Oh, and after the last strike here, the non-union shops (Trader Joe’s and Gelson’s) got way more business. They ended up hiring a bunch of the striking union workers to help. Nearly all of them stayed at the non-union store if they could because the working conditions, salary and benefits are much better.
I am not very familiar with that term but from Googling it appears VA is “right to work.” Sounds like a politician made that term up.
Unions are not something many of us in VA have ever dealt with. My ex-father in law was in a Verizon union, that’s the only union person I know.
But if I saw picketers at a grocery store and the store was open for business, I’d go right in, while wondering what all the fuss was about. I’m sure the police would be interested if they tried to physically block customers.
I would and I did just a couple of weeks ago. In my opinion, your working agreements are between you and your management - leave me out of it.
I can assure you that in no state is the union allowed to force members to join a strike, or to join a picket line. You can cross the picket line and work if you want to endure the social consequences, and you can stay at home and watch soaps if you don’t want to walk the line, there are consequences for that too. Consequences for not joining the picket line are almost trivial in comparison to crossing the line to work. Crossing the line gets you socially shunned for the rest of your career. Not walking the line gets you anger in the short term and maybe eye rolling long term.
I stand corrected. They are forced to join the union to work there, right? I can rationally see why they are, of course. The majority, at some point, voted for the place to be a union shop and the whole thing falls apart if people can choose not to pay dues and still get the “benefits” of membership. It does seem like they do effectively need to abide by the strike though.
Not related to supermarkets, we do have other places picketed from time to time. This is usually the case of hiring non-union construction workers or something. They don’t get the union workers to hold the signs though. It’s the same two or three professional picketers each time.
Bullying, and one more reason for me to dislike unions.
The strike is set to begin tonight at 7pm Pacific if they can’t come to an agreement.
http://www.nwcn.com/news/washington/Western-Washington-grocery-strike-228612421.html
Hell yeah I’d cross. Having interned at a union shop in college (where I was laughably classified as management) I found unions to be every bit as corrupt and greedy as the corporate execs they demonize. Screw 'em.
Also, what others have said about disputes being between labor and management, not customers.
Bullying? Socially shunning a coworker for a betrayal is to be expected. You know what management does if you betray them in their eyes? Anything they want, up to and including firing. Do people who dislike unions hold employers to the same standards of perfection as unions? Most do not.
We get it, many people resent unions. But do you see them voluntarily taking less pay and working 14 hours a day six days a week for their employers? Nope. Unions got the 8 hour day and 40 hour work week, sick pay, child labor laws, etc. If you don’t like it, and think it is unfair, by all means, proceed, but don’t be a hypocrite.
Indeed they did. That’s no reason to keep them in place nearly 100 years after that, especially given the level of corruption and violent intimidation that came later.
I certainly don’t see why I now, in 2013, have to respect a picket line when the picketers are supporting something that I specifically don’t agree with. How on Earth does that make me a hypocrite? Short of a dire emergency, I won’t shop at a Walmart because I don’t like their practices.
Anyone who blindly won’t cross a picket line or who will blindly cross one is foolish.
You want to get rid of the labor laws? Is that what you referred to as “keep them in place”? Because if unions were not the primary financial backers of the Democratic Party, those laws would be gone as soon as a Scott Walker took office. In the rest of the world there are two kinds of developed countries, European ones with strong unions and Asian ones with sweat shops. Choose wisely.
You assert that unions are violent and corrupt without a citation that they are more violent and corrupt than the background level. Without unions and old fashioned Democrats most Americans would be wage slaves.
I was about to mention this. A friend got a job at a supermarket while in college. Before she even started, she was required to pay- I think- $200 in fees to the union, then there were monthly union dues pulled out of her check. Since she literally started at -$200 and was only making minimum wage, the union insured that she was actually working for less than minimum wage. Now, for longer term employees making much more per hour and getting benefits, this was a sweet deal— for the overwhelming majority of kids working at the bottom rung of the business, it was a major raw deal. My friend even asked her union rep once what she was even paying for, since it seemed like 100% of the benefits were doled out to the full time employees---- and the guy laughed at her.
Meanwhile, Fresh & Easy opened up all over our city about that time and they to this day are still picketed daily by grocery union employees. I guess the union’s beef is that F&E’s workers aren’t in the union and that the employees don’t have specific jobs (if you work there, you sort of do everything-- you wrangle carts, stock food, help customers, help people check out, bag groceries on occasion, etc). I talked to a friend who worked at F&E a while ago— apparently, their starting salary a few years ago was over $12 an hour and since they don’t have to pay union dues, they get to take all of that home. Overwhelmingly, the employees seem cheerful and happy-- even when talked to when they are in casual places off the job.
I’m fairly liberal and pro-union generally, but the grocery union in particularly really has earned my side eye due to the above stuff. To answer the OP’s question: I’d educate myself about why they are protesting first, but if it’s anything like their past protests, I’d cross the picket lines without any remorse.
I certainly don’t want to get rid of labor laws as you well should know. As I have said a few times already, I choose whether or not to respect a strike if I agree with the specifics of that strike.
Take the example I mentioned earlier which was the supermarket union in my area. Three strikes that I can recall in recent history. In every case, they voted to expand their own benefits while giving much worse pay and benefits to all future workers. How can I respect that especially given that the non-union stores are much better places to work with better benefits by all accounts?
Strike averted:
http://www.nwcn.com/news/washington/Western-Washington-grocery-strike-228612421.html
They aren’t releasing the details until the union members get a chance to take a formal vote, which is appropriate. What are the odds that it’s a tiered agreement like we have out here?
My Mom worked at General Telephone (Communication Workers of America was her union) for about 35 years. They were on strike for about seven months in the early 60s. So we have strong feelings about labor relations.
About ten years ago the supermarkets in the Los Angeles area went on strike. The Alberstons near us was included. My Mom had prescriptions pending in the Sav-On pharmacy inside the Albertsons, and sent me over to get them. I spoke to one of the pickets about the situation, and he said they wouldn’t bother me for getting a prescription refilled.
Otherwise I would not cross a picket line.
I can’t agree with this. Being forced to join a union in order to work is every bit as bad as being prevented from doing so. Unions are a political entity and it should be a completely free choice. Furthermore, any harassment from making a choice either way should be a gross misconduct matter.
I am immediately suspicious of anyone’s commitment to democracy if they disagree with the above.
That’s not true.
Even if it weren’t for Lincoln, slaves would have eventually been freed anyways as it turns out slavery is just a bad business model.
Same goes for these labor laws, studies have shown that the 40hr work week is just the right amount of time to get the most out of your employees. Mess with that and you’re going to have to deal with costly mistakes. Including, a rise in safety incidences which is also costly to the bottom line.
This.
Many union mmbers don’t have any choice in the matter. I remember one time a union called a strike, so the workers picketed… the union offices.
Unless the strike is over something discriminatory, I won’t cross a picket line.
Solidarity!
How would they have “bothered” you, otherwise?