Archived Unionize

[AssetsProtection]

Random: Every month or so someone comes into the bathroom and leaves these like union cards all over the bathroom.

 

[Red11]

Target does not make you work for 7 days without overtime pay (or even work without pay), unlike that one pizza establishment I read somewhere here. The point is, unlike that pizza business, Target does not need an union, especially if you take this example.

No they just make you work 13 days in row, spread out over two weeks at 4am and not pay you overtime. I have done it many times at Target.

 

[redeye58]

^This.
When hrs were cut post-Q4 I'd pick 3 & 4 hr shifts any where (can you say "global"?) to try & stay above 32 hrs/week. Some days it meant split shifts, some weeks it meant no day off.

 

[Thinktank90]

Lets take a box of storage totes Lets say there are 6 in there and they cost $10 each retail and target pays $7 each .. Meaning you sell all 6 you get $60. Take out the $42 in Target cost means without any other cost involved in this item its $18 bucks profit for this box.... Well you forget you have the guy at the DC who has to pull that item who makes $14 bucks an hour and the time it takes them to get it on the truck is probably I'd say 5 minutes of time. So thats another $1.15 of cost in that one item.. Well it takes your team another 10 minutes of payroll to unload it from truck, bowl it, push it. This employee is making $10 an hour. Meaning now your store has used another $1.68 of this items profit. If you happen to break 1 of those 6 which does tend to happen with these totes even after the chargeback process your still out another $5 bucks. So now the profit on that box is like $10.... Now you have to take out the cost of operating such as bags, land rent, electricity, paying the ETLs, cost of the cleaning crew, cost of gifts for your team, paying the people at corporate, and all the other cost that go into running a store. People dont think of these things when they think they are screwed with pay. Its a business they need to make money. Im sure if you owned your own store you would want to make as much as possible also.

I agree that it's easy to assume Target is making more than they are, however according to a recent news article, our CEO is making around $24 million annually. If we were to say start paying each employee one dollar more per hour, which would make a difference in a lot of people's lives, I see one area in which we could get some of that money from.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

I agree that it's easy to assume Target is making more than they are, however according to a recent news article, our CEO is making around $24 million annually. If we were to say start paying each employee one dollar more per hour, which would make a difference in a lot of people's lives, I see one area in which we could get some of that money from.

A smart tm! :wizard:

 

[melvin]

Oh yea, the stories my grandfather could tell you, he was an organizer for the IWW (Industrial Workers of the World).
They are still around and have done some interesting work organizing places like Starbucks.
But it was never the danger part that made organizing so important (although my grandfather had his best luck with lumberjacks and carpenters).
It had to do with quality of life, not being afraid of what would happen to your family if you got sick, not having to worry about getting your hours cut because the boss didn't like you and not being able to put food on the table, not having to work six or seven days a week, not having kids working adult jobs.
The reason unions are reviled and dismissed is a very carefully planned propaganda effort on the part of the people who stand the most to loose if we get organized.

I wish I could say that my grandfather had been a Wobbly. Not that I didn't admire him for any number of things and stances he took, but you should be so proud. It reminds me of an article by Christopher Hitchens in which he wrote about being out on a book tour in Madison when an elderly man wanted to discuss a couple points with him. It turned out the old codger had fought in the Abraham Lincoln Brigade during the Spanish Civil War. Hitchens immediately voided the charge for his book. I wish I could buy your grandpappy a beer, on me.

 

[melvin]

I just ask that no one come in here polarized too much to their side. I've seen a union step in and demand an unfairly dismissed worker(boss simply didn't like the way they looked) be given their job back. This is what they should be about. I've also seen a union defend a road worker for pissing against the side of his work trailer in a busy urban area within sight of a porta-potty, all while within full view of traffic with kids in the cars. This is not what a union should be about. I believe unions still have a place in this world, but I don't believe for a second that they are the be all, end all that can fix any work situation you throw them at.

You put that very well at the end. I don't think anyone is really arguing unions are the universal solution. Frankly, I'm not a big fan of modern unions. I do believe in collective bargaining, though, and I don't see any other suitable vehicle for collective bargaining at this point other than unions.

