grocery strike

[NAILER341]

grocery workers strike is on! those cheap bastards.... what do you think of this mess?

[king4wd]

I think I'll go to our local independant grocer, and hit the Farmers market on thursday . For those in the high desert who don't know, every thursday from 0800-1200 at VVCC is a farmers market with loads of good stuff

[goodtimes]

I think I'll walk across the street and do my shopping as usual. Supermarkets out here still have employees that are working.

But the farmers market is a cool option. I haven't found one out here yet.

[NAILER341]

those cheap bastards want to put the grocery workers below the poverty level.....

[qwiksilver]

I'm a farmer's market person anyway. Much cheaper and better quality.

But I feel for those grocery workers. The big issue is that great Satan Walmart. They are trying to move into Southern California. The big stores are complaining that they cannot keep paying what they are paying and provide health benefits, while competing against the GREAT EVIL.

Walmart does not have a union (unions protect workers - read your history). Walmart uses part time employees to avoid paying health benefits. Walmart has low prices and high profits by screwing its workers and bullying its contractors.

Walmart first gained its clout by pushing the Mom and Pop operations out of business (KMart started the trend; Walmart perfected it). Then Walmart pushed KMart into Chapter 11 (along with the bad management at KMart). Now Walmart is pushing on the big boys like Ralphs by using the fact that Ralphs uses union employees (who make a whole lot more than a Walmart employee in just salary - nevermind benefits).

I do not like Walmart on general principals of good taste, but hate Walmart for its ruthless, evil tactics.

I will not cross the picket lines in sympathy for the workers. Some of those workers live in my neighborhood. I definately will not shop at Walmart...ever.

[goodtimes]

Originally posted by NAILER341
those cheap bastards want to put the grocery workers below the poverty level.....

Yup, so do most of the consumers, by not wanting to pay premium prices for groceries.

I feel for them....when I was in the military, if I would have gotton married, I would have qualified for food stamps! How sad is that?

edit (for additional comment about qwiksilver's post):

Kmart had more problems than wally world. Have you ever stood in line at Kmart for less than 10 minutes? I havent, even when there was only one person in front of me, with a handful of items, it took over 10 minutes...:mad:

But wally world is indeed a problem. I don't shop there either. I'll pay more for the same product at a small, local shop before I give wally world any of my money. Their business tactics (as qwiksilver already touched on) leave alot to be desired.

[king4wd2]

"Walmart does not have a union (unions protect workers - read your history). Walmart uses part time employees to avoid paying health benefits. Walmart has low prices and high profits by screwing its workers and bullying its contractors."

Well, Qwiksilver, you're right on they don't have a union, but you're seriously wrong about using part time employees to avoid paying health benefits. Besides, do you work for Wal*Mart?

My mom does and she works FULL TIME and has health benefits. Part time employees only get health benefits if they have the required hours.

Sure, Wal*Mart might be the cause of this strike, but I worked for Kroger's in Ohio and had a Wal*Mart there at the time and it wasn't Wal*Mart's fault that we were about to go on strike. Sure they put the mom and pop's stores out of business.
Just wait until they bring the Supercenters here, especially in the high desert. GO WAL*MART!!! Just my opinion of course, and biased since two family members are employed by them.

[sarah]

well, let's not go attacking each other now.

i'll be going to the store today to get sugar for my freshly squeezed lemonade. hope there are no conflicts there.

at least our garbage men aren't on strike, like they are in Illinois. that's getting pretty gross back there!

[king4wd2]

Originally posted by sarah
well, let's not go attacking each other now.

OH, I'm not attacking. I'm informing!

Get my drift Sarah

[sarah]

ummm, not really :confused:

[Guest]

Hmmm...okay, here's my two-cents worth:

I kind of like Wal-Mart, and unions may have had the best interest of workers in mind at one time during the history of our country; but not any more.

I currently work for a company that the Teamsters are trying to horn in on, and frankly, the only thing they can do for me is lessen my take home pay by $49 a month in union dues. Unions are a business these days, just like any other major corporation; they have no-ones interest at heart but their own. Not to mention that many unions (like the Teamsters, for example), have significant ties to various organized crime factions (like the Mafia, for example). If you don't believe me, just ask someone related to Jimmy Hoffa...

[NAILER341]

Originally posted by sarah
well, let's not go attacking each other now.

i'll be going to the store today to get sugar for my freshly squeezed lemonade. hope there are no conflicts there.

at least our garbage men aren't on strike, like they are in Illinois. that's getting pretty gross back there!

i hope you didnt go to one that is on strike

[sarah]

yeah, we went to the one on strike. all of the stores within 15 miles of here are on strike and walmart doesn't sell sugar. it seemed silly to drive 30 miles for just sugar! the strikers did yell at us for doing it. (we *kinda* live in the middle of nowhere)

we did however get the black and decker handy juicer from walmart for 8.93. rick recently was given about 15 lemons from his friend at work whose parents have a lemon tree. so with the new juicer and the sugar, we're making fresh lemonade! i should set up a stand outside ... hehe. it's really good stuf.

[king4wd2]

Okay here is my .02 worth on Unions, especially since I have actually worked for the same union that is on strike now. I worked under the United Food & Commercial Workers for 4 years. When the grocery store I worked for in Ohio contemplated strike, they told us that we wouldn't be paid as much. We were to get a third of our take home pay if not less. It wasn't worth it. The pending strike then was over HEALTH BENEFITS. We passed the new deal with only hours to go before the strike was to start, so we never striked! However, my dad worked for a union and they did go on strike. WE lived on Food stamps (little amount because we OWNed too much). My mom had to go back to work to help supplement the family. I was only geez 4 years old and remember my parents telling me this story.

Unions does not protect your jobs. I remember that from our union steward at Krogers! She said, "Sandy, I know you just started here, but you might want to find another job because they can let you go." I was brand new, the lowest on the totem pole.

Of course, this is only my opinion and not attacking anyone! I'm speaking from experience.

Sarah, what about the Food 4 Less there on the corner of Kiowa and Bear Valley Road? Isn't that close to you?

[blkTJ]

This is pretty entertaining. I think we could do better. Why doesn't someone start a thread about religion?:confused: