Wal-Mart files labor grievance against UFCW to stop Black Friday strike

[ScrappyB]

I shop at Walmart while at school because I don't have a car and the shuttle bus takes you there for free. While at home, we shop at Walmart only to get things we can't get at our local grocery or Hannaford.

Also, I swear to God Walmart uses some sort of arcane black magic for its prices. For example, here is the yarn I make everything with because it is cheap and thick and warm and not alpaca whatever shit. You will note that, from the supplier, it is $5.29. At my Walmart, they're $3.27. WHY.

There's a few reasons for that. Wal-Mart can sell for less than the supplier because they buy a fuckton of volume for the cheapest possible price, and the supplier doesn't really want the hassle of managing small orders to individuals. Many suppliers will not sell to individuals at all. I buy yarn, feathers, beads and such for tying fishing flies and jigs, and it's the same story. Most of the suppliers won't sell from their site, and those that do you can buy the stuff cheaper at a specialty store.

Wal-Mart's prices always end in 7 because, believe it or not, there are actual studies that show consumers are more likely to buy an item with a price that ends in 7.

[Vypernight]

Sounds like they just don't want workers to protect themselves from being trampled to death.  Personally if I worked there on BF, I 'd want to work in the posrting goods dept.  Not only are you in the back of the store, but you have access to metal baseball bats and firearms (This is one of the few times I'd want a gun.

Well, the firearms, assuming the store has them (they aren't at newer stores and have been phased out of most of the older stores), aren't going to do you much good as only managers have the keys to unlock their case and they'd probably rather you get trampled to death than have to defend you in court for shooting someone in self-defense.

True, I'd have to stick with the baseball bats.  I've never been so glad to work in a bakery rather than at Walmart.  Even though I go in at 5 on BF, I work in the back room, behind a huge hardwood table, nowhere near the customers.

[Carnotaurus]

Speak of the devil. We got an email from Home Office this morning detailing the pending black friday strike. And by that, I mean we were informed that the evil monied Union was staging a publicity stunt at the cost of poor hapless workers who don't know any better and how Wal-mart was filing suit to PROTECT THE DREAM OF MR. SAM WHOOOOOO.

Most pathetic, empty, vapid corporate propaganda puff piece I've ever heard, and having to listen to it in our manager's nasally voice and ridiculous faux enthusiasm made it worse. It never actually addressed the reasons WHY they're facing this strike, just repetitions of Union Bad, Wal-Mart Good, Union Employees just lazy and want something for nothing.

And then they told us we have a responsibility to the customer and thanked us for our flexibility his holiday season. Because nothing says flexibility like being scheduled 56 hours in one week with no days off and less than 6 hours between some shifts, having your schedule changed at the whim of our store manager, and being threatened with write-ups if we call in.

 I think we call that "exploitation."

Edit: And it came to light recently that our district manager implemented a hiring freeze on our holiday temps last month, and wouldn't let us actually hire the people we'd interviewed and approved until the end of October and early this month. What this means is that after wasting time in orientation, our holiday help is going to be kicked out onto the floor in the midst of the grinder that is holiday blitz, and will likely quit en mass. I went through this shit once last year, and it was a nightmare with even six months experience.

[ScrappyB]

Speak of the devil. We got an email from Home Office this morning detailing the pending black friday strike. And by that, I mean we were informed that the evil monied Union was staging a publicity stunt at the cost of poor hapless workers who don't know any better and how Wal-mart was filing suit to PROTECT THE DREAM OF MR. SAM WHOOOOOO.

From what I've read about Sam Walton, I don't think there's much of his philosophy left in the company. One of his major goals was to carry as many American made products as possible. Next time they say something about his dream, ask them about that part.

[Canadian Mojo]

Not to rub it in, but labour law here in Ontario states 11 hours off between shifts and no more than 48 hours a week unless you agree to it.

[Cloud3514]

Speak of the devil. We got an email from Home Office this morning detailing the pending black friday strike. And by that, I mean we were informed that the evil monied Union was staging a publicity stunt at the cost of poor hapless workers who don't know any better and how Wal-mart was filing suit to PROTECT THE DREAM OF MR. SAM WHOOOOOO.

Most pathetic, empty, vapid corporate propaganda puff piece I've ever heard, and having to listen to it in our manager's nasally voice and ridiculous faux enthusiasm made it worse. It never actually addressed the reasons WHY they're facing this strike, just repetitions of Union Bad, Wal-Mart Good, Union Employees just lazy and want something for nothing.

