Live data from Hacker News

Whole Foods workers seek to unionize

techcrunch.com

221–230 of 415 posts

Re: Whole Foods workers seek to unionize

#221

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…

I'm going to side with the guy who got flagged. Calling a space venture "corporatefascist", which isn't even a proper formation of a portmanteau, is so blindingly ignorant and confused on arguments, I don't know where to begin. I guess I'll start with... how is space exploration in itself fascist?

space bar dude.

It's Amazon that's fascist, obviously not "space exploration" you pedant.

Antitrust laws are not being applied to them or Google, or FB, Uber. Etc.

Re: Whole Foods workers seek to unionize

#222

A lot of finger pointing at Amazon but most of the employment demands from the 'union' have been characteristics of Whole Foods since looonnngg before the aquisition. For example, unpaid paternity/maternity leave, no recognition of any holiday including federal - just 3 weeks of PTO used at your discretion, below market compensation, crappy benefits, calcified management, and the list goes on. Most people work there…

We're in the middle of the best economy in years. Why would a worker put up with that? Go someplace else. Whole Foods doesn't put stores in small towns. Anyone who works there has plenty of other options.

We’re in the middle of the best economy and wages still aren’t rising. Monopoly, monopsony, and free market extremism have crushed them for all but the very few.

https://www.epi.org/publication/its-not-just-monopoly-and-mo...

So no, there aren’t really “plenty of options” to get paid or treated better. Just better returns for those already at the top.

Re: Whole Foods workers seek to unionize

#223

A lot of finger pointing at Amazon but most of the employment demands from the 'union' have been characteristics of Whole Foods since looonnngg before the aquisition. For example, unpaid paternity/maternity leave, no recognition of any holiday including federal - just 3 weeks of PTO used at your discretion, below market compensation, crappy benefits, calcified management, and the list goes on. Most people work there…

We're in the middle of the best economy in years. Why would a worker put up with that? Go someplace else. Whole Foods doesn't put stores in small towns. Anyone who works there has plenty of other options.

Yeah for sure, people living hand to mouth in a hyper competitive low-skill wage job definitely have the luxury of shopping around for better conditions where employers have their pick of any number of people desperate for a job. Totally.

Re: Whole Foods workers seek to unionize

#224
post #193

All my experience shopping at grocery chains in the US and elsewhere has impressed upon me that these workers represent the absolute classic, textbook case for unionization. Yes, including Whole Paycheck[0] as well as Trader Joe's and Safeway and Von's and everybody else. While I can imagine Amazon having a loathing of unions, if they really want to be in this space they will sooner or later have to contend with the…

Just FYI, everyone calls Whole Foods Whole Paycheck.

Re: Whole Foods workers seek to unionize

#225
post #224
post #193

All my experience shopping at grocery chains in the US and elsewhere has impressed upon me that these workers represent the absolute classic, textbook case for unionization. Yes, including Whole Paycheck[0] as well as Trader Joe's and Safeway and Von's and everybody else. While I can imagine Amazon having a loathing of unions, if they really want to be in this space they will sooner or later have to contend with the…

Just FYI, everyone calls Whole Foods Whole Paycheck.

Whole Wallet as well.

Re: Whole Foods workers seek to unionize

#226

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We're in the middle of the best economy in years. Why would a worker put up with that? Go someplace else. Whole Foods doesn't put stores in small towns. Anyone who works there has plenty of other options.

Yeah for sure, people living hand to mouth in a hyper competitive low-skill wage job definitely have the luxury of shopping around for better conditions where employers have their pick of any number of people desperate for a job. Totally.

This sarcasm does not move the discussion forward. There’s a number of things a person can do in the U.S to pick up a skill from a trade to medicine. With grants, loans, or any number of free/paid courses.

Also, it is truly impressive to see people work and succeed going from “not very much” to “boy he’s a force”. Just takes effort, go figure.

Re: Whole Foods workers seek to unionize

#227

A lot of finger pointing at Amazon but most of the employment demands from the 'union' have been characteristics of Whole Foods since looonnngg before the aquisition. For example, unpaid paternity/maternity leave, no recognition of any holiday including federal - just 3 weeks of PTO used at your discretion, below market compensation, crappy benefits, calcified management, and the list goes on. Most people work there…

We're in the middle of the best economy in years. Why would a worker put up with that? Go someplace else. Whole Foods doesn't put stores in small towns. Anyone who works there has plenty of other options.

There have been umpteen articles how wages have not kept up with inflation. It's a tough sell telling parts of the country that swapped the first black president for man with a less than stellar morality record that this is the best economy in history.

Re: Whole Foods workers seek to unionize

#228

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The average person now has access to healthier grocery / purchasing options WF's food is not any healthier than the food you find in other stores.

There are no added hormones in WF meat. There are no hydrogenated oils in any of their products. There are no phthalates in any of their beauty/wash products. Obviously you can define health however yo want, and you can scan the shelves of other stores for these same things. Maybe you can find a couple phthalate-free shampoos in Target, read a bunch of articles and memorize the good brands and hope they don't change.…

Or EarthFare, or Sprouts, or Trader Joes, or a bunch of other grocery stores that do what WF does. Whole Foods is just an expensive grocery store to me these days. It's uniqueness of being an "organic grocery store" has long faded.

Re: Whole Foods workers seek to unionize

#229
post #226

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah for sure, people living hand to mouth in a hyper competitive low-skill wage job definitely have the luxury of shopping around for better conditions where employers have their pick of any number of people desperate for a job. Totally.

This sarcasm does not move the discussion forward. There’s a number of things a person can do in the U.S to pick up a skill from a trade to medicine. With grants, loans, or any number of free/paid courses. Also, it is truly impressive to see people work and succeed going from “not very much” to “boy he’s a force”. Just takes effort, go figure.

Yes, it is impressive to see people improving their lives, and we should work towards a society that helps people do that. However, to just write it all off as if "hard work" is the only thing preventing a lot of people from improving their lives is very much blind to the reality that a lot of people are _already_ working very hard, just to stay afloat as is, and there are other factors beyond "hard work" preventing change.

Re: Whole Foods workers seek to unionize

#230
post #180

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Before Trump's tax law which upped the standard deduction to the point very few have the ability to deduct... a benefit of donating yourself is your can deduct it from your taxes.

But, you'd have to recognize it as earned income; and you'd have to pay self employment taxes on it; making the donation cost you money. -- OR -- You file it as income to your sole proprietorship or llc; you "sponsor" something charitable as an expense. Either way, the deduction and the income are at best 0 sum. Though, if it's less than $600; they may not file a 1099 and you may "forget" to report it.

I'm a little confused on your comment? Is this in regards to how to deduct a donation post-Trump tax law?

I'm a regular salaried employee, all my income is reported on a W2. Pre-Trump, if I donated $ to my favorite charity...it's deductible if I exceed standard deduction.

Post reply on HN