KROGER'S ON STRIKE - - 3 states involved- - guess what they want???

Joe Hill · Dec 3, 2003

Originally posted by passing thru
I am usually pro union.

What you are saying is that you are pro union when it suits you. I myself would rather pay more money for items if my fellow workers are properly compensated no matter the job they do.

Instead of working against these workers, you should be fighting for fully funded health benefits for yourself and your fellow nurses.

If you care about your fellow Americans avoid shopping at Krogers, Giant, and Walmart until they adequately compensate their employees.

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Dec 3, 2003

Originally posted by passing thru
OBRNTEACHER, It has been in the Charleston, WV newspaper for months that the WV Kroger's employees are not paying a cent for their insurance....never have.

It has been written every week that the strike is about ONE issue: The company wants the employee's to start paying part of their insurance...a very small part .

I work with several people whose spouses work at Kroger's.
They all say the strike is about insurance payments and we have arrgued this topic at work. They all say their Kroger spouses get their insurance "free" and always have.

Space Nurse: You are the best. I love your information and,
as usual, you are hitting the nail right on the head.
I read all of your post. I agree.

The insurance industry is the culprit....but they are elusive.
Too big for anyone but God to touch.

People working for Kroger's strike for different reasons, it's never been about one reason alone, and the strike now is not an exception.

kcw74 · Dec 3, 2003

I worked my way through nursing school at a Kroger in Charleston and currently my sister was doing the same. From what I understand, the insurance is provided through the union and is paid for by Union dues. WV is not a right to work state and therefore everyone hired into the store is forced to join the union and pay dues. Right off I can't remember how much the dues were a week, but when you only worked 15 hours a week, it was money that was noticibly missed. A majority of employees at a Kroger store are high school and college students that are wage capped around $7-8 an hour. I worked at Kroger for 5 yrs and met maximum wage potential after 2 yrs. Older employees have seen wage cuts in the past yrs so that they may make a whopping $14-15 an hour. Pretty sad when you consider a employee may have worked there for 15-20 yrs or more. Something more specialized like a meat cutter may make more, but I'm sure not much.

What many people also do not realize is that there is a difference in the benefits between the "younger" hired employee and the more "veteran" employees. Depending on the contract they were hired under is how well the benefits and pay are.

I agree in that Kroger employees may have to suck it up a little and pay a small amount for their insurance, but also doubt that Kroger is really hurting for money either. I work in healthcare and I pay a stupid amount of money for some crappy insurance that doesn't even cover child immunizations. Kroger employees are fortunate that the employer pays into medical benefits, because I don't think Wal mart offers such a thing, although I may be wrong on that.

As for the strike itself, most employees I know really wish that the union and Kroger could get it together and come to an agreement. Christmas time is a horrible time to be out of a job, especially in WV where unemployment is already so high.

SmilingBluEyes · Dec 3, 2003

Originally posted by Joe Hill
What you are saying is that you are pro union when it suits you. I myself would rather pay more money for items if my fellow workers are properly compensated no matter the job they do.

Instead of working against these workers, you should be fighting for fully funded health benefits for yourself and your fellow nurses.

If you care about your fellow Americans avoid shopping at Krogers, Giant, and Walmart until they adequately compensate their employees. [/
I agree. Cannot have our cake and EAT it too!

lmd32 · Dec 3, 2003

I have to disagree with what seems to be the consensus here. I'm not going to argue the merits of Kroger's vs. Wallmart vs. mom-and-pop. But, to get back to the original question, should employees pay for part of their health insurance...

I have worked for the state of Washington for the last 12 years. When I was hired, the state paid 100% of my health insurance, my family's health insurance, and my dental. This was a HUGE benefit. About 10 years ago, we got a small raise and at the same time began to pay about a little less than the amount of the raise for our health insurance. We didn't strike but I sure wanted to and did my best to convince others. It was a "foot in the door" phenomenon. Every year, the percentage of my health insurance I pay has gone up and my wages have not kept pace. I know that most employers require employees to pay for part of their health insurance but if you luck into a place that's paying 100%, fight to keep it. I would take a pay cut to get back my employer paid health insurance.

Gldngrl · Dec 3, 2003

I don't mean to digress but to those that think Walmart's the greatest thing since sliced bread, here's some interesting reading : http://www.pbs.org/itvs/storewars/stores.html (PBS: Storewars: Walmart's Practices and Policies).

