(no subject)

[naelany]

So Dustin and I just went to the Union meeting for a vote strike. I knew that a vote was up for discussion already, but I didn't have a clear idea as to why. Of course, Dustin had told me some of the issues, but still. It was shocking to me just what the employers like Safeway, Albertson's and Fred Meyer are trying to pull.
To give a short synopsis, here are some of the things they want the workers to agree to for the next 5 (yes, that's right five years):

•   10 cent cut off the premiums (meaning for Holidays and Sundays. Currently there's a premium of 35 cents/hour)


• Stores open on Christmas Day. Work on voluntary basis. If quota of workers is not met, they will do inverse seniority (meaning those who were hired last, work first. Also, you don't qualify for the Holiday pay if you haven't worked for the company for more then a year)


• to permanently ban union visitations from work places


• reduction of pension for some employees


• 0.75 cent raise over the next 5 years

Some other stuff as well, which I forget right now, or don't completely understand. But it's enough to piss me off. Thankfully, a law's been passed and will go in effect come January 1, 2008 that will allow workers who are locked out of their workplace to get unemployment. And the Union will help monitarily if you go on strike, so either way, we don't loose out too much money. So Dustin voted yes, and I'm whole heartedly behind his choice. It's rediculous!

They've put up a website for people, basically a blog, about all this. I encourage you to go read it. Also, if you shop at any of the stores involved, please let them know that you're behind them and do not agree with the terms they're being offered. Sorry, Christmas is family. We already forego enough family functions due to Dustin's schedule. Christmas we'd like to keep. So please, let your opinions be known to those who'd want to take the one Holiday a year away from their employees. Support your store clerks.

http://www.groceryworkersunited555.org/updates/eugene.php

Comments

Re: Voting with My Feet

[naomi-sue.livejournal.com]

I sure hope I didn't offend you with my posting. By no means am I trying to sway you in any direction. We all do what we need to do. My guff with Wal-Mart isn't even so much about their treatment of female associates, it's what they did to a friend of mine in another state. (NY) He had been employed (first as an associate - then moved up the ladder) and eventually beacame the GM for a store in his area, over a period of twelve years. He was given a promotion and asked to move across country to open a new location. He declined. His father had been diagnosed with colon cancer and he wanted to be near his parents to help out, not to mention he had one child on the verge of graduating from hich school. Wal-Mart fired him for not taking the promotion. And that's the total truth of it. No guffaw or anything about it. The guy got the axe because he wouldn't up-root at this time in his life. They stopped getting all of my dollars then and there. It was a little harder to break Mr. O of Wal-Mart, that is until I said "Anything you purchase from there - that needs ironing, you iron. Any food products you buy, you cook." heh, I gave him a choice... He chose to shop elsewhere as he won't do those women jobs. And I won't even go into Office Depot. We had to take them to court to get over $10,000 in biz billing from them. It took a year, to finally get them to pay their bill. As soon as we hired an attorney they paid up. They also lost a lot of business - forever, as our company wasn't the only one they forced into court.

And that stinks about your injury. I didn't think business's had the right to deny accident claims, on in store premise injuries. Did you report it right away, to the store personnel? Just another reason I'll shop online and have it delivered to my door. Every doggone mega-store around here makes it absolutely dangerous to shop in, for even the most cautious of shoppers!

Re: Voting with My Feet

[naelany.livejournal.com]

*chuckles* Goodness no! Of course you didn't ^_^. I agree with you, after all ^_~.
O.o man that blows! Typical though. *chuckles*

Why wouldn't they pay up?

Yep, we did everything "right". They said they'd look into it. Apparently (found this out afterwards), they fired the person who hadn't cleaned up but had signed off on the job being done. They said something along the lines of it not having been anything that was within their realm of liability. Or some such nonsense. We went to a lawyer, who pretty much told us he wouldn't touch the case with a 10-foot pole.