I've said this before and I'll have to say it again: When a corporation engages in shady or downright criminal behavior, no serious person advocates abolishing all corporations or claiming we no longer have use for corporations. I think we need to regulate and monitor corporations and their activities closely. We also need to clean up unions. Both corporations and unions serve useful purposes.

 

[TheWanderer]

You think Target would create a union for itself.

Yeah, that's right, you heard me. Why can't a company create it's own union? Have it serve as an advisory role along with enforcement of employees rights and duties. Trust issues would arise almost immediately but with the proper touch, it could work.

That way the process could be better monitored and it would be cheaper for the employees as well. Investors would like it because they would see the leaders doing something to prevent a full unionization. It could work in every state. Any dues could pay for itself. The company could even work with the union to help fund expansion and growth (An example of this would be using the fund to grow and the company has to pay it back with interest so the employees could actually get a much bigger bite at the apple while corporate could have a better cash flow). Let the team members vote for their members and send them away once every six months to communicate directly with headquarters on how things are going and that would reduce the amount of inspections for stores.

Nevermind... It makes too much sense.

I could get behind this. Another potential fix could be overhauling the way the HR team works. It's always kind of bugged me how close HR is to the rest of management. I think there should definitely be a professional relationship between HR and management, but it's gone too far. My old ETL-HR didn't like it when she had an LOD shift because it was so hard to both be an advocate for team members (which she honestly wanted to be) and the boss. And it's even the same up at District and Group levels. How often do you see your HRBP in the store without the DTL and other higher-ups? I think many things could be fixed without unionizing by just staying in-house and letting HR actually serve as a balance against management.

 

[redeye58]

I agree that it's easy to assume Target is making more than they are, however according to a recent news article, our CEO is making around $24 million annually. If we were to say start paying each employee one dollar more per hour, which would make a difference in a lot of people's lives, I see one area in which we could get some of that money from.

A smart tm! :wizard:

Warning! Warning! *klaxons sound*

 

[AmICrazy]

^This.
When hrs were cut post-Q4 I'd pick 3 & 4 hr shifts any where (can you say "global"?) to try & stay above 32 hrs/week. Some days it meant split shifts, some weeks it meant no day off.

When I interview people I try and make a point to tell them that job they are applying for is just part time (15-20 hours a week). I have had a few people not finish the interview, as I could not guarantee them 40 hours a week. I would rather have that then them leaving after not getting a ton of hours.

My friend is a head cashier at heathy grocery store and they have the just opposite problem. There they will not hire anyone, unless they will work 40 hours a week. It makes it hard to fill shifts when people call in sick.

 

[Retail Girl]

When I interview people I try and make a point to tell them that job they are applying for is just part time (15-20 hours a week). I have had a few people not finish the interview, as I could not guarantee them 40 hours a week. I would rather have that then them leaving after not getting a ton of hours.

My friend is a head cashier at heathy grocery store and they have the just opposite problem. There they will not hire anyone, unless they will work 40 hours a week. It makes it hard to fill shifts when people call in sick.

That honesty would be nice. But even part time of 15 to 20 is really low. That wouldn't cover bills for anyone over the age of 18. I certainly am not looking for full time, but as close as possible to 25 a week is my needed reality. And frankly, 15 to 20 hours a week spread over 5 days borders on insanity to me.

 

[commiecorvus]

I wish I could say that my grandfather had been a Wobbly. Not that I didn't admire him for any number of things and stances he took, but you should be so proud. It reminds me of an article by Christopher Hitchens in which he wrote about being out on a book tour in Madison when an elderly man wanted to discuss a couple points with him. It turned out the old codger had fought in the Abraham Lincoln Brigade during the Spanish Civil War. Hitchens immediately voided the charge for his book. I wish I could buy your grandpappy a beer, on me.

I'm very proud.
When you grow up with hero's like Eugene Debs ( grandpa voted for him three times), Joe Hill (still know most of the words to Union Maid and Workers of the World), and Martin Luther King instead of the usual sports and movie stars, it's a little hard to listen to the morons who call the POTUS a socialist.
I grew up with socialists and he's about as far from one as you can get.
The old man would tell stories about getting beaten up by railroad bulls and Pinkerton S breakers.
But he said the real battles came when Jack Warner and Madison Avenue got involved fighting unions.
There are teams of lawyers, psychologists, propaganda specialists and just as in the old days straight up thugs who hire out to fight any effort to organize.

