Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Whole Foods workers seek to unionize

techcrunch.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

161–170 of 415 posts

Re: Whole Foods workers seek to unionize

#161

Post by mulmen »

conanbatt wrote: post #44
throw2016 wrote: post #23

There are trade bodies, industry bodies, industry associations, chambers of commerce, special interest groups, lobbying groups and it goes on. Every business and corporate is a member of multiple bodies to further their interests and nobody questions these groupings. Yet employee and worker bodies causes discussion and debate as if somehow only this aspect of economic life should not seek to promote and protect their…

All the other interest groups you mention definitely create the questioning and the criticism. They have just been more successful at permeating public perception. Almost always being complicit with the state. Doctors? Lawyers? Lobbying? They all get criticism. I also dissent with the model of "everybody commits an act against society, why shouldnt anyone engage in the race to capture the spoils". Do not institutiona…

How are labor unions institutions of robbery?

Re: Whole Foods workers seek to unionize

#162

Post by maxxxxx »

bonestamp2 wrote: post #25
codeddesign wrote: post #6

I fail to see “dedication”. Anyone getting paid minimum wage and working sub hours for a non career job is not going to be highly dedicated to a position. While I’m not against unionizing, I am against the rise of unskilled labor assuming that an employer owes them something. Unionizing isn’t inherently bad, but unions do tend to exploit both the laborer and the employer for the union’s gain. Failed labor unions comb…

I have trouble getting on board with your opinion about their dedication because Whole Foods stores across the country have some of the best and most consistent customer service experiences I've had. I'd say there's no doubt they are more dedicated than most retail workers. The real question for me is if they are worth $15/hr? I don't know the business, so I can't say with any certainty there.

I really wish that all people who get paid $15/hr and are said to be not worth it would go on strike. I'd guess things would crumble pretty quickly. Probably much quicker than if the people who make $100+/hr stopped working.

Re: Whole Foods workers seek to unionize

#163

Post by mulmen »

s73v3r_ wrote: post #27
bonestamp2 wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have trouble getting on board with your opinion about their dedication because Whole Foods stores across the country have some of the best and most consistent customer service experiences I've had. I'd say there's no doubt they are more dedicated than most retail workers. The real question for me is if they are worth $15/hr? I don't know the business, so I can't say with any certainty there.

Amazon is a trillion dollar company. There is no reason they can't pay $15/hour.

That is a naive perspective that betrays a deep misunderstanding of both the stock market and operation of a business.

Re: Whole Foods workers seek to unionize

#164

Post by rexpop »

notyourwork wrote: post #95
cliffordthedog wrote: post #86

Good timing, last thing Amazon will want right now is a battle with a union. Especially for a company they acquired so recently (shows that things got quickly worse with Amazon in charge). Good luck Whole Foods workers.

I'm not sure this shows things got quickly worse. It may just show Whole Foods employees lost control they used to have but I think you are jumping to conclusions.

When you read about the Atlantic Slave Trade, do you say:

> I'm not sure this shows things got quickly worse. It may just show enslaved Africans lost control they used to have.

Re: Whole Foods workers seek to unionize

#165

Post by hardwaresofton »

0x8BADF00D wrote: post #157
amphibian87 wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you joking? This is Amazon, the company where warehouse workers have to pick an item with so little time, they have to jog around the warehouse. Workers urinating in bottles because using the bathroom during non breaks = termination. Oh, and those breaks last exactly 14 minutes and 59 seconds, because anything after is Bezos' time, and you will be reprimanded. While he is one of the richest people in the world, c…

> Unions should quite obviously have formed by now. Including the eng team. But the problem with unions is that over time they are corrupted, and quickly become inefficient bureaucratic institutions. I agree with your sentiment, but the reality is far murkier than that.

I feel like I'm the only one that ever asks this, but especially with the engineering team (and software engineers in general) why haven't robo-unions become a thing yet?

While politics will be hard as always, instantly verifiable direct democracy is achievable with a distributed ledger + PGP...

In addition to that I personally think that jobs that require you to be on pager duty at all should be paying way more than they are, but everyone accepts it without batting an eye.

Re: Whole Foods workers seek to unionize

#166

Post by simonsarris »

perl4ever wrote: post #134
astrodust wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No added hormones is normal in most countries, but apparently in the USA you need to go out of your way to not do that.

When I think of a national brand in the US that everyone would assume the worst of, that is available at ordinary non-WF supermarkets, I think of Tyson, and yet their chicken is prominently labeled "no antibiotics ever" and "no added hormones or steroids". I think this may be a case of "gluten free sugar".

Added hormones in chicken are illegal in the USA

(and as far as I know only chicken)

Re: Whole Foods workers seek to unionize

#167

Post by ceejayoz »

nickthemagicman wrote: post #139
imagiko wrote: post #38

I have noticed that the cashier's have gotten pushy about asking about a Prime account, and very recently about a charity donation. It's a good way to 'make' people donate when asked upfront. I'm sure the probability of people donating increases. When I denied, I was asked if I'd like to round off my payment and have the balance donated. Honestly, it's very annoying. Whole foods is unfortunately becoming an REI store…

I quit donating to charity after I found out that Red Cross only gives a small fraction of its donations to charity the rest is spent on Administration costs. Just like colleges and the healthcare industry. Got to pay all those vp's of vp's of vp's.

You quit donating to charity because one specific charity is egregiously bad? Isn't that a bit like ceasing to eat because you had something yucky once?

Re: Whole Foods workers seek to unionize

#168

Post by qudat »

nathansobo wrote: post #68

I miss the old Whole Foods. I feel like the shopping experience has gone downhill in a variety of ways.

My Whole Foods has also under-gone quite a bit of changes. I don't think necessarily for the worse, however. I think overall it is still roughly the same, but a lot of things have shifted and it's obvious that Amazon is dumping money into the store. According to a cashier this is because that WF makes a ton of money.

Re: Whole Foods workers seek to unionize

#169

Post by conanbatt »

mulmen wrote: post #161
conanbatt wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All the other interest groups you mention definitely create the questioning and the criticism. They have just been more successful at permeating public perception. Almost always being complicit with the state. Doctors? Lawyers? Lobbying? They all get criticism. I also dissent with the model of "everybody commits an act against society, why shouldnt anyone engage in the race to capture the spoils". Do not institutiona…

How are labor unions institutions of robbery?

How do they get substantial benefits for their workers?

Re: Whole Foods workers seek to unionize

#170

Post by conanbatt »

Apocryphon wrote: post #52
conanbatt wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All the other interest groups you mention definitely create the questioning and the criticism. They have just been more successful at permeating public perception. Almost always being complicit with the state. Doctors? Lawyers? Lobbying? They all get criticism. I also dissent with the model of "everybody commits an act against society, why shouldnt anyone engage in the race to capture the spoils". Do not institutiona…

The other interest groups, with greater power and influence, have already institutionalized it. Should the disempowered simply refuse to engage, and suffer for it?

Union leaders can aim for that they want, I personally commit to dissent all forms of that robbery and desire for a freer and more fair society. I do not want to fight for the spoils of exploitation.
Post reply on HN