Also good reading: "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich (Reviews)

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

Essayist and cultural critic Barbara Ehrenreich has always specialized in turning received wisdom on its head with intelligence, clarity, and verve. With some 12 million women being pushed into the labor market by welfare reform, she decided to do some good old-fashioned journalism and find out just how they were going to survive on the wages of the unskilled--at $6 to $7 an hour, only half of what is considered a living wage. So she did what millions of Americans do, she looked for a job and a place to live, worked that job, and tried to make ends meet.

As a waitress in Florida, where her name is suddenly transposed to "girl," trailer trash becomes a demographic category to aspire to with rent at $675 per month. In Maine, where she ends up working as both a cleaning woman and a nursing home assistant, she must first fill out endless pre-employment tests with trick questions such as "Some people work better when they're a little bit high." In Minnesota, she works at Wal-Mart under the repressive surveillance of men and women whose job it is to monitor her behavior for signs of sloth, theft, drug abuse, or worse. She even gets to experience the humiliation of the urine test.

So, do the poor have survival strategies unknown to the middle class? And did Ehrenreich feel the "bracing psychological effects of getting out of the house, as promised by the wonks who brought us welfare reform?" Nah. Even in her best-case scenario, with all the advantages of education, health, a car, and money for first month's rent, she has to work two jobs, seven days a week, and still almost winds up in a shelter. As Ehrenreich points out with her potent combination of humor and outrage, the laws of supply and demand have been reversed. Rental prices skyrocket, but wages never rise. Rather, jobs are so cheap as measured by the pay that workers are encouraged to take as many as they can. Behind those trademark Wal-Mart vests, it turns out, are the borderline homeless. With her characteristic wry wit and her unabashedly liberal bent, Ehrenreich brings the invisible poor out of hiding and, in the process, the world they inhabit--where civil liberties are often ignored and hard work fails to live up to its reputation as the ticket out of poverty. --Lesley Reed --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

studentOH · Dec 3, 2003

I worked at wal-mart for a year and a half. 10/hour (not bad when you're nineteen in a small town in the middle of nowhere).

Moved to Columbus at 20, worked at Kroger for a whopping three months. On top of my 6.25 an hour I was paying union dues out the orifice...I'd *much* rather work for wallyworld if I had to go back to one of them.

Can't shop at wal-mart though, too crowded, too loud, and it *smells*. Had NO complaints against them as an employer. And as for layoffs, they happen, that's why we go to college and develop skills to make us more marketable. My parents struggled constantly when I was kid, if they had just waited awhile to have children and gotten an education first they would have had it a *lot* easier. I can't imagine trying to raise a family working an entry-level job at *any* grocery store.

Brian

Agnus · Dec 11, 2003

Originally posted by manna
I live in a small town, but we are due to get a WM supercenter sometime within the next year - I'm actually looking forward to it.

Sure, I would love to support the smaller stores, but they could use some competition so as not to rob the consumer blind....

Last time I bought a block of cheese at my local grocery store for $5.29 when the MSRP was clearly marked on the box as $2.99.

I know they have to make a profit, but I don't particularly like supporting a monopoly either. (and surely the MSRP has some sort of store profit built in?)

My Dand I own a retail business. VOLUME is everything. I see some merchants in our little community who cannot buy for resale any cheaper than I can get an item myself out of town.

It is a shame I can get certain supplies for my business cheaper than our neighbor merchant can. They are tied into a contract for certain items and cannot buy else where even though customers like me can go to Costco or Wallart and not only beat thier prices but beat their cost.

[email protected] · Dec 23, 2003

I don't know where I stand in the Kroger thing, but Wal Mart?? No problem!

I saw Ehrenreich was on "Book TV" on Cspan/ If you haven't checked out Book TV, you're not paying attention. She was on a panel with Michael Moore and Ben Cheever. Haven't checked Ben out yet, but of course I get all of Mike's books as soon as I can. It's easy to dismiss Mike as more of a problem than a solution. I did the same with Al Franken, 'til I LISTENED to him on C-Span. (The majors won't let him talk--If you question this hypothesis look at how they carefully edited their reporting of his acceptance speech at the Academy Awards--he spoke for about 30 seconds but the news only showed the first 10 seconds where he was booed, and not the entire speech, with more cheers than boos afterwards.)

EVERYONE needs to read Ehrenriech. The establishment needs to see how Sam does it. Working stiffs (staff nurses) need to read it for self-defense.

What makes Barb special is that she's a professional jounalist and her book is chock-full of footnotes and bibliography. This makes her more than just another whiner (AKA Dennis Miller--and it's not because he's conservative--I saw his entire stand-up at a local theater.)

I was in Southern California during the 2nd week of the grocery workers strike. We were on vacation so I had better things to do than to learn about the strike. I did need to know what they were about before I decided where to buy a case of beer. They way I heard it, they were walking over $15 a week co-pay. Now $15 out of a part-timer's check could be a lot, but for somebody who makes more than RN's?

