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Whole Foods workers seek to unionize

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Re: Whole Foods workers seek to unionize

#331

Post by lordlimecat »

sequoia wrote: post #197

"In a statement provided to TechCrunch, a representative of Whole Foods said they respect the “ individual rights of [their] team members.”" Ha... now there's a carefully chosen phrase. “[We] have an open-door policy that encourages team members to bring their comments, questions and concerns directly to their team leaders,” I'd refer to this gif[0] but I know they're not serious. If anyone believes individual cashie…

>If anyone believes individual cashiers asking for maternity leave is a good way to get it,

then they've heard of FMLA.

If we're talking about paid, that seems incredibly unusual for an hourly position at a retail store. Does anyone offer that?

Re: Whole Foods workers seek to unionize

#332

Post by nsnick »

zaroth wrote: post #123
house9-2 wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One of the things I used to like about shopping at Whole Foods - no stupid club pricing. Yeah, I have prime - but I am not putting the app on my phone and don't want to give my phone number out, or be bothered too. Just let me buy my groceries in piece.

It took me a while to get the Amazon app on my phone. Now it’s one of the most useful apps I have. I love being able to quickly drop something in my cart in like two taps just as I think about it, or scan a barcode to double check the price of something. If you do a lot of shopping on Amazon anyway the app is a win. Once I can use it to scan groceries as I put them in the cart and walk straight to the car it’ll be ev…

Scanning groceries as you shop and not having to take them out of the cart again at a till has existed at Waitrose since at least the year 2000

Re: Whole Foods workers seek to unionize

#333

Post by lordlimecat »

coldtea wrote: post #320
skrebbel wrote: post #281

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If anyone believes individual cashiers asking for maternity leave is a good way to get it I recognize that your comment is dripping of cynicism so I'm not entirely sure which parts are true. You're saying that you can't get maternity leave at Whole Foods (or in the entire USA maybe? I don't know whether this is national or just that Whole Foods is somehow a horrible, terrible, no good employer) when you ask? How ab…

> I recognize that your comment is dripping of cynicism so I'm not entirely sure which parts are true. You're saying that you can't get maternity leave at Whole Foods (or in the entire USA maybe? Generally not, unless if you're some hot shit or in a well unionized job. Heck, in tons of jobs people are lucky to get their toiler breaks... > I don't know whether this is national or just that Whole Foods is somehow a hor…

You should either clarify that you are talking about unpaid leave, or you should read your own articles. Maternity leave is guaranteed for most employees under FMLA.

>They can find 100 ways to fire you in ways that don't break the letter of the law if you ask for something the law supposedly guarantees.

That can be actionable too. If you are pregnant and they fire you, they are opening themselves up to so much liability it outweighs the few dollars they might save.

Re: Whole Foods workers seek to unionize

#335

Post by frockington »

pasabagi wrote: post #329
frockington wrote: post #325

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In America it is assumed you will think ahead and financially prepare instead of relying on the government. What actually happens is the more educated will be prepared and relatively unaffected while the less financially educated will go into debt

This doesn't work, for simple economic reasons. Companies will pay the lowest wage they can so they can reduce operating expenses. The lowest wage in many jobs will therefore tend to be the cost of a healthy, independent individual's living. So, anybody who isn't a healthy, independent individual will not be able to negotiate on an individual basis for enough pay, in the typical case. It's always going to be cheaper…

Ignoring the role of financial literacy is troubling. If we don't teach people to save and invest they will never be prepared no matter how healthy.

Re: Whole Foods workers seek to unionize

#336

Post by nsnick »

rossdavidh wrote: post #21
s3r3nity wrote: post #15

My concern with this is that this will only accelerate the probability that Amazon Go merges with Whole Foods to have a cashier-free experience. >Shoppers, however, have saved millions as a result of the shake-up. This is why you're going to have a tough time getting sympathy from the public, and why I think (for better or worse) Amazon will win the PR battle. The average person now has access to healthier grocery /…

In Texas, anyway (where WF started), other grocery chains have been passing them by. A big part of why WF sold to Amazon is that they are getting squeezed between co-ops and chains like HEB's "Central Market" stores, which have lots of organic produce at better prices and with better public image. Trader Joe's is another chain that has been encroaching on their space. I think WF was pushing the envelope on healthier…

Sprouts is squeezing Whole Foods in the west.

Re: Whole Foods workers seek to unionize

#337

Post by nsnick »

aerotwelve wrote: post #270
cliffordthedog wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Amazon will do that the minute the math works out anyway. Encouraging workers to put up with worse and worse conditions out of fear of automation is just a race to the bottom that inevitably ends with automation anyway.

This is exactly it. Fast food companies have spent the past decade trying to scare everyone to death whenever the thought of raising the minimum wage comes up. We'll be forced to build self-checkout lanes and self-serve order kiosks if you raise it! You don't want that, do you? The scare tactics worked in much of the country; the federal minimum wage hasn't budged since 2009 and most states are at the same level. Wha…

Fast food chains are actually building automation. A lot of McDonalds have self ordering kiosks. Startups are working on automated cooking. Pretty soon fast food locations will have no workers.

Re: Whole Foods workers seek to unionize

#338

Post by lordlimecat »

bopbop wrote: post #271
gdfasfklshg4 wrote: post #267

Earlier quoted context omitted.

First-in-last-out is an objectively terrible way to hire and fire though. As an employee I feel personally invested in the success of the business I work for. I don't want to work with less competent employees because of an arbitrary rule. I want the weaker people to eventually be let go. I do want a safe secure workplace. I don't want people fired on a whim. I want training opportunities to be provided first. I want…

As an aside, Let go is such an interesting term. It's such a well accepted piece of corporate doublespeak. It's like they want to go, and their employer is letting them. They're straining at the leash to be unemployed, and the employer graciously releases them from the burden of their contract. They're being fired.

It honestly reminds me of The Giver. They're being released.

Re: Whole Foods workers seek to unionize

#339

Post by ethelward »

lordlimecat wrote: post #331
sequoia wrote: post #197

"In a statement provided to TechCrunch, a representative of Whole Foods said they respect the “ individual rights of [their] team members.”" Ha... now there's a carefully chosen phrase. “[We] have an open-door policy that encourages team members to bring their comments, questions and concerns directly to their team leaders,” I'd refer to this gif[0] but I know they're not serious. If anyone believes individual cashie…

>If anyone believes individual cashiers asking for maternity leave is a good way to get it, then they've heard of FMLA. If we're talking about paid, that seems incredibly unusual for an hourly position at a retail store. Does anyone offer that?

In the Western world, but outside of the US? Yes.

Re: Whole Foods workers seek to unionize

#340

Post by pasabagi »

frockington wrote: post #335
pasabagi wrote: post #329

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This doesn't work, for simple economic reasons. Companies will pay the lowest wage they can so they can reduce operating expenses. The lowest wage in many jobs will therefore tend to be the cost of a healthy, independent individual's living. So, anybody who isn't a healthy, independent individual will not be able to negotiate on an individual basis for enough pay, in the typical case. It's always going to be cheaper…

Ignoring the role of financial literacy is troubling. If we don't teach people to save and invest they will never be prepared no matter how healthy.

It's often the case that victors feel their successes stem from superior characteristics, even in manifestly unfair games. Medieval nobles called themselves 'aristocrats', aristo meaning 'the best', in greek. Modern winners tend to think themselves very talented and financially prudent. The aristocrats, at least, were measurably better in some ways than their serfs: larger, more healthy, generally stronger, and so on.
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