# Would you cross a supermarket picket line as a customer? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 20, 2013, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-cross-a-supermarket-picket-line-as-a-customer/671712 "2013-10-20T05:46:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-cross-a-supermarket-picket-line-as-a-customer/671712/21 "2013-10-20T13:36:59Z")
I wouldn’t shop anywhere being picketed by its own employees, or the union which includes its own employees. If they’re unhappy enough to go to the trouble, that’s plenty sufficient. For a third-party demonstration, I’d want to know the issues. > [@Blackberry](#): > > This particular possible-strike is over pay and benefits, so it’s hard to know how justified it is. I seriously doubt they get less than most comparable retail jobs though, so I’m not sure what makes them special. That other retail employees are also exploited wouldn’t make their complaint less justified. > [@](#): > > …many of them with low hours would probably qualify for and be better off on Medicaid anyway. That’s letting the company off the hook. Why should taxpayers, instead of customers, subsidize their hiring and scheduling practices? ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-cross-a-supermarket-picket-line-as-a-customer/671712/22 "2013-10-20T13:41:47Z")
Why should I care about their internal disputes? I tend to take a more nuanced approach to life than arbitrarily deciding people are “right” or “wrong” simply because they are “management” or “employees”. ---
**Author:** ![Blackberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-cross-a-supermarket-picket-line-as-a-customer/671712/23 "2013-10-20T14:11:22Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > That other retail employees are also exploited wouldn’t make their complaint less justified. It doesn’t, but in that case shouldn’t we boycott the rest of those stores too? What’s the point of going to some other store instead that, for all I know, treats their employees worse than the stores with the striking? > [@](#): > > That’s letting the company off the hook. Why should taxpayers, instead of customers, subsidize their hiring and scheduling practices? Well, I don’t think companies should be on the hook for health insurance for employees anyway. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-cross-a-supermarket-picket-line-as-a-customer/671712/24 "2013-10-20T14:12:35Z")
> [@Blackberry](#): > > This particular possible-strike is over pay and benefits, so it’s hard to know how justified it is. I seriously doubt they get less than most comparable retail jobs though, so I’m not sure what makes them special. > > One thing I read is that they were eligible for health insurance if they worked 16 hours a week and now that’s being changed to 30 hours a week. Well, not getting insurance with that number of hours is hardly unusual, and many of them with low hours would probably qualify for and be better off on Medicaid anyway. More likely, the company provided insurance would be more expensive for them than buying insurance off the insurance exchanges. But to get insurance off the insurance exchanges, it needs to not be offered by your employer. I know it seems counter intuitive, but they may actually be doing them a favor by changing it this way. [Trader Joe’s is doing the same thing.](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/09/16/trader-joes-cut-health-benefits-last-week-heres-its-side-of-the-story/) > [@](#): > > The ACA brings a new potential player into the arena for the acquisition of health care. Stated quite simply, the law is centered on providing low cost options to people who do not make a lot of money. Somewhat by definition, the law provides those people a pretty good deal for insurance … a deal that can’t be matched by us – or any company. However, an individual employee (we call them Crew Member) is only able to receive the tax credit from the exchanges under the act if we do not offer them insurance under our company plan. > > Perhaps an example will help. A Crew Member called in the other day and was quite unhappy that she was being dropped from our coverage unless she worked more hours. She is a single mom with one child who makes $18 per hour and works about 25 hours per week. We ran the numbers for her. She currently pays $166.50 per month for her coverage with Trader Joe’s. Because of the tax credits under the ACA she can go to an exchange and purchase insurance that is almost identical to our plan for $69.59 per month. Accordingly, by going to the exchange she will save $1,175 each year… And this is why I’m loathe to automatically side with picketers. They sometimes hear, “they’re cutting our insurance!” without really grokking why that’s a \*good \*thing. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-cross-a-supermarket-picket-line-as-a-customer/671712/25 "2013-10-20T14:20:03Z")
> [@Blackberry](#): > > It doesn’t, but in that case shouldn’t we boycott the rest of those stores too? What’s the point of going to some other store instead that, for all I know, treats their employees worse than the stores with the striking? You don’t know. Elsewhere the employees may be happy enough (for various reasons; pay isn’t the only issue). But for a picketed store, you _know_ those people are unhappy. > [@](#): > > Well, I don’t think companies should be on the hook for health insurance for employees anyway. If we had a decent national public option, I’d agree. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-cross-a-supermarket-picket-line-as-a-customer/671712/26 "2013-10-20T14:24:20Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > But to get insurance off the insurance exchanges, it needs to not be offered by your employer. This is not true. ---
**Author:** ![AnaMen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@AnaMen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnaMen)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-cross-a-supermarket-picket-line-as-a-customer/671712/27 "2013-10-20T14:24:48Z")
> [@Blackberry](#): > > It doesn’t, but in that case shouldn’t we boycott the rest of those stores too? What’s the point of going to some other store instead that, for all I know, treats their employees worse than the stores with the striking? > Well, I don’t think companies should be on the hook for health insurance for employees anyway. I completely agree, and I think these types of benefits keep people stuck in jobs that do provide it. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-cross-a-supermarket-picket-line-as-a-customer/671712/28 "2013-10-20T14:43:31Z")
Not a chance. ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-cross-a-supermarket-picket-line-as-a-customer/671712/29 "2013-10-20T14:47:00Z")
