Hi fellow team members! I tried posting earlier but it's either delayed or not posting for some reason. Sorry if this is a duplicate post.
(I like the reddit thread better anyway: https://www.reddit.com/r/inthenews/comments/3mkupy/have_there_been_any_news_reports_about_the_whole/ Maybe we should be posting there instead? If people want to comment with a pseudonym just make a throwaway account.)
So, I'm one those terrible "union agitators" you've read about. I'm a long-time team member who thinks we need a union.
First off, I'm not paid by any labor union. I'm not paid. I wasn't some sort of plant. That's all anti-union (anti-worker) hogwash.
What I am is a person who's worked for this company for years and seen my fellow workers unfairly treated, unfairly fired (oops I mean "separated"), unfairly disciplined, and underpaid. Stores in multiple regions seem to be more understaffed than ever, yet we're all told to be "flexible" with our schedules and also told to produce more and work harder for the same pay. Our benefits have gotten worse and worse over the years. Simply put, we're being exploited by the bosses. (Not "leaders", just plain old bosses. That's what they are. Let's just call a spade a spade.)
Honestly I'm not sure what will happen to me and some of my fellow workers this upcoming week. It sounds bad. My store has implemented some of these changes already. It hasn't been pretty.
I propose that we do our best not to panic. Talk to each other. But be smart about it. Meet off premises and off the clock. Do not give them a reason to suspect you or fire you. Start talking with others about what you can do in your store and in your city. Find others. Form committees.
Who are your allies? Start talking to them about what it would mean to start to stand up against this sort of bullshit. We don't need to start big. We can start small if need be. Know your rights! Make sure you take all your breaks, refuse to work off the clock, and don't take anything lying down. Start thinking about what we can do.
A couple of effective weapons we have at our disposal as workers are work slowdowns and work stoppages. These are challenging but they can be done -- and they have been done at WFM -- and can be some effective methods of resistance. I'd love to see us all working in this direction.
Expose internal malfeasance to the press. It costs management. Just look at the NYC weights/tares fiasco.
Finally, I know a lot of you won't like this, but do not trust ATLs and higher. I assume ATLs still receive specific anti-union training. They did back when the company was having those anti-union EFCA meetings. That's because they're basically bosses. They were even trained at my store to watch for groups of workers talking to each other and to report that to team and store management.
P.S. Howdy PR Team at Central! Please remind John that if he wants to comment on this thread he should choose a more catchy pseudonym than Rahodeb!