Target Workers Seek To Start Union

[ArcticSplash]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/24/bu...l?ref=business

First time in 20+ years that Target (TGT) employees have seeked out a union. They're complaining that Target assigns too few hours (perma-partimers) for workers to be able to survive w/o having to rely on state aid like SNAP and Medicaid.

[loveisnoise]

The part timers will not benefit, and will only knock their pay below minimal wage once dues is taken out. If enacted, part timers will loose their jobs to make up for the needed fulltime costs, and any part timers left will not be included in the package. There's no way this will happen.

[gren]

The part timers will not benefit, and will only knock their pay below minimal wage once dues is taken out. If enacted, part timers will loose their jobs to make up for the needed fulltime costs, and any part timers left will not be included in the package. There's no way this will happen.

LIN, the only wage mentioned in the article is $11.71/hour. I know of no union due that works out to be ~$4/hour for wage workers.

Many part-time workers will lose their jobs. Full-time workers and some of the part-time workers who are made full time or near it will benefit. In the end that's going to depend on if and how the workers organize. I find the private sector unionization process pretty interesting.

[loveisnoise]

I'm not talking about the federally mandated minimum wage-I'm talking about a realistic livable wage. A part timer employee will be coerced to join the union, the wages will be reduced for part timers, and they will not have any benefits from it.

LIN, the only wage mentioned in the article is $11.71/hour. I know of no union due that works out to be ~$4/hour for wage workers.

Many part-time workers will lose their jobs. Full-time workers and some of the part-time workers who are made full time or near it will benefit. In the end that's going to depend on if and how the workers organize. I find the private sector unionization process pretty interesting.

[daninpa]

Target has some real perks and downsides from an employee standpoint.

Perks: After 1000 hours, you can join their 401k and they match it up to 5%. The employee discount is 10% on everything and if you get either their debit or credit card it is an additional 5%.

Downsides: The rarely promote within. They rather hire fresh-out-of-college Executive Team Leaders (department managers) rather than promote Team Leaders (supervisors), or Team Members (regular employees). These ETLs don't last long because c'mon people don't go to college to become a department manager in retail. They eliminated a whole employee level and pay others near the bottom pay for doing the same tasks that that level was doing. Without warning, they cut the shift differential by 50 cents (1/3rd). Hours are not guaranteed for anyone, everyone except ETLs and the store manager (STL) is part time.

Now the funny part is I used to be very pro-union because I worked at a supermarket. Paid every week, time and a quarter on Sundays (time and a half after a year), $1 raises if you perform well, 90 day raises, overtime, hours were usually guaranteed. It was great. A half hour of Sunday time an a half paid for the dues.

Raises at Target are yearly and people get 5 cents, 7 cents. I was lucky last year and got 33 cents and this year 22 cents; they are percentages. You are reprimanded if you are one minute in overtime. They got rid of 90 day raises years ago.

Because it's difficult to live comfortably with just Target, I applied to the same name supermarket (different owner) for a second job and after a few connections (my dad works for corp) I got an interview. They start of at 75 cents less than Target, I have to pay $200 to join the union, dues, only a buck extra on Sunday, no 401k. Target doesn't seem as evil as I thought.

Just as different companies have varying support of their employees, so do different unions. So right now I'm on the fence about the whole thing...

[stevemchugh]

Part-timers normally get benefits when workers organize. This sounds like corporate propaganda.

[ArcticSplash]

I think Target is bringing this upon themselves.

I mean, do you think workers won't get upset if you overhire a small army that only gets 15 hours of work a pay cycle, then you DEMAND that they remain loyal and keep their schedule open to work whatever random shifts come out of the logistics program the schedule managers use? 15 hours is like $9,800 a year in gross pay.

[ArcticSplash]

Target has some real perks and downsides from an employee standpoint.

Perks: After 1000 hours, you can join their 401k and they match it up to 5%. The employee discount is 10% on everything and if you get either their debit or credit card it is an additional 5%.

Downsides: The rarely promote within. They rather hire fresh-out-of-college Executive Team Leaders (department managers) rather than promote Team Leaders (supervisors), or Team Members (regular employees). These ETLs don't last long because c'mon people don't go to college to become a department manager in retail. They eliminated a whole employee level and pay others near the bottom pay for doing the same tasks that that level was doing. Without warning, they cut the shift differential by 50 cents (1/3rd). Hours are not guaranteed for anyone, everyone except ETLs and the store manager (STL) is part time.

