck.

This is much lower than the $360/month which you claim. (I assume you used a monthly figure?)

Sounds fair to me.


:beer:

 

[Acanthus]

People working at a grocery store should NEVER make more than $12/hr (exluding management).

 

[johnjbruin]

hypothetical situation for union n00b:
say i worked at ralphs. would i have to join the strike even if i didnt believe in the cause of the union? or could i just keep working. do you ever have the opportunity of saying that no i will not join the union but i still want to do the job?
because i doubt 100% of the people on strike actually agree with it.

 

[gsaldivar]

I believe all current and future employees of a unionized shop, must join the union or lose their jobs. As a union member, you therefore agree to honor strike orders when they are issued.

While it's true that not 100% of the employees agree with the strike, it's safe to say that none of them complained about the above-average wages and free healthcare while it lasted....

 

[cricky]

Ah, f it. Not worth it one bit...

 

[slag]

Cricky, I dont think we are bashing you directly. We are not saying you as a person do not have skills or that what you do does not take a degree of learning. What we are saying is that normal grocery store jobs are classified as unskilled labor, unlike most computer training, lawyers, doctors, and other "professional" jobs.

Chances are you did not take specific training to learn how to write schedules, stock shelves, be a cashier, etc. I worked at walmart for 7 years so I know they have CBTs or computer based training and I also got my forklift license for working the warehouse, but that doesnt make me skilled.

Joe

 

[teddymines]

If you've been scanning groceries for 10 years and getting paid $18/hr, you've GOTTA think "I can't believe they're paying me so much to do this!" Then along comes some high school grad who can't/won't go to college, who is willing to do the same job for half. A few years later, another kid comes along and works for the same rate.

I feel bad for those that built a life around this fragile model.

 

[Yax]

Originally posted by: coldcut
How is it no skill?

If it took skills, they wouldn't have been replaced so easily, duh

 

[Passions]

"Kim, 32, has worked 10 years for Ralphs, where she makes $18.90 an hour. The single mother has been unable to find a part-time job that pays her enough to afford daycare for her three children, ages 3, 5 and 11"



$18.90/hr for scanning refried beans and frozen pizza? That's pathetic, they should have been more grateful. No sympathy at all, YOU LOSE!!!!

 

[Red Dawn]

Originally posted by: Acanthus
People working at a grocery store should NEVER make more than $12/hr (exluding management).

Same goes for most tech jobs.