If you file a complaint do they actually do anything? A coworker that is very sensitive came up to me and said he wanted to file a complaint against someone with more seniority in our department for the way he was being treated. I of course advised he try to talk it out first . But honestly, does the union even handle person against person complaints?
Sounds like a problem for HR or management. Union barely does anything to mediate between the company and its employees anyways so even if this was in their department, I wouldn't trust in them to do much of anything. Recommend he talk to management and if he has the metal, recommend he treat that co-worker as equally as he is being treated.
You can't file a grievance against another employee. They are also union. I gave up on trying to get the union to help me out. The only thing I have found that Union is good for is that in order to get fired management has to go through proper procedures (3 warning, 3 write-ups, & suspension, on the same issue) before they can fire you. This is why some employees slack on their work, Kroger has so many call ins, and those who have worked there longer feel they are untouchable.
I say this as someone who loves the concept of unions, at least in my area (Mid-Atlantic), Kroger's union is the most worthless organization I've seen to date. They help out employees who have been here for ages, especially the ones who do nothing productive all day, but when an actual problem occurs, they're nowhere to be seen (or just kowtow to management instead of backing an employee up). And they're so awful at contract negotiation that they may as well be sleeping with corporate.
They are great at taking money from our paychecks though.
He seems too fragile to stand up for himself and I am a bit fatigued at standing up for others. It hasn't gotten me anywhere but the shark tank. I'm getting to that point in my life where I see that nice people end up last. Also, people talk out of both sides of their mouth.
I work in a RIGHT TO WORK state, which means that Kroger cannot force me to join the union. Not so in some left-liberal states. The mere fact that in many stores (if not most , or all) Kroger just assumes you want to join the union, and actively promotes it to you, and expects you to join, shows there is something very wrong. There SHOULD be an active, healthy, strong, MEANINGFUL competition between Kroger and the union, not a complacent "lets hold hands and sign Kum-bah-Yah". Kroger and the union are in bed, let's get real, people and face the facts. The union is almost worthless. I hate the fact that the union is the main reason why Kroger has so many long-term bad apples in their workforce.......the union will fight for the lazy ones, and do very little, if anything, to help the truly hard workers.
Answer me this, union defenders, why does Kroger still start their entry level workers at minimum wage, or just slightly more, when Walmart and others are starting out at 9 or 10 or 11 dollars an hour, with no union in sight? Wake up, guys!!
I've seen the union work its magic once before. Long story short, we had a guy working in another department who would in the most simplest of terms "be creepy" towards front end women particularly the girl minors. A man probably in his mid 30's flirting/harassing minors was problematic to say the least. After multiple reports to management nothing had been done. So one of the girls ended up quitting for a few days, filed a grievance, and got him fired. Once this was all resolved she was able to get her job back and everything went back to running as smoothly as a kroger can.
Other than that, union is mainly there to make it difficult for you, or other potential slackers to get fired.
I use to be a union supporter until I worked for Kroger, now I can't stand it. I have been there over six years and it's not a done a damn thing for me other than take my money. I put in a letter for ft, still nothing. A position opens up for ft and they make sure someone else gets, even people with less seniority, or ship in someone from another store with my seniority than me. I can honestly say there is only one person in my store with some seniority (over ten years) that actually works hard, just one, the rest slack like it's a day at the spa for them. F the union & Kroger, worthless place and most the people there.
So did you decide not to pay into the union or are you full of hot air?
If you are replying to the post immediately above yours (in slightly larger font), I refused to join the union, and so I don't pay a single penny for their worthless nothingburger union. In this state, we choose whether or not to join, and I chose not to. It's my right in this "Right to Work" state.
I don't regret for one minute being a non-union worker, as it does nothing for the employees here.
So did you decide not to pay into the union or are you full of hot air?
If you are replying to the post immediately above yours (in slightly larger font), I refused to join the union, and so I don't pay a single penny for their worthless nothingburger union. In this state, we choose whether or not to join, and I chose not to. It's my right in this "Right to Work" state.
I don't regret for one minute being a non-union worker, as it does nothing for the employees here.
