Archived Insurance

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Though perhaps it has been done in fragments to now, I wish to formally establish a thread specifically on our new health insurance to our employees.

I was on a PPO and now the HSA (For those at corporate who will soon enough try to figure out who I am, especially once I, a RIGHT-WING hard-line capitalist, states that the time to invite the UNIONS in has come). I and my family (yet another clue to my identity) were on the PPO. Over this month I have had my first taste of the HSA. For all of you younger than I, especially looking forward to getting married and having a family, you don't yet know how severely you have just been taken.

For example, one medication that a couple months ago cost me $22 - this month cost $495 (another clue). A dentist office visit to look at a hurting tooth - last year, $0. A few days ago, $50.00. The theory that the lower monthly cost will be offset by the deductible and all will be close to even is at least a $3,000 lie in my case, so don't be stupid.

Even when I first saw our anti-union dvd, although at the time I was in complete agreement, it was an obvious piece of the lamest propaganda I ever saw (who did they hire to make it, some exec's kid?), until I read last years' claim as to why dropping the PPOs was a good idea - to fight rising medical costs all across the United States of America (So opposing this makes me a commie?), that one had me rolling on the floor pooping (I hope that word gets by the censors) my pants. The claim it was for us to all join in the fight against rising health costs - if you went for that, please, resign right now and go back to school. The ONLY reason that Target did that was to dramatically cut costs. I would like to see and "C" level's (OK, for you kids, that means COO, CEO, CFO, etc...) insurance plan, and IF any one of them took the drop, I would also like to see if there was any additional income added at the same time.

I thought it stupid enough last year when we brought in the ex WalMart guy who thought cutting payroll was a good idea. Yes, I probably have more upper level management experience than he has and in most cases I would agree, but let's look briefly at that one - we have what, one third if we are lucky, of WalMart's floor space and product? OK, so we are here to compete, and we did it well with customer service, for we all start laughing when you say "WalMart" and "Customer Service" in the same sentence. So we are shooting with belaboring (increasing the amount of labor each existing employee must accomplish - for those of you in Rio Linda, that means "more work" you are going to have to do, at the same wage (Please someone stuff those under 50 cent raises where the sun don't shine) to try to get the same results (Something I have seen an outstanding team try to do over time and I am watching a under ten year old store just get worse and worse). So, let's see. A lot less space, equal poor floor presence, equal poor customer service. And let's not forget increasing shelf sizes in a number of units. Most of you ask "What difference does that make? Well, many large retailers base their corporate reporting not on the cash register sales, but on the movement of product from storage to stores. So we are temporarily inflating sales while using tactics that will dramatically cut costs in the short run. Seems Dayton-Hudson is looking for a rube to buy their bastard child in a hurry to me.

So my friends, I took you on this tour so when we returned to the topic of insurance you would understand that this is not an isolated incident for all us ONE VOICE, ONE JOB, ONE TEAM or whatever that Nazi appearing poster our PR team and CEO has put out says (Can we please try "One Paycheck?"), this is another piece in a progression of making a firm that already shows good public growth (stocks) has taken at our expense. If they were in trouble I would be in the first group to voluntarily offer a pay freeze (If I took a cut, I would be paying them). But that isn't the case. My 16 year old son (Oooooo, another clue) started working part-time at a Kroger, at MORE than I make and I have been with Target more than one year!

I remember the indoctrination video telling me that if we had a union, supervisors couldn't help the clerks. Well, if I am even so stupid as to accept this, how's this for an idea "QUIT MAKING HALF THE DANG STAFF "SUPERVISORS" you idiots???"

Target depends on employee rotation, only the young and ignorant can have so much sunshine shot up their backsides and believe so many falsehoods, and they would never get away with it if the economy didn't stink. You have no idea how bad you got hit when they played the insurance change to your ranks, and more will be to come if you don't start to assemble and draw a line where the abuse STOPS HERE. I wish there was another way, but these clowns just keep hacking away, and will until they feel threatened, and the only time that will happen is when stores start joining unions.

Go ahead, people who formerly had PPOs, post your results here, how many happy surprises you run into.
 
Welcome aboard Tyrone.
Sorry you've been screwed so badly.
Couldn't agree with you more.
Getting organized is pretty much the only solution at this point.
 
Tyrone, you're preaching to the choir here, albeit more eloquently than most.
This scourge they call insurance not only hurts TMs but our families as well.
Meanwhile Gregg, et al don't feel a thing because they're so far removed from us peons.
 
OMG - I can't post too much info as it will give me away, but the insurance has changed SO MUCH that I am working for nothing!!!!
 
First, I have to say I agree with everything the OP said.

Second, I warned about this months ago when people started posting that the HSA was the only option. (Please refer to my thread on the matter and see all the people viciously attacking me saying I had no idea what I was talking about.... funny how that works)

Third, "a RIGHT-WING hard-line capitalist" - this is where I stop feeling sad for you. The problem with "right wing" is that you guys love this kind of sh** (in this case HSA's) until you get burned. It doesn't matter that thousands of others have been dealing with this stuff for years, but now that it bites you in the ass, you are upset? I hate to tell you this, but the "right wing" politicians you voted in enabled corporations to do this kind of thing.

So now you are pro-union? Well, the sad truth is it is too little too late. The deal is already done, most companies in America have already done this, and there is no way in hell they are going to go back on it now.

All I can say is, you got what you voted for. Problem is, you just didn't realize it was going to screw you over in the end instead of everyone else.

Next time you vote to screw over immigrants, gay people, or anyone else.... just remember, your day is coming too. The more groups that get screwed over, the easier it is for the power elite to screw over even more.
 
Sometimes folks have to learn the hard way I'm afraid.
Sad to say some of us have been yelling about this since Reagan and just watching it get worse.
I'd like to think there will be a tipping point, that we could turn things around but the kind of gerrymandering that has been done seems to have made it impossible to get any meaningful reforms done.
Unless enough people are willing to hit the streets, we are well and truly screwed.
 
Great article HM, thanks for posting it.

This was a very good point.

"There needs to be wage and hour protections for part-time workers, such as posting hours in advance, minimum pay if hours are shortened or cancelled, and a minimum number of hours guaranteed per shift," Stone said.
Noting that countries like The Netherlands have laws that ensure parity in pay and benefits (on a pro-rated basis) for part-time and full-time workers.
"There are ways for employers to fill staffing needs, even when those needs are variable, without putting all of the burden on workers."
 
So.... After 15 years of being a Target loyal team member, the Barbie Club (actually now known as The Mean Girls, from what I'm told) that is my management team has effectively cut my hours to the point that I will lose my insurance coverage. I am beyond gutted and have been trying to get additional hours to try to remedy this. I have not been tremendously successful. Will the average hours be calculated from the start of the calendar year or the insurance year (April 1 - April 1)? I need to look at my options and this will be a big factor.
 
^This.
I spend the last three years combing the swap sheets, bouncing between FA/SB/SF/checklanes in an effort to keep my head above water. It was getting too hard to maintain.
 
So.... After 15 years of being a Target loyal team member, the Barbie Club (actually now known as The Mean Girls, from what I'm told) that is my management team has effectively cut my hours to the point that I will lose my insurance coverage. I am beyond gutted and have been trying to get additional hours to try to remedy this. I have not been tremendously successful. Will the average hours be calculated from the start of the calendar year or the insurance year (April 1 - April 1)? I need to look at my options and this will be a big factor.
Jan 1st- Dec 31st
 
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