And then they told us we have a responsibility to the customer and thanked us for our flexibility his holiday season. Because nothing says flexibility like being scheduled 56 hours in one week with no days off and less than 6 hours between some shifts, having your schedule changed at the whim of our store manager, and being threatened with write-ups if we call in.

 I think we call that "exploitation."

Edit: And it came to light recently that our district manager implemented a hiring freeze on our holiday temps last month, and wouldn't let us actually hire the people we'd interviewed and approved until the end of October and early this month. What this means is that after wasting time in orientation, our holiday help is going to be kicked out onto the floor in the midst of the grinder that is holiday blitz, and will likely quit en mass. I went through this shit once last year, and it was a nightmare with even six months experience.

The thread for ranting is here, by the way, just in case you had stuff to contribute.

[TenfoldMaquette]

My store is pointedly NOT talking about the strikes. Like, at all. Someone briefly mentioned it at the morning meeting one day last week, and the co-manager just waved the issue away and moved on without comment.

I would start something over here if I thought my co-workers weren't a bunch of jelly-spined morons. Actually heard a few of them grumbling over union benefits a few months ago...they're sure pissed at the better pay & conditions the union employees get, but would rather see them dragged down then demand the same for themselves. Morons.

[starseeker]

I would start something over here if I thought my co-workers weren't a bunch of jelly-spined morons. Actually heard a few of them grumbling over union benefits a few months ago...they're sure pissed at the better pay & conditions the union employees get, but would rather see them dragged down then demand the same for themselves. Morons.

Crab bucket syndrome.

[TenfoldMaquette]

I would start something over here if I thought my co-workers weren't a bunch of jelly-spined morons. Actually heard a few of them grumbling over union benefits a few months ago...they're sure pissed at the better pay & conditions the union employees get, but would rather see them dragged down then demand the same for themselves. Morons.

Crab bucket syndrome.

That, and they know we'd all get shit-canned en masse if the higher ups caught us talking about it. Can't even use FB to organize something like that, as most of the management is FB-friends with as many worker drones as possible.

Of course, right now, it'd be pointless anyway. We've got a big swarm of newbies for the Black Friday fiasco and none of them are jaded enough to listen to anything hard-bitten bastards like me would tell them. Most of 'em will get shit-canned within a month or so, so it's doubly pointless.

[Saturn500]

Stop the newbies from entering at any cost.

All you have to do is block their entry.

[TenfoldMaquette]

Stop the newbies from entering at any cost.

All you have to do is block their entry.

Like I said, I can't count on anyone I work with to stand with me, so...if I'm gonna risk my job (and though they wouldn't officially shit-can me for protesting, they'd find some way to lose me sooner rather than later) I'd like it to stand a chance of success. I can't block all of them myself.

And I was also referring to a common tactic used by management to diffuse union talks - essentially, the HR department swarms the floor with a massive hire of young, idealistic newbies that are given the bestest of best treatment, so that when the newbs look at us old cranks who've been around long enough to know what's what, the newbs just think we're a bunch of complaining loons. Then, when it comes time to vote on forming a union, the newbies have no reason to vote for one as they see no need for one - Walmart spoon-feeds them propaganda with real-life examples until they side with the company over their fellow workers. This bogs down the process to a complete halt, which is exactly what is intended. Right now, we're already being newbie-swarmed thanks to the holiday hires, so there's functionally no point. :-/

[Damen]

So I was reading an article on Black Friday Creep over on HuffPo. Basically about how more and more retailers are opening their doors for Black Friday on fucking Thanksgiving. And then I had the unfortunate luck of looking at the comments. There were a good number of people saying this was a fucked up practice but then we got the standard conservative mouth-breathers calling the workers lazy for, ya know, wanting a little damn time with their family instead of feeling obligated to "volunteer" to work on Thanksgiving because they don't fucking make enough money.

As was said on the article I was reading:

Much like the strikes and protests expected to hit Walmart stores across the country on Black Friday, the readiness to labor on Thanksgiving is a symptom of the larger squeeze put on the industry's workers, argues Yana Walton, spokeswoman for the Retail Action Project, a group that advocates for rank-and-file retail employees.

"Everyone is part-timed to death at these stores," Walton said. "When they sign up for these shifts, it's 'I don't get enough hours, I'm dying for hours, so I'll work these shifts.' Until we do something to stop the part-timing of the workforce, we're going to see this happen."

