Saw this at work yesterday (Possible strike in Weirton area)

Drew P Weiner · Senior Member

Saw this at work yesterday (Possible strike in Weirton area)

nocturnia · Guru

What's this about 'shifting health care costs to individual employees'? I thought Canada was on the social health care system~

BagBoy · Guru

nocturnia wrote:
What's this about 'shifting health care costs to individual employees'? I thought Canada was on the social health care system~

It's about local 23 in parts of West Virginia and Ohio.

Drew P Weiner · Senior Member

BagBoy wrote:
nocturnia wrote:
What's this about 'shifting health care costs to individual employees'? I thought Canada was on the social health care system~
It's about local 23 in parts of West Virginia and Ohio.

My bad, I should have mentioned where this was at.

What makes this appalling alone is the fact that Weirton is a steel mill town outside of Pittsburgh. Steel mills=unionized community.

If there is anybody who is reading this from Local 23, stand your ground and don't settle for less than what you're worth. This offer is a slap in the face to any hard working Kroger employee and burns me up to know this is what we could be facing in a couple of months.

I think Kroger is banking on a bad economy and hoping the union is afraid to strike. With unemployment being so high, you have to think Kroger is thinking a strike would create ill will toward the unions and would generate a positive spin for the corporation.

nocturnia · Guru

I think you're 100% on the money on this one, Drew~

krogerman77 · Guru

I saw this today. They want to shift 100% of the health care cost to the employees and no pay raise for the length of the contract.

BagBoy · Guru

krogerman77 wrote:
I saw this today. They want to shift 100% of the health care cost to the employees and no pay raise for the length of the contract.

Completely unacceptable.

thedude · Guru

they are negotiating dude. thats all part of the game. dont think for a second that will happen. let them figure it out and remember that ultimately it will be up to YOU to vote and ratify the contract.

Drew P Weiner · Senior Member

thedude wrote:
they are negotiating dude. thats all part of the game. dont think for a second that will happen. let them figure it out and remember that ultimately it will be up to YOU to vote and ratify the contract.

I understand completely that its negotiations, but the reason most people work at Kroger is because they offer health insurance. Granted, it may not be much, but at least people have SOMETHING.

I interviewed at Sams Club about three weeks ago and pretty much had the job if I wanted it. Base pay started a nickel more than what I am making an hour currently at Kroger and experience credits would have likely pushed it up to $2-3 more an hour. Add in that its five minutes from my house and you ask why I didn't take it? Insurance. I would have had to have worked there for two years and I would have been the only one covered (getting married next year).

Insurance is a big deal to employees, and it isn't cheap for companies to provide either.

I do believe that part-time employees deserve a raise as well. The price of gas has gone up to get back and forth to work, and as a result has trickled into the price of groceries. When you make either minimum wage or slightly above and have bills to pay, it really starts to cut deep. The price of everything is going up, except our paychecks.

It is infuriating though when Kroger spends money on programs such as Quevision, installs a conveyor belt checkout in Kentucky that costs $500,000, but when it comes time to pay employees, this is the type of "first offer" that comes out. I only hope there is a write in comment on the ballot to where I could write "take and shove up your ass" if we get a similar offer.

BagBoy · Guru

Drew P Weiner wrote:
thedude wrote:
they are negotiating dude. thats all part of the game. dont think for a second that will happen. let them figure it out and remember that ultimately it will be up to YOU to vote and ratify the contract.
I understand completely that its negotiations, but the reason most people work at Kroger is because they offer health insurance. Granted, it may not be much, but at least people have SOMETHING.
I interviewed at Sams Club about three weeks ago and pretty much had the job if I wanted it. Base pay started a nickel more than what I am making an hour currently at Kroger and experience credits would have likely pushed it up to $2-3 more an hour. Add in that its five minutes from my house and you ask why I didn't take it? Insurance. I would have had to have worked there for two years and I would have been the only one covered (getting married next year).
Insurance is a big deal to employees, and it isn't cheap for companies to provide either.
I do believe that part-time employees deserve a raise as well. The price of gas has gone up to get back and forth to work, and as a result has trickled into the price of groceries. When you make either minimum wage or slightly above and have bills to pay, it really starts to cut deep. The price of everything is going up, except our paychecks.
It is infuriating though when Kroger spends money on programs such as Quevision, installs a conveyor belt checkout in Kentucky that costs $500,000, but when it comes time to pay employees, this is the type of "first offer" that comes out. I only hope there is a write in comment on the ballot to where I could write "take and shove up your ass" if we get a similar offer.

It does... It's the "No" box

Drew P Weiner · Senior Member

BagBoy wrote:
Drew P Weiner wrote:
thedude wrote:
they are negotiating dude. thats all part of the game. dont think for a second that will happen. let them figure it out and remember that ultimately it will be up to YOU to vote and ratify the contract.
I understand completely that its negotiations, but the reason most people work at Kroger is because they offer health insurance. Granted, it may not be much, but at least people have SOMETHING.
I interviewed at Sams Club about three weeks ago and pretty much had the job if I wanted it. Base pay started a nickel more than what I am making an hour currently at Kroger and experience credits would have likely pushed it up to $2-3 more an hour. Add in that its five minutes from my house and you ask why I didn't take it? Insurance. I would have had to have worked there for two years and I would have been the only one covered (getting married next year).
Insurance is a big deal to employees, and it isn't cheap for companies to provide either.
I do believe that part-time employees deserve a raise as well. The price of gas has gone up to get back and forth to work, and as a result has trickled into the price of groceries. When you make either minimum wage or slightly above and have bills to pay, it really starts to cut deep. The price of everything is going up, except our paychecks.
It is infuriating though when Kroger spends money on programs such as Quevision, installs a conveyor belt checkout in Kentucky that costs $500,000, but when it comes time to pay employees, this is the type of "first offer" that comes out. I only hope there is a write in comment on the ballot to where I could write "take and shove up your ass" if we get a similar offer.
It does... It's the "No" box

I know that, I was saying it's kinda like saying no because "Hell No" isn't an option.

thedude · Guru

When our contract went up for vote, I didn't bother to go. I realized that a vast majority of the employees were going to vote "YES" even though they did not fully understand the inner nuance bullcrap that was being dished their way. After the vote and passing of the new contract, they all cried foul. It was funny but sad b/c a lot of these people rely on their company and job too keep them going forward in life. I don't all that much. people do not want to strike. so they will vote yes for anything half way decent as long as they believe it will keep a paycheck coming in week after week. problem is - they do not get much in return cept the opportunity to come to work as a kroger slave for the next 3 years.

MadMan_Mundt · Senior Member

yay for slavery