New management practices (the forcing unreasonable codes of conduct to eliminate positions, lower wages, increased surveillance of workers, workload increases, decreasing incentives, and general intimidation and abuse) at the Whole Foods on Brentwood Blvd. have finally pushed workers there to begin to vent openly. Workers have created a blog/forum and began airing their grievances. In response, both local and Midwest regional management have taken up residency in this St. Louis store to re-establish order. Below is the latest blog entry from these pissed-off Whole Foods employees. (The name of the blog, TrueTMAG, is a reference to the TMAG – Team Member Awareness Group – Whole Foods’ forced alternative to the need for a union.) For now, tensions are high on both sides, and employees welcome any support from concerned customers, ex-workers, and the public in general.
from:
http://truetmag.wordpress.com/
New Shit Has Come to Light, Man: Regional Coordinator and HR seen in Galleria Store
Joel Braver and Susan Crane from Midwest Regional were in the store today July 10th and are staying until they have put us back in our place. They are here to intimidate and punish workers who dare stand up. Finally the tables have turned. Instead of us fearing for our jobs, it’s now management who is afraid. And we made them afraid.
Management have every tool at their disposal, all we have is each other. They will be calling us in for questioning and scrutinizing every move we make. Don’t trust them. They are here to intimidate and fire people, nothing more. Don’t let them scare you. Don’t let them fool you. Don’t give them any names.
We need to keep sharing information and ideas for action. They treat us like dogs, now we bite. What will we do next, sick-in, strike, unionize?
strike back..keep communicating. hold a sit down. unionize, that is the way to drive them to the table to talk, and they can’t fire you if you unionize. the union will fight them tooth and nail. the company fears that.
Posted by Anonymous | July 11, 2012, 1:30 amI was working at the Thousand Oaks Wholefoods, the same management came in and everyone is terrifyed, I lost my job of seven years, because i have a child with M.S. and missed too much work, the old STL was kind and a family man, He helped me instead of firing me now Wayne and Laura are spreading a reign of fear for all, Is this what John Mackey invisioned? Not only that I’m not permitted in the store, I’m a 53 year old woman am I really a threat?
Posted by Natalie Cross | May 16, 2013, 7:25 pmGO UNION!!!
Posted by Yohon Sabastian | July 11, 2012, 8:39 amhttp://www.iww.org
Posted by TRose | July 11, 2012, 10:06 amstl-iww@lists.riseup.net
Posted by TRose | July 11, 2012, 10:06 ammake sure to escalate in a way that is protected under collective action labor law. also, you want to keep building, don’t start out too high- unable to keep the pressure on. also, don’t get people fired if you can help it. it looks really bad and makes you out to be just as awful as management. and we all know that is impossible.
Posted by Anon | July 11, 2012, 10:08 amgo big or go home.
Posted by Anonymous | July 11, 2012, 6:16 pmfuk hippy capitalism:the degraded offspring of new age obscurantism and capitalist predation.
Posted by Lin Biao | July 11, 2012, 10:37 amthe whole foods in oakland that was trashed made money on that action from insurance, and turned off a lot of the workers because they were the people who had to clean the broken glass and rotten food. using that image for organizing here in stl may not be the best idea, unless you are planning frivolous/similar actions that will lead no where.
Posted by anony | July 11, 2012, 11:04 amreally yr gonna say some sectarian bullshit on this site? thats sad.
“frivolous actions” that “lead no where” is a charge that can be, and is, leveled at many instances of people standing up. be it vandalism, attempting to organize a union, demonstrating, publishing yr ideas, or just sharing experiences with co-workers. i am really skeptical of those who claim to have some special knowledge of what works in the realm of class struggle, cause nothing has seemed to work in decades.
and dont claim to know how workers feel. i for one would take cleaning up broken glass and rotten food over washing windows and arranging fresh produce any day of the work-week.
Posted by Anonymous | July 11, 2012, 11:27 ami have worked at the whole foods in oakland, for the last three years. i am telling you…
we had a mass meeting and not one person agreed with the actions of the “protesters.”
we tried to continue our organizing drive after the incident, and there were three people interested because of the action.
we were forced to stay overtime to clean up the glass, it wasn’t instead of stacking, it was along with the rest of our duties.
finally, a lot has worked in the realm of class struggle. the iww has unionized starbucks and jimmy johns all over the country. the iww is directly run by the workers. there is no paid staff. there are no special interests. the iww is anti-capitalist. the iww works for the betterment of employees while still fighting capitalism at its core. the iww brings workers together to fight for their rights together instead of letting a couple angry kids do a few shitty actions that lead to mass firings and no support network.
come on.