Now the funny part is I used to be very pro-union because I worked at a supermarket. Paid every week, time and a quarter on Sundays (time and a half after a year), $1 raises if you perform well, 90 day raises, overtime, hours were usually guaranteed. It was great. A half hour of Sunday time an a half paid for the dues.

Raises at Target are yearly and people get 5 cents, 7 cents. I was lucky last year and got 33 cents and this year 22 cents; they are percentages. You are reprimanded if you are one minute in overtime. They got rid of 90 day raises years ago.

Because it's difficult to live comfortably with just Target, I applied to the same name supermarket (different owner) for a second job and after a few connections (my dad works for corp) I got an interview. They start of at 75 cents less than Target, I have to pay $200 to join the union, dues, only a buck extra on Sunday, no 401k. Target doesn't seem as evil as I thought.

Just as different companies have varying support of their employees, so do different unions. So right now I'm on the fence about the whole thing...

You're lucky that you can take work outside of Target. I've heard others complain that some managers will kick you out if you bump into too many scheduling conflicts with your outside job, especially if that job is a real part-time position (at least 20 hours a week).

[daninpa]

VALLEY STREAM, N.Y. -- On the day before a historic union vote at a Target outside New York City, tensions at the store -- among employees, management, and union organizers -- are rising.

Employees at the Valley Stream Target store first contacted the United Food and Commercial Workers to seek representation back in February, hoping to bargain with the discount retailer for better hours and a living wage. Friday's vote is the first government-supervised union election Target has seen in more than two decades. A majority of workers have already signed cards supporting unionization. But a vote for the union is far from guaranteed.

Tensions Rise Before Historic Union Vote At Target (VIDEO)

[daninpa]

Target Anti-Union Video Used Union Actors

[loveisnoise]

Target Anti-Union Video Used Union Actors

What does that matter?

[caL]

It's a sad testament to our country that so many people are now trying to make ends meet on a retailer's salary. This isn't Target's fault folks.

[hammersklavier]

It's a sad testament how far retail's real salary has dropped in the past fifty years. Even twenty years ago it was still just possible to live comfortably (if efficiently) on a retail salary. Now it is effectively impossible.

[loveisnoise]

Completely different world. What people 'needed' to live comfortably then and now are two completely different things. Hell, these days I watch people with retail jobs everyday-and they 'need' their iphone(with a $100/mo. bill), cable(at least $60/mo), 3 sodas of choice a day instead of free water, on and on before a bill is even paid.

It's a sad testament how far retail's real salary has dropped in the past fifty years. Even twenty years ago it was still just possible to live comfortably (if efficiently) on a retail salary. Now it is effectively impossible.

[fiveomar]

It's a sad testament how far retail's real salary has dropped in the past fifty years. Even twenty years ago it was still just possible to live comfortably (if efficiently) on a retail salary. Now it is effectively impossible.

No skills = no [relative] "comfortable" lifestyle. You have to earn it these days.

[loveisnoise]

No skills = no [relative] "comfortable" lifestyle. You have to earn it these days.

The union at the convention center would disagree with you on that. 3 people to plug a usb cord into a projector, 5 needed to change a lightbulb. They can make more in an hour then most make in a day.

[fiveomar]

The union at the convention center would disagree with you on that. 3 people to plug a usb cord into a projector, 5 needed to change a lightbulb. They can make more in an hour then most make in a day.

True, I forgot about unions when I wrote that. They're the exception.

[JackStraw]

What does that matter?

What does it matter? It reduces your credibility when you practice the very thing you're preaching against. That video was nothing more than a scare tactic used by corporate heads to bully the parttimers from daring to join a union. For two union members to preach against another union is hypocritical. They aren't actors, but whores for hire. It's like listening to someone warn you about the dangers of tobacco while inhaling on a lit cigarette. I noticed that they talk alot about solving problems inhouse, but why are they bringing this up at this late date? If they really had had that kind of concern at Target they wouldn't have to worry about being unionized now. If only Target alone can dictate prices then why fear such a "powerless union". This video fails to address any of the reasons that people might seek out a union and it certainly doesn't offer any solutions. Crappy hours, low pay and no benefits are what Target should be dealing with. Instead we get two Uncle Toms shuffling for the corporate coin.

[Two Street]

The union at the convention center would disagree with you on that. 3 people to plug a usb cord into a projector, 5 needed to change a lightbulb. They can make more in an hour then most make in a day.

I'll just use another quote from this thread.

What does that matter?

Good for the workers at that store, I hope they win.

[loveisnoise]

As usual, your posts make no sense.

And yes- the workers did win. They overwhelmingly voted to reject the union.

I'll just use another quote from this thread.




Good for the workers at that store, I hope they win.