My other grandfather who was a captain in the Navy, fought in WW2 and worked for the government most of his life was the other side of the coin but he did say one nice thing about his rival.
I was going through a Libertarian stage and he said "There are two ways people will try to take away your liberty. One is by force like they did during the war. That's why I fought. The other way is with money. That's why he fights."

 

[nib]

No, it's too bad people like you ALLOW this to be the "real world" Target SHOULD be SO much better IF it were UNIONIZED!

Thank you!! At last someone who sees the real world!!!

 

[nib]

Let's be CLEAR: HR's are ONLY looking out for TARGET! UNIONS!!!! look out for EMPLOYEES!!!!!

I could get behind this. Another potential fix could be overhauling the way the HR team works. It's always kind of bugged me how close HR is to the rest of management. I think there should definitely be a professional relationship between HR and management, but it's gone too far. My old ETL-HR didn't like it when she had an LOD shift because it was so hard to both be an advocate for team members (which she honestly wanted to be) and the boss. And it's even the same up at District and Group levels. How often do you see your HRBP in the store without the DTL and other higher-ups? I think many things could be fixed without unionizing by just staying in-house and letting HR actually serve as a balance against management.

 

[avellan]

Hate to break it you guys, the work we do I could train a 7 year old to do... The world is not fair and thats just how it is... The logic of paying everyone 40k a year--

Hold the phone... 40K A YEAR?? Dayum dude, I just want to be able to heat my foking home during the winter and afford running water, which requires more than 12K a year(full time position...). 40K A YEAR??? I'm pretty sure no one walks into Target and expects to make 40K a year if they worked there until they died of Alzheimer's...

"Have a car to drive to work or heat my home during the winter... car or heat... car or heat..."
"You're really asking too much you know. What, do you expect to make 40k a year or something?"



A lot of people that work at Target, in the long run... work at a loss when you really think about it. 40k a year lol, who is this guy?

I agree that it's easy to assume Target is making more than they are, however according to a recent news article, our CEO is making around $24 million annually. If we were to say start paying each employee one dollar more per hour, which would make a difference in a lot of people's lives, I see one area in which we could get some of that money from.

Or just get rid of a bunch of worthless ETLs and let us work without pointless distractions and see profits increase.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

Welcome to spot, nowadays.

 

[TargetOldTimer]

:blush::blush:

 

[sher]

I didn't read the whole thread but I saw someone say that minimum wage was a living wage. Not so much. Living wages differ by area, but I don't think 7.25 (federal minimum, but in some states it's higher) is a living wage anywhere. If you're a single person with no kids and you magically get 40 hours every week on 7.25, you're only gonna make about $4000 over the poverty threshold, before taxes, based on the 2012 threshold.

If the minimum waged was based on inflation, it would be $10.50 now, and the new proposed federal minimum wage isn't even that high.

Also saw a comment that said stop going out every weekend, eating out and cancel cable. If I could afford to have any of those things in the first place, I probably wouldn't have any complaints about my pay. Actually, I never complain about the hourly rate, but I do complain about the lack of hours.

Disclaimer: my store doesn't start us at minimum wage, but the pay still isn't much.

 

[greatteam]

I remember the days I used to think "Wow making $40k a year is too little. I would need at least $80k!"


Now all I think is "Damn. It'd be great to make $18k a year!!!"

 

[PullMeBackIn]

The other day I was talking to a team member and he mentioned to me, "well I'm just sick of people sitting on government assistance instead of working hard." I then pointed out that there's a good chance there's at least a few team member in our store who are on some form of government assistance given the fact that even at 40 hours a week, starting at $7.25 an hour only nets you about $15,000 a year before taxes. After taxes you're talking $1,000 a month or less in spending money. You're gonna burn up half of that on renting a crappy apartment and now you're left with $500 to pay for everything else in your life: food, gas, car maintenance, health care, etc. That's not even taking into consideration if you should have an emergency (or another mouth to feed...).

You know, the thing I always say about unions is that yeah maybe there is corruption but there's just as much in business and at least a union has some amount of vested interest in seeing me make more money whereas business only has an interest in seeing me make less to save on expenses.

