Two key things I got out of the literature (this is for Michigan UFCW 876):
1. Part time employees will only be able to work up to 28 hours.
2. Utility clerks will finally be given their own classification separate from courtesy clerk.
I've talked around to other employees, and many say they are going to vote down the contract or quit. We're being told the 28 hours is necessary because of Obamacare.
Those of us keeping an eye on ObamaCare expected this to happen since it classifies any employee averaging 30 hrs per week as "full time"
If that's the contract offer VOTE IT DOWN
The healthcare law will end up hurting those it was supposed to help.
Even more people will be working two part time jobs to make ends meet and still fall through the cracks on benefits and as low hour part time workers they'll be that more easily exploited.
Out of one side of his mouth Obama can claim success on the unemployment front because that rate will drop as it has because of the need for people to get second jobs. Out of the other side of his mouth he can declare a new crisis for his policies to fix. His union allies will declare a new greater need for their existence and policitcal activism.
IMO the end goal of ObamaCare was always for it to fail so the single payer gov't managed system can be presented as the only way to fix things. However once business is lead down the path of ever greater numbers of part time interchangeable and disposable workers, they'll stay the course even after the gov't incentive to so is gone.
the contract will be good for 51 months thats over 4 years. first year we will get a $500 bonus second year a 20 cent raise third year $800 bonus fourth year $500 bonus.
health insurance copays are going up. for a single person i only pay 5 dollars a week now. new contract it will go up a dollar every year of contract till it reaches 9 dollars a week. i voted no this contract sucks ass worse than the last one
Part time workers cn still work over 28 hours, and this contract guarantees anybody averaging over 24 hours a week (20 if hired before 10/23/11 in 951 health insurance coverage for the next 51 months, instead of the ObamaCare mandate of 30the the 28 hours language means part timers can claim up to that amount, and full timers can remain at full tbell until their hours drop below an average of 28 Over the previous 16 weeks.
Those of us keeping an eye on ObamaCare expected this to happen since it classifies any employee averaging 30 hrs per week as "full time"
If that's the contract offer VOTE IT DOWN
The healthcare law will end up hurting those it was supposed to help.
Even more people will be working two part time jobs to make ends meet and still fall through the cracks on benefits and as low hour part time workers they'll be that more easily exploited.
Out of one side of his mouth Obama can claim success on the unemployment front because that rate will drop as it has because of the need for people to get second jobs. Out of the other side of his mouth he can declare a new crisis for his policies to fix. His union allies will declare a new greater need for their existence and policitcal activism.
IMO the end goal of ObamaCare was always for it to fail so the single payer gov't managed system can be presented as the only way to fix things. However once business is lead down the path of ever greater numbers of part time interchangeable and disposable workers, they'll stay the course even after the gov't incentive to so is gone.
This contract will be exempt from provisions of ObamaCare...the current 20/24 hour requirment to maintain insurance will apply until June 2017. I wish people understood the facts of this proposal. At least it passed... otherwise its hard to say what 876 would propose in June of this year or what 951 would get next year, when the company wll only be required to give insurance to people working over 30 hours a week.
You only get those bonuses if you are at the top pay rate. Also, it makes it even harder to get full time by making June, July and august not count toward your full time staus. Meaning you could work 40 hours a week those months and still not be full time.
I would heed my words carefully. Just because they're giving you a contract bonus tells me right there this is a very fishy contract. They're offering these "bonuses" to try and entice into signing the contract. In reality the "bonus" is just a piece of the wages and benefits you'll be losing if they sign this contract.
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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.
That's Kroger's pattern bargaining these days. Instead of top rate increases, for the last few years, they've offered their high seniority/"maxed out" people bonuses that break down sometimes to $.20-.40 an hour or something. Giving it as a lump sum means that they don't have to pay it out in overtime/vacation pay/holidays/premiums. It also keeps wages stagnant. If you're topped out at $13.50, rather than give "all top rate employees an increase of $.25," it's cheaper to give an equivalent (or slightly higher) bonus, because when you renegotiate, you're still negotiating from the same dollar amount.
The bonuses aren't really meant as an incentive to convince people to vote yes, in the sense that they're selling a bill of goods.
These contract extensions were a good deal all around for members of Michigan's two main union offices. The company is going to save a buttload of money on insurance contributions for the next 6 months, part timers got their insurance locked in for 4 years, retirees are eligible for insurance now, department heads and top rate people got a little something (not enough, unfortunately).
Local UFCW 700 here. Our contract expired in May 2012. Talks are still ongoing. Kroger has proposed and has stuck by charging $130 per week for insurance coverage for those with dependents. They also would like to eliminate spouse coverage as well.
Local UFCW 700 here. Our contract expired in May 2012. Talks are still ongoing. Kroger has proposed and has stuck by charging $130 per week for insurance coverage for those with dependents. They also would like to eliminate spouse coverage as well.
Wow!! I don't even pay that much WITH the working spouse fee I pay! That's a terrible contract!!!
There has been no talks on wages either. They want to get this insurance issue taken care of first. Our UFCW 700 president says if talks continue to falter, the likelyhood of a strike vote is high.
Local 876 has extremely reasonable rates. They're going up with this extension, but they still beat what everyone else is paying. Working spouse fee has also gone up from $100/month to $200. So that stinks.
This contract provides irrefutable proof that unions are evil. Many of the employees were complaining, including some of the most die-hard union supporters, about how the contract was rushed.
It turns out, the reason it was so rushed, was to avoid the new right-to-work law in the state. Those contracts that start before March 28th are excempt from the law.
So, instead of supposedly the union being "for the workers," they only truly cared about their own coffers.
Please. The company wanted it passed as much as anything.
The leverage in this negotiation, which was done 3 months early, was the big pile of money in the Health and Welfare Fund that the company wanted returned to them. They're going to save millions by not making contributions to the fund for 6 months, and Local 876 wanted something in return, including yes, an extension of their contract before right to work went into effect.
If it's going to be a union shop, we're better off having a strong when than a weaker one.
This contract provides irrefutable proof that unions are evil. Many of the employees were complaining, including some of the most die-hard union supporters, about how the contract was rushed.
It turns out, the reason it was so rushed, was to avoid the new right-to-work law in the state. Those contracts that start before March 28th are excempt from the law.
So, instead of supposedly the union being "for the workers," they only truly cared about their own coffers.
I don't think all unions are evil. A friends husband is in an electricians union, and he gets much better wages than he did before he joined the union. I just don't think there's a place for a union in a grocery store if it's going to be run like this. No one is making better wages than anyone else working in any other grocery store, or retail store. The only thing that might be better is healthcare costs, and it seems like that is going out the window also. I'm sure there are a lot of employees that would be terrified for their jobs if Kroger was no longer unionized. I know of several in my store who claim that the only reason why they're still there is because of the union because "they are a terrible employee and they know it". I am a Democrat and I am proud of it, but honestly, I'm not pro-union. Not when they're not helping their paying members.
Heard it straight from the union steward the other day...YES, IT IS ALL ABOUT OBAMACARE!!! We'll see what happens when THAT kicks in...Could be good...or bad...don't know yet...Probably depends on the employee you ask...
And another thing, not everyone makes the same wages...There are several different tiers on the pay scale where everyone is at, and the contract will effect each employee differently, so it depends on who you are.
Wait, the union forces people to join them, forces them to pay union dues, then finds a loophole to continue the process against the employee's will? While at the same time decreasing their hours to 28 instead of 32? Yep, sounds evil.
They didn't decrease anybody's hours. I know actually learning about and understanding how unease things work is a lot harder and less fun than just making **** up out of ignorance, but maybe you should try it sometime.