Posted by readmorebooks | July 12, 2012, 10:58 amthis is in response to readmorebooks
why do you have to take this paternalistic tone? do you think only yr experiences matter? in my life i have yet to see attempts to organize with the iww bring workers together, instead they have always divided people. but i have seen many people turned on by what you so paternalistically (along with the media and the right) call shitty actions by a couple angry kids, myself included. sabotage and union organizing are far from mutually exclusive. if you were to readmorebooks on the iww of the early 20′s i think you would see that too.
by and large nothing has worked in the realm of class struggle. im not trying to be insulting, but if you honestly think otherwise i would say yr delusional. even the largest, deepest, and most sustained movements to destroy the state and capitalism of the past were colossal failures and have been severely recuperated. that being the case we should be encouraging and open to many forms of struggle and strive to link them up and push them to their limits. not focus on one and denounce the others.
lastly, i know far more workers fired for attempting to unionize their workplace than i know workers forced to do overtime to clean up after an anti-capitalist attack on their workplace. in either case however i would never blame those who fought back.
in short- no more straw-man arguments, no more paternalism, no more delusions about victory, and no more evangelicalism with regard to tactics of class struggle.
Posted by Anonymous | July 12, 2012, 12:11 pmReal progress happens when the workers collectively bargain with their employers. UNIONIZE and create your own CONTRACT!
Here is a Local UFCW organizer who can help
Jon Byrd 314-644-6328 ext 12
jbyrd@ufcw88.org
Posted by Anonymous | July 11, 2012, 11:04 amAs an outsider to whole foods, but an employee elsewhere who deals with bullshit as well. I would be interested in helping in a mutual, yet conflictual way. I can’t join your union, but would love to make a ‘union of workers’ who are interested in fighting back . It’s nothing that can be given legal precedent, but more of a ‘you help me raise hell, I’ll help you raise hell’. Everyone’s feeling this kind of stuff. Not talking you out of unionizing, but perhaps pointing to a different way of interacting with fellow workers in possibly expropriating, occupying, taking over our work places?
Posted by Tyler Durden | July 11, 2012, 11:35 amhttp://www.iww.org
Posted by readmorebooks | July 12, 2012, 10:58 amFuck this. I’m hoping the team gets together in a little mob to rush that store as unaffiliated rabblerousers in solidarity with all those who are sick of getting fucked by capital. You know it would make these kids’ day.
Posted by Anonymous | July 11, 2012, 12:57 pmThis is so stupid. Try working at Shop and Save or Schnucks. You will come to realize that you have it better than most. If you hate your job why don’t you leave and find something you can enjoy. There are plenty of people who would take you spot and your benefits in a second. This is total immaturity.
Posted by Anonymous | July 11, 2012, 1:28 pmI love it when people who don’t work somewhere complain about when people complain about their job. Even worse, the scabs who take the jobs when people are striking. People strike/complain for a fucking reason. Yes, there job sucks. Our job sucks. We could do something about that.
Posted by Tyler Durden | July 11, 2012, 2:01 pmIf you actually read what workers are sayin on that blog, you would know that despite the common, feel-good image of whole foods, workers there are treated just as paid (in terms of pay, benefits, discipline) than at places like walmart, shop n save, etc.
Do a little homework before you troll next time.
Posted by Anonymous | July 11, 2012, 6:21 pm“If you hate your job why don’t you leave and find something you can enjoy.” this is impossible and privileged. if people dislike their jobs, they should work together to build their workplace into a place they can at least handle. i would advocate unionizing with the iww, but there are other ways for workers to come together as well.
Posted by readmorebooks | July 12, 2012, 11:00 amAll of the above: sick-in, strike, unionize. But a warning about unions, they can be as controlling and restrictive as management. For instance, the comment above about watch out and make sure your activity is protected by union practice regulations. That restricts activity significantly. The only legal protections are through unions, but a mass sick-in or sit-down would hurt them for a day, hoping they don’t terminate all who sick-in or sit-down. If you want the public to picket, just say when.
Posted by Anonymous | July 11, 2012, 2:50 pmactually you can take collective action without being in a union. and the iww is not a business union, it is anti-capitalist and worker run. also sit-down strikes are as illegal as wildcat strikes. talk to a labor lawyer.