I would not cross. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-cross-a-supermarket-picket-line-as-a-customer/671712/30 "2013-10-20T14:49:14Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > This is not true. It needs to be not offered by your employer or it needs to be greater than 9.5% of your income to get the \*subsidies \*on the exchanges. Better? ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-cross-a-supermarket-picket-line-as-a-customer/671712/31 "2013-10-20T15:06:33Z")
First I would educate myself as to the reason for the picket. Unless it turned out to be something like Der Tris’s suggestion, I would respect the picket line. At that point I would not cross a picket line unless it was a matter of survival. If every grocery store in a 200 mile radius went out on strike than I’d eventually have to give in and buy at least milk and butter. I could make it at least a month on flour, veggies and meat from the chest freezer. At that point I would buy as little as possible, and let the mangement know I was doing it under protest. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-cross-a-supermarket-picket-line-as-a-customer/671712/32 "2013-10-20T15:15:18Z")
I wouldn’t cross it. There are other supermarkets within convenient distances. I might make management know I was going elsewhere, too. Considering how most supermarket workers are paid, I can’t imagine them asking for anything outrageous. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-cross-a-supermarket-picket-line-as-a-customer/671712/33 "2013-10-20T16:17:32Z")
It depends on the reason for the strike - I wouldn’t blanket respect or ignore a picket line. I’ve avoided shopping at other stores for lesser reasons, and I’ve rewarded stores with my business for less. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-cross-a-supermarket-picket-line-as-a-customer/671712/34 "2013-10-20T16:22:40Z")
I would and did when the grocery union in southern CA went on strike ten years ago. Whether or not I agree with the union’s cause, I don’t have any obligation to them. Today, as an employee of an employee-owned grocery store that isn’t part of the union and is located in the region where the strike is going to happen, I would wholeheartedly like to encourage everyone to _not_ cross the picket line and come shop at our store instead. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![DJ\_Motorbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90ced4/32.png) [@DJ\_Motorbike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DJ_Motorbike)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-cross-a-supermarket-picket-line-as-a-customer/671712/35 "2013-10-20T16:43:15Z")
Not only would I shop there I’d apply for a job. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-cross-a-supermarket-picket-line-as-a-customer/671712/36 "2013-10-20T16:51:56Z")
Depends. My town only has two major grocery store chains. If they’re both on strike, I’m not driving to another county for groceries. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-cross-a-supermarket-picket-line-as-a-customer/671712/37 "2013-10-20T17:08:27Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > As a semi-aside, last year there was a group of guys with a banner that said “such-and-such construction company UNFAIR” downtown, where I often passed them. I couldn’t see why they were where they were, since they didn’t seem to be anywhere near a construction site. One time I stopped and asked one of them what the issue was, and he said that they weren’t allowed to tell me. Yeah, you’re not going to get much sympathy from me that way. They may not have known. Around here, construction unions have been hiring homeless people to do the picketing, since the actual union members can make money on other jobs while the union is striking in one place. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-cross-a-supermarket-picket-line-as-a-customer/671712/38 "2013-10-20T17:16:57Z")
I would never cross a picket line of union workers. Ever. They might be entirely wrong about what is going on, but they are putting their jobs on the line for what they believe in. Unions have given us good wages, child labor laws, safety laws, 8 hour workday, weekends, sick leave, benefits etc. Large corporations have given us none of those things, and move jobs overseas where they can avoid such laws. The political opponents of unions have given us trickle down economics and their contempt for people not as wealthy as themselves. On the second day of the BART strike, BART management manged to kill two workers, leading to a grand total of 8 workers killed in BART’s entire history of being the 5th largest transit agency in the nation with a 43 year operation history. What is going on with BART right now is that a bunch of Dilbert Pointy Haired Bosses are running trains, dispatch and maintenance. Very tragic that two lives were lost, management is very certain that after several hours of panic, that it wasn’t management that killed the two workers. ---
**Author:** ![Taters](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/taters/32/2845_2.png) [@Taters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taters)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-cross-a-supermarket-picket-line-as-a-customer/671712/39 "2013-10-20T17:17:30Z")
I shop regularly at one of the stores that will be impacted by this. I’ve shopped there for years, and I know the employees. I would feel very awkward crossing the line. Additionally, both of my kids worked for this particular chain for a time. I did talk to one of the employees yesterday to find out what was up. I mean, I’ve read the news articles, but sometimes it’s nice to talk to the people actually impacted by this. Make no mistake, hours will be cut to make sure less employees qualify for those benefits. Their premium pay is being taken away too. Now, if you’re a long time employee and used to counting that as part of your income, I can I understand the issue with that. I’m fortunate in that there is a Costco nearby. I can obtain my groceries there. However, I really hope they can come to an agreement. Most of employees don’t \*want \*to strike, they need their paychecks just like anyone else. Strike pay doesn’t cover much. So, for them to go forward with this is a big deal, especially in this economy. ---
**Author:** ![Mdcastle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/958977/32.png) [@Mdcastle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mdcastle)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-cross-a-supermarket-picket-line-as-a-customer/671712/40 "2013-10-20T17:38:24Z")
I would. I don’t make it a habit to research the philosophy and political beliefs of every retail establishment I plan to patronize. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-cross-a-supermarket-picket-line-as-a-customer/671712.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-cross-a-supermarket-picket-line-as-a-customer/671712.md?page=3)