If you don't think grocery clerks earn more than RNs look at the mid 80's article in a major nursing journal. (Can't remember which one--I guess I read too many!) They surveyed several major cities and found out that they do.

While we were there I heard some dude on the radio talking about the LA Bus Worker's strike and some folks who were walking at a big aerospace contractor. The dude said, "We have three major strikes in the state, and every one of them is over health insurance." Next time I talk to one of my Calif. friends, I'll have to ask him if Arnie is doing anything about that!

We had, right in my own home town, the first time a new contract with all of the big three automakers last year. It was also the first time that a contract was settled without a strike against anybody. (The UAW may be finally seeing how they've strangled the goose that laid the golden egg.) After the settlement there was a 1/2 page commentary from the President of the UAW. This guy said that the greatest obstacle was health insurance. We put a band-aid on it this time, but until we fix the whole thing, it will get worse before it get better.

I believe somebody said it in this thread. If you give them a nickel, next year they'll demand $100 bucks. That's true, but there's no such thing as "free" health care. Chrysler (now Daimler-Chysler) announced their method of stopping the red ink hemorhage in June. They just doubled the co-pay for retirees. So lessee, do I see my doctor (before it's too late), or buy groceries (before my old lady starves)?

What really puked me out was the "re-elect Junior" campaign, AKA PRESCRIPTION COVERAGE FOR SENIORS! I watched as much of the "debate" (with generous doses of Tigan/Compazine) as I could. Instead of trying to FIX, or (at least look at) Medicare they rigged it to go out of business. The sh*t won't even hit the fan until Junior has been coronated again.

Haven't heard much from Dean, but I'd vote for him. As an ER doc, (I've been an ER Nurse for 20 yrs) he was right in the middle of the health care mess. I could vote for Dennis the Menace on health care (he said we should scrap out unfixable medicare), but only if he had the general to keep his finger off the button.

I listen to the Democrats mostly for entertainment only since they are most likely carefully maneuvered by Juniors pals so that we'll get the one that is easiest to beat. They look pretty stupid, even without the goading of Juniors boys, aguing about which two out of the TEN of them are gonna get their A**es kicked!

Let's all watch what a crappy band-aid they put on health care insurance in this Kroger's thing. Man, the headlines on that one will be a 4 beer hoot!

I just heard about another big grocery stike against Kroger's biggest competitor right here in town. I wonder what THEY'RE whining about?? :roll

mrsabradford · Dec 23, 2003

Krogers is too expensive. I visited one in Atlanta and their prices were worse than some of the gourmet stores in NYC!!!

Are you kiddin' me? That was the first and last time I set foot in Krogers.

As for Walmart, I love them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! When I lived in Louisiana for a little more than a year. All there was was Walmart. You basically had no choice. I loved that fact that everything including my hair salon was located in one place. It saved me time, money and energy.

As for their treatment of their workers, it can't be bad. My sister-in-law has been working at Walmart for years and loves it! She just relocated to Texas and requested to be transferred is that love or what!!!!!!!!!!

Walmart is on its way to either NYC or Brooklyn.

I can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!! GO WALMART!

[email protected] · Dec 23, 2003

mrsabraford,

You are not paying attention! Did you read my last post or better that of mmb-rjd? Better still would get the books cited in each post.

Did you know that there are lawsuits pending in several states by former Walmart employees, who were FIRED for telling people what a pittance they were being paid?

Not all of my knowledge about Walmart is second hand. While we were driving up I-75 year before last my wife and I stopped in a family resturaunt in rural Tennessee. Great breakfast stop, the place was filled with locals. One of the big stories in the local paper was about Walmart trying to get a zoning ordinace variance so that they could set down a monster in this pretty little town. Not all of Sam's tactics are new. In the 70s one of the networks aired, "The Malling of America." It showed how corporations, opening strip malls, were wiping out Main Street, USA. Sure, Walmart has everything. No other store in town has anything because there are no other stores in town. Sure, Walmart prices are great, at least at first, but don't they creep up after there is no more competition?

I can understand how anyone who lives near NYC would fail to understand Walmart. Is there one in Manhattan yet? If there's no Walmart in NYC, could it be that there's too much competition?

The next time you go to Walmart, see if they have any of the books mentioned on this site. I know they don't, but while you're out, why don't you buy a clue? :roll

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Dec 23, 2003

Originally posted by [email protected]
I know they don't, but while you're out, why don't you buy a clue? :roll

:rolleyes: Rude.