 

[StateofTarget]

The other day I was talking to a team member and he mentioned to me, "well I'm just sick of people sitting on government assistance instead of working hard." I then pointed out that there's a good chance there's at least a few team member in our store who are on some form of government assistance given the fact that even at 40 hours a week, starting at $7.25 an hour only nets you about $15,000 a year before taxes. After taxes you're talking $1,000 a month or less in spending money. You're gonna burn up half of that on renting a crappy apartment and now you're left with $500 to pay for everything else in your life: food, gas, car maintenance, health care, etc. That's not even taking into consideration if you should have an emergency (or another mouth to feed...).

You know, the thing I always say about unions is that yeah maybe there is corruption but there's just as much in business and at least a union has some amount of vested interest in seeing me make more money whereas business only has an interest in seeing me make less to save on expenses.

Let me guess, the TM that said that lives with mom and dad?

 

[pfreshdude]

The other day I was talking to a team member and he mentioned to me, "well I'm just sick of people sitting on government assistance instead of working hard." I then pointed out that there's a good chance there's at least a few team member in our store who are on some form of government assistance given the fact that even at 40 hours a week, starting at $7.25 an hour only nets you about $15,000 a year before taxes. After taxes you're talking $1,000 a month or less in spending money. You're gonna burn up half of that on renting a crappy apartment and now you're left with $500 to pay for everything else in your life: food, gas, car maintenance, health care, etc. That's not even taking into consideration if you should have an emergency (or another mouth to feed...).

You know, the thing I always say about unions is that yeah maybe there is corruption but there's just as much in business and at least a union has some amount of vested interest in seeing me make more money whereas business only has an interest in seeing me make less to save on expenses.

Let me guess, the TM that said that lives with mom and dad?

Either that or they are misguided into thinking anyone with government assistance sits on their ass and watches tv and plays games all day

 

[sher]

Hey now. I live with my mom! We're all poor though lol. I pay "rent." She charges me enough that it's tough to pay it with this job, but most people wouldn't bat an eye at that amount. On the rare occasion that I can swing it, I buy groceries. I'm applying for gov assistance myself. I usually have to pick between having bill collectors call for a month or eating. I got paid last week, and after bills, I had $30 to last until next payday. That was enough for bus fare to get to and from work.

What a sad existence I lead. I can afford to pay bills and get to work. :/

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

Hey now. I live with my mom! We're all poor though lol. I pay "rent." She charges me enough that it's tough to pay it with this job, but most people wouldn't bat an eye at that amount. On the rare occasion that I can swing it, I buy groceries. I'm applying for gov assistance myself. I usually have to pick between having bill collectors call for a month or eating. I got paid last week, and after bills, I had $30 to last until next payday. That was enough for bus fare to get to and from work.

What a sad existence I lead. I can afford to pay bills and get to work. :/

The commuter discount on ehr, might be able help you out. It's under my discount & perks.

 

[PullMeBackIn]

Hey now. I live with my mom! We're all poor though lol. I pay "rent." She charges me enough that it's tough to pay it with this job, but most people wouldn't bat an eye at that amount. On the rare occasion that I can swing it, I buy groceries. I'm applying for gov assistance myself. I usually have to pick between having bill collectors call for a month or eating. I got paid last week, and after bills, I had $30 to last until next payday. That was enough for bus fare to get to and from work.

What a sad existence I lead. I can afford to pay bills and get to work. :/

I hope my post didn't seem like I was criticizing people on welfare because that wasn't my opinion or what I wanted to convey. I also don't see a problem with living with your parents either. The problem is that wealth is getting too concentrated at the top. You continuously hear about how people are living with their parents later and later in life but what you don't hear is that it's because even those graduating with a college degree are having trouble finding jobs that pay $10-15 an hour (which is less than $30k a year). The more pervasive the Walmart/Target method of employee compensation becomes, the more we're going to see this type of lowballing of people trying to start careers. This is a significant part of why people are on government assistance, because they just plain can't afford life to begin with, not because they're lazy. Companies are effectively benefiting the most from government assistance programs because it allows them to pay a less than livable wage to their employees.