My husband and I have stayed away from our local Albertson's because we have supported the union. But this has gone on too long. We crossed the picket line for the first time today. Of course we were yelled at, but I just don't care anymore.
I guess we're "traitors," but we're tired of shopping at other stores like Stater's that are out of the way and don't have the items we like and the quality of some products, like meat, is not very good. The only other nearby store is a Von's that we don't like either. (I know it's the same chain, but the Albertson's is better than our local Vons.)
One of the reasons we moved to this town was that we hated Stater's (which was the only grocery chain in our old town) and we wanted to be near an Albertson's.
I feel bad because I do support the union. But I also knew from the start that they were going to lose this one. The game is over. Maybe this is a lame excuse, but I just can't inconvenienced anymore. I have to go the grocery three or four times a week, and it's just too much.
we need to figure out if there is any type of social pact in this country
right today nearby a hotel is housing foreign nurses
cramming to take the nsg board
what wages/benefits/conditions will these workers accept?
I don't think foreign nurses have the same problem as grocery workers. There was a recent thread in the California section where the manager of a nursing home was complaining that a foreign nurse left for better pay elsewhere. There's also EEOC cases where foreign nurses, who were paid as LPN's, successfully sued for RN pay.
It's the difference between skilled and unskilled labor. A foreign nurse has options and probably will go for better pay because they can. An unskilled grocery worker has little or no options because just about anybody can do that job.
The problem is always economics and a vast unskilled labor pool. Even if Wal-mart became unionized, there would be a ton of people lined up to take those jobs if the union walked out. If nurses walk out, there's not much a company can do since there's not much of a skilled labor pool to replace them.
As soon as the law was changed to allow companies to hire replacement workers, the game was over for unskilled workers, IMHO. And, of course, with a Republican administration and Congress, it probably won't be changed in the near future.
I believe in the Golden Rule. We need to treat others as we want to be treated.
Clearly the owners of the 3 different large corporations are not doing that. They are not competing either, they are cooperating to take away from their workers.
True. But the strikers need to treat customers better too. Their rudeness and hostility doesn't exactly generate sympathy for their cause.
All the yelling and screaming made me resent them, rather than the corporation.
True. But the strikers need to treat customers better too. Their rudeness and hostility doesn't exactly generate sympathy for their cause.
All the yelling and screaming made me resent them, rather than the corporation.
I am sorry to read that. Working with the public IS a skill.
I support the people who have been polite and helpful to me for many years.
Our church has a schedule to drive those who want a ride to shop at a union store. We have Gelsons, Bob's, and Costco within driving distance. Only locked out workers in walking distance.
To be fair I went to Ralphs once when the workers did not know management was 'sharing' money with the other companies. The strikebreakers were nice and polite, slow, and not knowlegable. They cannot know how to work fast because the store is NEVER crowded as it sometimes was before the workers were locked out.
Specializes in Happily semi-retired; excited for the whole whammy.
spacenurse, I find it very interesting that you challenge my decision to go ahead and shop at the Von's store where my husband was treated so rudely, and yet you admit that you considered it all right to shop at Ralph's before you found out they were sharing their profits with Von's and Albertson's. The union stopped picketing Ralph's as a good will gesture to shoppers and a good faith gesture to prove that they wanted to offer an alternative to those shoppers who either can't get to a supermarket that isn't involved in the current labor dispute or didn't support the current labor dispute but still found it difficult to cross the picket line. The fact that you chose to shop at a store that had its workers locked out, just because there wasn't a picket line in front of it, makes it extremely hypocritical for you to berate me for crossing the picket line after the people manning it proved their bad faith by not choosing to respect my family.
spacenurse, I find it very interesting that you challenge my decision to go ahead and shop at the Von's store where my husband was treated so rudely, and yet you admit that you considered it all right to shop at Ralph's before you found out they were sharing their profits with Von's and Albertson's. The union stopped picketing Ralph's as a good will gesture to shoppers and a good faith gesture to prove that they wanted to offer an alternative to those shoppers who either can't get to a supermarket that isn't involved in the current labor dispute or didn't support the current labor dispute but still found it difficult to cross the picket line. The fact that you chose to shop at a store that had its workers locked out, just because there wasn't a picket line in front of it, makes it extremely hypocritical for you to berate me for crossing the picket line after the people manning it proved their bad faith by not choosing to respect my family.
Sorry to have communicated poorly. I did not berate anyone and am sad if my posting gave that impression.
If it seemed I was challenging your choice I am sorry. I was explaining my reasons for supporting the strikers.
The workers at the Ralphs where I have shopped for years are my friends. They said the first week they took the picket line off
the plan was to show good faith to Ralphs so they would negotiate with their workers.
See these are NOT the same company. The workers and the union worker hoped the company would settle with the workers and attract the business the other stores could not get.
I went ONCE at the urging of the workers.
It was a mistake. I admit it. The strategy did not work because the Kroger company does NOT want to be fair to workers. It does NOT tell the truth to the public.
Having been fooled once I will not spend my money at an unethical store until it is fair to the people including its own workers.
Specializes in Happily semi-retired; excited for the whole whammy.
I, too, am sorry if my response sounded harsh. It was my understanding that the union pulled the picketers from Ralph's for the sake of shoppers, but perhaps I didn't have the whole story. I remember our local media saying that this decision was made by the union because there was a transit strike in L.A. and the wildfires in San Diego that made shopping elsewhere difficult for many shoppers. As has been evidenced by many nursing stories that have appeared in the media over the years, however, I know we don't always get the whole story from them either. I have been hearing that the three markets are considering pulling out of the Southern California market altogether if this doesn't get settled. They all have plenty of units elsewhere. I hope for everyone's sake that that doesn't happen.
maureeno
221 Posts
we need to figure out if there is any type of social pact in this country
right today nearby a hotel is housing foreign nurses
cramming to take the nsg board
what wages/benefits/conditions will these workers accept?
if we want decent jobs left for our children and grandchildren
we have to see through to a big picture
I do not claim to clearly see
but one thing I keep thinking
everyone needs health insurance
the bigger the risk pool the more sensible
why do we have a hitn'miss employeer sponsored system?
meanwhile I have changed my shopping routine to boycott my local Safeway
lockouts are dirty business