"Workers want to stop this before it becomes an absolute standard to work on Thanksgiving," Walton added.

A Banana Republic worker whose New York City store will be open on Thanksgiving said a sign-up sheet has been hung in an employee area of the shop asking for volunteers. He said he suspects many will work the holiday because they need the cash.

"The way retail is going, they're forcing people into schedules like this -- not offering good wages or good hours or even benefits," said the employee, who works on store displays and requested anonymity to speak freely.

One of these knuckle-draggers popped off with a comment that's managed to get under my skin.

Do I feel sorry for the Walmart employees and other employees at other retail businesses because they have to work on a holiday................NO, I feel bad for all the people who are out of work. Hey all you Walmart rectal cavity employees who are walking off the job, you are working in a retain business. If you don't like it leave and join the ranks of the unemployed. Somehow I really think there will be someone who really wants to work that will take your place. There are Police officers and firemen who work every holiday, I know I did as a police officer and ate many a Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner in a Chineese restaurant.

When your boss tell you yopu have to work a loliday don't complain, be thankfull you have a job

You see, this is the sort of reasoning that got bandied about back during the industrial revolution. "So you don't make enough to survive and you never get to see your family. Just sit down and shut up and be happy to have a job at all." Talks of unionizing are said in hushed whispers in back rooms but everyone's too scared of losing their jobs to unionize so The Company basically has carte blanche to treat it's employees as horribly as it wants for the simple reason that right now not losing ground is considered an accomplishment. The argument used by this mouth-breather is part-and-parcel what a union buster likely used back during the early 1900s. They seem to have taken The Grapes of Wrath as a gold standard for an idolized time in history.

And is this pinhead really comparing cashiers to police and firemen? Ya know, union employees who provide fucking ESSENTIAL SERVICES? Does he really think that retail employees qualify as an ESSENTIAL SERVICE?

[TheL]

Do I feel sorry for the Walmart employees and other employees at other retail businesses because they have to work on a holiday................NO, I feel bad for all the people who are out of work. Hey all you Walmart rectal cavity employees who are walking off the job, you are working in a retain business. If you don't like it leave and join the ranks of the unemployed. Somehow I really think there will be someone who really wants to work that will take your place. There are Police officers and firemen who work every holiday, I know I did as a police officer and ate many a Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner in a Chineese restaurant.

When your boss tell you yopu have to work a loliday don't complain, be thankfull you have a job

You see, this is the sort of reasoning that got bandied about back during the industrial revolution. "So you don't make enough to survive and you never get to see your family. Just sit down and shut up and be happy to have a job at all." Talks of unionizing are said in hushed whispers in back rooms but everyone's too scared of losing their jobs to unionize so The Company basically has carte blanche to treat it's employees as horribly as it wants for the simple reason that right now not losing ground is considered an accomplishment. The argument used by this mouth-breather is part-and-parcel what a union buster likely used back during the early 1900s. They seem to have taken The Grapes of Wrath as a gold standard for an idolized time in history.

And is this pinhead really comparing cashiers to police and firemen? Ya know, union employees who provide fucking ESSENTIAL SERVICES? Does he really think that retail employees qualify as an ESSENTIAL SERVICE?

Oh, but he'll just die if he doesn't get his China-made kitsch and his fucking discount Big-Mouth Billy Bass.

[Hades]

Can't even use FB to organize something like that, as most of the management is FB-friends with as many worker drones as possible.

I would never, ever add my employer as a friend on FB. Not even if we were friendly. That just seems like a time bomb.

[ScrappyB]

Quote

Do I feel sorry for the Walmart employees and other employees at other retail businesses because they have to work on a holiday................NO, I feel bad for all the people who are out of work. Hey all you Walmart rectal cavity employees who are walking off the job, you are working in a retain business. If you don't like it leave and join the ranks of the unemployed. Somehow I really think there will be someone who really wants to work that will take your place. There are Police officers and firemen who work every holiday, I know I did as a police officer and ate many a Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner in a Chineese restaurant.

When your boss tell you yopu have to work a loliday don't complain, be thankfull you have a job.

What do you bet this is the same type of asshole who pisses and moans about the "war on Christmas"? Just wait until retailers start opening on Christmas for the day after sales. I bet this jerk would be A-OK with that too. Typical "I've got mine, screw everyone else" attitude.