Trader Joe’s Workers Are Carrying Out an Experiment in Independent Unionism

When I was in highschool, I picked up a job at the local grocery store. It was a union shop, and UFCW. They had just negotiated a new contract. The old contract had time and a half for working Sundays, and a starting pay was ~9.00 /hr and went up to $18.00 / hr for baggers in 2003 money. The cashier's went from $15-$35 iirc. The new contract nixed all of that. I got signed under the new contract.

My pay was literally $0.25/hr over the state minimum wage. The union guy came to shake me down for dues after a month or so on the job. I told him if I pay dues, I'm literally below minimum wage. He said but they'll be there if I ever need someone to back me up if they try to fire me. I told him if they wanted to fire me, I could get a job the next day at that pay rate. I had to quit or pay dues. I quit, and made damn sure the union rep knew that it was their shitty contract that was the reason I was quitting.

They also did an old timer there super dirty. Dude was a bagger forever, and enjoyed the work, had no desire to move up, and didn't need the money. They told him they wanted to "promote" him to cashier. He got a .$0.15 /hr raise, and in doing so, got put on the new contract and lost his Sunday time and a half pay. Dude lost it when he realized that n quit. Fuck UFCW.

They shafted us, and lied to me about employment pay rates in the state by quoting below the state minimum wage. It all depends on your representative.

Well when RT cut his hours he had to pay rent somehow, and streaming just isn't what it used to be...