Stores in my area are (again, what a surprise!) hiring and have set up little unmanned hiring tables with information on what Kroger has to offer as an employer and how to apply. You know what's listed at the top on the pamphlets and little cards (for the first time)? Competitive Pay. Um... competitive pay compared to who? Because last I checked, Walmart and Target start new employees out at $9.00. Aldi is like $10.00 starting pay. Costco (who I know Kroger considers a competitor because it has been said in meetings that I and others have gone to, just like Aldi has been referred to as a competitor) starts people out higher than $10.00, and so does WinCo, a force that continues to grow in the market that I work in. Other competitors like Tom Thumb and Albertsons also start new hires out higher than Kroger, where most new hires are paid $7.65 to start.
So... Kroger, because it's clearly written on the hiring material put out by the company itself... when will I and many others see the pay raises kick in? Or is it just another lie in the long list of lies that the company loves to force feed its employees and the public?
I was on register then monitoring SCO on Christmas Eve, front end at full threshold before falling apart, and I thought, "wow, I'm making just 8.25/hr for this crap" as every moron kept bringing $15-$500 gift cards through SCO and getting pissy when I asked for a matching ID and CC. No holiday pay, nothing. Working twice as hard as usual. My check for last week's hell won't even be $260, and I wonder why I'm trying to start a 4-year degree. The problem? It's a 4yr degree, and working somewhere else would pay more but be just as annoying and mindnumbing. They got me doing SCO, night shift, late hours, shifts in other departments, training bagger-to-cashiers and other kids are moving up to customer service even though I've been on the floor longer as a cashier.
They will claim insurance and other benefits make it competitive, that being said, I haven't seen full compensation for other competitors so I'm not sure if that's true or not.
They will claim insurance and other benefits make it competitive, that being said, I haven't seen full compensation for other competitors so I'm not sure if that's true or not.
But Kroger is saying the pay is competitive on this hiring material. On top of that, insurance, paid vacations and stuff like that is listed separately below the Competitive Pay bullet point. So it clearly makes it sound that in addition to competitive pay, the company also offers insurance, paid vacations and so on.
Meanwhile, Kroger's Christmas present to employees in my division is word that health insurance costs have reached a point where the current insurance offered under the company is no longer sustainable, so the company now wants to sit down with the union to "discuss" and "revise" the current health insurance options, plans and costs. You know what that means, don't you? More money out of our paychecks every week for insurance and likely inferior insurance coverage, too. Interesting how the union repeatedly wanted Kroger to sit down with it to discuss pay raises for the employees on multiple occasions and Kroger consistently refused to do so, but now, the only reason Kroger wants to sit down with the union is to take more away from the employees. Whenever it's in the interests of the employees, Kroger wants no part of it, but when it's in the interests of Kroger (and, by extension), the determent of the employees, Kroger wants a meeting ASAP.
Nice to know that Kroger was thinking about the employees this holiday season (as in, how to strip even more away from the employees) while the top executives and store managers were cashing their bonus checks.
Our health insurance is going broke because we have morons going to the ER for their medical needs instead of going to a regular Doctor! My husband received a call from his Dr because he has an appointment next week and they need the $2000 deductible before his appointment. Kroger's deductible is $300! Quit whining and be thankful!
Our health insurance is going broke because we have morons going to the ER for their medical needs instead of going to a regular Doctor! My husband received a call from his Dr because he has an appointment next week and they need the $2000 deductible before his appointment. Kroger's deductible is $300! Quit whining and be thankful!
So I should be "thankful" that Kroger wants to enact cuts to the health insurance that employees and their families rely on. That makes sense. Just keep letting Kroger take more and more from the employees until we have... what, exactly? The company has been chipping away at employee benefits for decades now, so because it hasn't gotten "bad enough" yet, we should still be thankful?
Remember when unions fought for their members so hard that the state governor had to send in a militia to protect their right to protest?
I sure don't. But, it used to be that way.
Because union members used to stick together. The union is us. Not some force telling us what to do. Complain all you want but when was the last union meeting you went to? Did you vote no on the last contract? Did you read it before you voted? Who do you think attends protests? The secretaries and receptionists at the hall?? WE ARE THE UNION. We have to stand together if we want better.
The last time we had a contract to vote on there was only one meeting scheduled. Therefore if you were scheduled to work at that time you couldn't vote. At the time of that vote we had been working under an expired contract for three years. And at this point we have been working under another expired contract for three years again. Any raises we did get were canceled out by raises in insurance premiums. I work nights but happened to see an actual union official about six months ago. I asked him when we were going to see a new contract. He gave me some run around about how they were waiting until some other area settled their contract and they needed to see what was going to happen with obamacare. I told him it had been over six years since I had an actual raise in my take home pay. Then I asked him when the last time he got a raise was. He told me that they don't take any raises until they get raises for the rank and file. I just laughed at him and walked away. The union is as useless as a brand new co-manager.
Our health insurance is going broke because we have morons going to the ER for their medical needs instead of going to a regular Doctor! My husband received a call from his Dr because he has an appointment next week and they need the $2000 deductible before his appointment. Kroger's deductible is $300! Quit whining and be thankful!
This doesn't make sense. Doctor's don't get payment for a deductible. The insured pays OOP the $300, then whatever percentage (usually 20%) of the balance after the claim is filed and the insurance has paid their part. I wouldn't trust that doctor.
The last time we had a contract to vote on there was only one meeting scheduled. Therefore if you were scheduled to work at that time you couldn't vote. At the time of that vote we had been working under an expired contract for three years. And at this point we have been working under another expired contract for three years again. Any raises we did get were canceled out by raises in insurance premiums. I work nights but happened to see an actual union official about six months ago. I asked him when we were going to see a new contract. He gave me some run around about how they were waiting until some other area settled their contract and they needed to see what was going to happen with obamacare. I told him it had been over six years since I had an actual raise in my take home pay. Then I asked him when the last time he got a raise was. He told me that they don't take any raises until they get raises for the rank and file. I just laughed at him and walked away. The union is as useless as a brand new co-manager.
Hell I would demand a refund of my union dues if the contract expired and they didn't vote on a new one. You are paying for the protection and benefits under the contract. If there is no contract, they should not be collecting dues! I certainly wouldn't be paying for "someday there will be a contract". If there is no contract then by all means strike!!!
Our health insurance is going broke because we have morons going to the ER for their medical needs instead of going to a regular Doctor! My husband received a call from his Dr because he has an appointment next week and they need the $2000 deductible before his appointment. Kroger's deductible is $300! Quit whining and be thankful!
This doesn't make sense. Doctor's don't get payment for a deductible. The insured pays OOP the $300, then whatever percentage (usually 20%) of the balance after the claim is filed and the insurance has paid their part. I wouldn't trust that doctor.
Unless you've decided on a doctor that's out of network, then yes, you would have to pay.