Posted by readmorebooks | July 12, 2012, 11:02 amWildcat strikes are where it’s at though, why would you try to persuade someone otherwise?
Posted by Tyler Durden | July 15, 2012, 11:00 pmUFCW LOCAL 655 ALWAYS READY TO HELP 636-736-2737.
Posted by Anonymous | July 13, 2012, 12:11 pmAs a member of Local 655 (UFCW), I can assure you that Jon Byrd and his ilk have done NOTHING for us, the workers. All they have done is acted like the fat cats they are and lined their poclets with our money and our union dues while we, the workers, are disrespected on the job, are forced to take second jobs to make up for the lack of a living wage, and suffer sexual harrassment, verbal insults and verbal assaults on the job while being forced tosmile aand say ‘Have a nice day, thanks for coming in!’ Why? Because our union does NOTHING, I repeat, NOTHING for the workers. They refuse to STRIKE and we are FORCED into contracts which threaten to take away our insurance, our paid holidays, decrease raises, and take away the worker’s dignity. After working as an UFCW member for 5 and 1/2 years, I should make way more then 8.50 an hour. Why do I not make more money? Because UFCW is a cesspool of capitlalist fascists who would rather throw their workers under a bus and further into poverty then actually organize and AGITATE. They have marginalized their workers to a point that not only are they apathic about the union, but they refuse to take the financial hit that a strike would cause. UFCW does not organize their workers to collectively bargain with their employers. And as for creating our own contract. . . .right. Like they’d let any of US negotiate. Trust me; they allow our bosses to treat us like unintelligent, uneducated, dregs of society who need constant babysitting to bag groceries correctly.
UFCW isn’t even in the same country as the IWW
Posted by Anonymous | August 5, 2012, 1:35 amif you ever wildcat, you have pool of a couple dozen folks to draw upon for support.
Posted by Anonymous | August 5, 2012, 11:11 amI work at this store so I have the “right” to make a statement. You don’t like corporate america? Go work for a mom and pop. MO is at-will employment, if you don’t know what that means, look it up. Readyou GIG book, WFM,lik any corporate entity, reserves the right to change its rules at any time, for any reason, within state and federal laws. Don’t know what a GIG book is? Then you don’t work there, so you don’t know the whole story, so shut the F up! I’m not defending WFM, because they aren’t doing anything wrong. Making half-a**ed assumptions doesn’t accomplish anything.
Posted by roo moo | July 17, 2012, 3:46 pmI work at this store so I have the “right” to make a statement. You don’t like corporate america? Go work for a mom and pop. MO is at-will employment, if you don’t know what that means, look it up. Read your GIG book, WFM, like any corporate entity, reserves the right to change its rules at any time, for any reason, within state and federal laws. Don’t know what a GIG book is? Then you don’t work there, so you don’t know the “whole story”, so shut the F up! I’m not defending WFM, because they aren’t doing anything wrong. Making half-a**ed assumptions doesn’t accomplish anything.
Posted by roo moo | July 17, 2012, 3:47 pm^snitch you’d crawl through 20 miles of the bosses spit and piss for a wink and a nod from management.
Posted by Lin Biao | July 17, 2012, 10:02 pmClearly you don’t work for WFM. I don’t “suck up” to leadership, and I never have at any other job. You’ve made yourself look like an ass by my making assumptions, but that can only be expected from someone who shows as little intelligence as you. If you’ve ever worked for corporate you would know you can’t beat “the man”. So you accept the good with the bad or you go somewhere else. You want a union, you work for scnucks. You want a boss that will pat your hand and say “try harder” as you continue to screw up and slack off, go work for a mom and pop. People that complain and say they’re stuck in their situation and expect someone else to fix the problem get no sympathy from someone who takes ownership and action for their issues.
Posted by roo moo | July 18, 2012, 8:50 amI work at Whole Foods in Los Altos. I sympathize with your struggle. Recently management put the prepared foods department on a portable egg timer for 10-minutee breaks. We have to put up with so much shit, and not just from management. There are customers and employees who express the most vile, fascist comments about Obama, Jews, immigrants. Our Mexican co-workers get it the worst. The whole situation in racsist Amerika makes me so sick. I can’t waait to get off work, aand even then I have to endure this shit on public transit. And have you been to a local street fair lately? Ron Paul facists, Hamas facists, right-wing Christian fascists, Tea-Partiers, etc. The only way to deal with these them is to speak the truth about them and their support networks, i.e. the Koch brothers, the Nazi antecedents of Hamas (read their charter), Ron Paul’s paramilitary/KKK supporters, his vile comments re. Dr. King. It’s all about exposing their networks. Dave.
