I've been on the Night Stock crew for a week now, and it freakin' sucks.
We're severely understaffed. Normally, there are 5 of us that stock the entire store. But some nights, they put one of the managers on the stock crew, and he doesn't help... he just sits in his office. So sometimes there are 4 of us.
The truck schedules are all messed up. Most of the time, the trucks arrive in the middle of our shifts, so we end up conditioning the aisles for a few hours, then we break down the truck, and we only have a few hours to stock the entire store. Due to this, we end up having to work over almost every night, and I've learned that the night stock crew member typically works about 45 hours a week, even though I was told it would be 17-30 hours a week. And there's no overtime, since we're all "part-time".
I was never actually trained on how to do the job. I still really have no clue as to what I'm doing, as everyone there just expects me to already know how to do everything. I ask questions, but they talk to me like I'm stupid for not knowing.
So I work on an understaffed night stock crew, doing manual labor for minimum wage (paying the union to do nothing), working under managers and shift leaders who NEVER communicate with us. My hours suck, typically being more than 45 hours a week. Some nights I'll work 6pm-2am, other nights I'll work 9pm-5am, and sometimes I'll work 10pm-6am, then 1pm-9pm THE SAME DAY. Not to mention, I can never call in or get any days off, because the stock crew is so understaffed, they always require everyone to work.
This is not what I signed up for. Are all night stock jobs this bad, or just this one? Or am I just overreacting?
But I literally do a job that four people should be doing. Why work our understaffed stock crew a few hours over every night, when they could just hire a few more people onto the crew, and everyone could actually get done on time, or maybe early? They'd work more people less hours, so it'd be about the same, but it'd be easier on the employees. No one on the stock crew signed up to work 40 hours a week, let alone 50, so they shouldn't be working us almost 50 hours a week. Especially not for minimum wage, minus "union dues"...
It's just a terrible job. Literally every aspect of the job is horrible. Work/life balance, work environment, supervisors, managers, pay, benefits, hours, etc. ALL OF THEM SUCK.
Kroger tries their hardest to exploit their own employees however they can...
-- Edited by CharityDiary on Sunday 6th of January 2013 06:03:45 AM
I definitely agree with this. I've always been really anti-union.
Why should I pay a third party to make sure I get paid and treated right and stuff? Shouldn't my employer do that already? If they don't, people just wouldn't work for them. Problem solved.
CharityDiary wrote:(paying the union to do nothing),
Everyone should boycott the union. It is unAmerican and evil.
Its actually the company who is providing these "part-time" positions. The union is there to help workers keep a job. Obviously you've never have had an interaction with a real union.
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My Views and Opinions do not reflect that of the Kroger company. I'm an indivdual expressing my 1st amendment right.
CharityDiary wrote:(paying the union to do nothing),
Everyone should boycott the union. It is unAmerican and evil.
Its actually the company who is providing these "part-time" positions. The union is there to help workers keep a job. Obviously you've never have had an interaction with a real union.
Probably because my union does nothing? What would I need a union for, anyway? As long as I actually do my job, I'll be fine. I don't need a raise that I don't deserve, and Kroger doesn't need some greedy third-party riding their backs about giving their employees raises.
Anyway, this thread is not about unions; it's about how Kroger makes working for them SUCK.
HEY YOU FKTARDS, WHERE DO YOU THINK TAXES COME FROM?
From hard working people. The union steals money from these hard working people. IMHO, paychecks should NOT be taxed.
P.S.
It's not nice to call people that, whether they "deserve" it or not. And even if you think people "deserve" it, it would still be your own opinion that they "deserve" it. Stop being so mean.
AnonymousCutter wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
CharityDiary wrote:(paying the union to do nothing),
Everyone should boycott the union. It is unAmerican and evil.
Its actually the company who is providing these "part-time" positions. The union is there to help workers keep a job. Obviously you've never have had an interaction with a real union.
Correction: the union is there to steal hard working people's money and support democrats and liberal agendas.
Also, if there's a "real union," I'd like to know what a "fake union" is. Your argument is silly.
in other words, i am damn good at my job and valuable enough (whether i'm at kroger or another company) that i don't need these chuckle****s all up in my business making decisions for me regarding what my labor is worth!
-- Edited by styles on Monday 7th of January 2013 01:34:25 PM
the union is in kroger's pocket..they negotiate these contracts with the company and it leaves a lot of people in the dust, especially if there's a closed shop. the only thing i have ever seen our union do is attempt to keep people in positions when they probably should be let go. perfect case in point, we had an employee stealing. it was pretty much cut and dry on the cameras, but when he was placed on "suspension", the union got involved. our union guy probably came to the store half a dozen times due to this incident..we should take this moment to remember that union reps are usually paid from union dues!
i'm sure there's a lot of good that unions do in many instances and i'm sure that there will be no shortage of people here to tell me this. but i also know that if i went to the boss man today, and asked for a raise, this is the answer i would get:
"well, we'd really love to give you a raise, but here's the problem - union contract says you're topped out at $xx.xx and that's really all we can do because even though we've seen demonstrable improvements in sales, OSAT scores, cleanliness, and key retailing standards since you came on board, well gee oh gosh oh golly i'd love to but we just can't cause of this gosh darn union...it just wouldn't be fair to the others, ya know"
so we can take it however we want to look at it..either the union is holding back the best employees in the name of "equality" (while serving primarily to ensure its own continued existence) or it provides a convenient excuse to not give incentives based on an individual employee's merits
it provides a convenient excuse to not give incentives based on an individual employee's merits
This about sums up the union. The only people I see supporting it are those with poor work ethic or have been working there for a while and just don't wanna leave mother Kroger.
then to bring this thread back on track: yes, night stock sucks and everything the OP is complaining about, sounds about right. has your union been able to do anything about the working conditions thus far? that's what i thought..
now back to our union fist-waving, please!
-- Edited by styles on Monday 7th of January 2013 10:51:06 PM
then to bring this thread back on track: yes, night stock sucks and everything the OP is complaining about, sounds about right. has your union been able to do anything about the working conditions thus far? that's what i thought..
now back to our union fist-waving, please!
-- Edited by styles on Monday 7th of January 2013 10:51:06 PM
Haha. And no, the union has done nothing. I don't even know who our union representative is, or anything. I don't think anyone does. All our union does is take our money...
And the job freaking sucks. I hope no one works for Kroger ever again.
if the union was able to actually accomplish anything, they would be able to at least get you overtime pay if you worked over 40 hours. i mean that's a freaking federal law and a first-year law student should be able to handle that one i would think
If I would have known working nights would have sucked 4 years ago I would have been long gone but unfortunately around here finding a full time job with decent pay and benefits is damn near impossible to find. But being this is my first job ever working nights I must say that I really wish I never got in this mess.
I miss doing things with family, I would like to make friends and get a girlfriend but this job kills that. Now all I do is struggle with sleep and feel depressed and feel like crap all the time. It really sucks.