Posted by Dave White | July 18, 2012, 2:33 amIf you’re so upset about what’s going on in america, perhaps you should move. Everyone is so quick to whine about the bad, but conveniently forget the benefits of living here. “I don’t have to take this!” Then go somewhere else. Take some responsibility for yourself and make a change rathr than waiting for “awful america” to save your sorry self
Posted by roo moo | July 18, 2012, 8:53 amThank you for your response, which ignored all the points I made. Surely you agree with America’s noble ideals, as expressed by our Founders. Then, what’s wrong with speaking against those who oppose them. I’ve given you hints on where to start. Now, will you take up the cause of anti-fascism?
Posted by Dave White | July 19, 2012, 8:19 pmroo moo americuh is a semi fascist dump hole but rather then leave i think its a lot more fun to do everything that i can to hasten the demise of this cunt-tree. To conclude here, fuk god and fuk patriotism .
Posted by Lin Biao | July 20, 2012, 11:09 pmWholefools need to quit being so damn greedy.
Posted by jackie | July 22, 2012, 1:30 pmGather other supermarket workers who have experienced and or lost their jobs from this type of nonsense and mistreatment to include Albertson Workers and their contract workers via MarketForce Speedmark, Aldis and or another mystery shopping company and add my name to the list and data share their illegal and unethical and injust ways they have done and do business. Add my name to the list of workers in this industry who have been wrongfully harmed, and start.to.build some sort of training and funding program for the injured and financially mistreated workers program towards suing and recompensation of those injured financially for “the good of the company. Take a hit for the team.” This mistreatment has to stop, inact laws which prevent them from being able to let someone no longer be an employee or be eligible for employment because they let the world know about bad business practices in which they witnessed others being hurt or were themselves hurt.
Posted by Anna Loudon | July 23, 2012, 7:17 amI worked at Whole Foods Market in Troy, MI for several years. My Team Leader was sexually harassing me. I told my ATL, both ASTL’s, and the STL. Instead of Whole Foods addressing my complaints I was retaliated against. I began speaking of forming a union. Management began building it’s paper trail.
When it became absolutely clear that nothing would be done to correct the sexual harassment, I quit, and filed a discrimination charge. Eventually, after a few years in the Federal Courts, my case was dismissed through summary judgment. Whole Foods admitted, under oath, to bullying me for attempting to form a Union. In fact, this was one of the methods they used to defeat the sexual harassment suit. I’m currently appealing my case in the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.
If you are a Whole Foods employees you have rights, even if not in a union. You can even form your own union, without dues being required. OURwalmart is a good example of this. Though they do charge something like $5 per year. The point is it is up to each individual employee to educate themselves about their rights under state, and federal law. Once educated seeking out other employees and engaging in concerted activity to improve your working conditions is the way to go.
A very important thing to remember is to document everything. Whole Foods will use whatever means possible to set you up and make it look as though you were a bad employee. Document, document, document. The people that work for Whole Foods are only human, they will make mistakes when violating your rights.
If enough employees stand up for themselves Whole Foods will have to change it’s ways. If you feel your rights have been violated contact a lawyer. Often times a lawyer will take you case on contingency, meaning if you don’t win, you pay nothing. Small claims court is another option where a lawyer is not needed.
Posted by Scott | December 19, 2012, 11:04 pmスタイリスト、雑誌のコンテンツ
や美容出版社は
一般的にあなたの顔の形状と一緒にサングラスのようなもの
をマッチングの重要性につい
て会話
Posted by シャネル バッグ | April 30, 2013, 9:56 pm箱やその他の言葉
の前に香水と凹凸シャネルの名前は明ら
かですが滑ら
かであります
Posted by シャネル | May 1, 2013, 5:47 amシャネルが不自由に彼女のスタイルを着
用したくなかった、しかし、現実の生活にファッションを
組み込むために、自
然が意図したように彼
女のクライアントが移動することができます
Posted by シャネル | May 14, 2013, 6:18 amLV 発明者のプレートと、革ベースフレームとセットでリベット、入り口袋の。残念ながらの Wi-fi 互換性 Dre によってモンスターを打つ入手。素晴らしい彼らに関して標準モデル。として、素晴らしい既存新しい母親、それをブレンド、傾向狂気のいけと目的チャレンジ。
Posted by http://www.haiendoloulsvuitto.com/ | June 17, 2013, 1:41 pm