How Does Rite Aid Have a Union?

[Commodore Perry]

I don't want this to turn into a anti/pro union thread... but how are all these knuckleheads still picketing at Rite Aid?

I mean, that's not skilled labor or anything, why doesn't Rite Aid just kick out the union and hire regular people? There's no shortage of unemployed right now. I get it if the UAW strikes, Ford is screwed. That's just too many employees, that are too talented at what they do to just replace overnight. But right aid? Please.

And what's it been like a year now? I'm pretty sure whatever health care costs they don't want pick up have more then been lost in wages by now.

[GodHatesClevelandSport]

You're completely condescending to people who work at Rite Aid and need to adjust your attitude.

[Cerebral_DownTime]

Implying people who are in a union are somehow not "regular".

If Unions weren't associated with voting Democrat, Republicans wouldn't act like such dripping pussies about them.

[Orenthal]

The Union is a bunch of morons. The rank and file, a bunch of mindless rubes. Good idea striking against your own store when alternative options abound for the consumer. Of the 61 Rite-Aid stores in the area 25 are unionized. Rite-Aid could easily close those stores, and the health care concessions they are asking for don't seem unfair.

But Joe Blow supports his family, is an avid church goer, and has a dog, nay a bad word be said about how easily he could be replaced at his job. Uh, these are pretty low skill people, striking their own stores, in a hyper-competitive marketplace. One in which Rite-Aid could easily pull out of, or at the very least close their union stores, and not be affected one way or the other.

Typical union reflex. Never compare your situation to your surroundings. It's all in a vacuum. All GREED by the owners. Also this can be analyzed outside of Republican/Democrat.

[WarAdmiral]

God bless the workers who aren't afraid to stand for something. Don't know any details, but I respect the stones these folks have to risk all they have for something they believe in, regardless of their skill level or economic stature in their community.

[Love child of shawn kemp]

A friend worked for them many years ago. Forced to join the union. He quit after two weeks and his paycheck said he owed them money for all of the front loaded union dues.

[Orenthal]

Yeah, who cares if what they are doing makes sense on an economic level. God Bless them for standing up for injustice.

[Fire Marshall Bill]

Fuk-em

Who the hell gives a rats ass?

[mistero]

I believe it's their pharmacy staff that are on strike. My wife works in a Giant Eagle pharmacy and her union overlords have given her marching orders not to shop there.

Unions are great. Can't wait for 20 closed Rite Aids in NEO.

[gotribe31]

THIS is why people hate unions:
http://www.aflcio.org/911_trumka.cfm

It's 9/11! Time to remember why Karl Rove sucks! Unreal.

[Cerebral_DownTime]

THIS is why people hate unions:
http://www.aflcio.org/911_trumka.cfm

It's 9/11! Time to remember why Karl Rove sucks! Unreal.

No, that's why Republicans hate unions. Everyone they called out are low life scumbags anyway. Against working Americans, little dick Republicans have waged a propaganda war that Goebbles would be proud of. Making them out to be some kind of evil cabal trying to hurt the country by having rights and making a good living.

The rich should get more. The middle class should give up more. That's the way the gutless right sees it. War on the American worker....

People aren't inclined to take that shit lying down, nor should they.

Obviously it offends you because they used the holy name of 9/11 to preach unity among their workers. I guess you cannot co-op the name of 9/11...... unless you're on the right and you want to further your own agenda. Then you put on your flag lapel pin and go on Fox News.

[GodHatesClevelandSport]

THIS is why people hate unions:
http://www.aflcio.org/911_trumka.cfm

It's 9/11! Time to remember why Karl Rove sucks! Unreal.

That's not why. 99% of people will never even know about that.

[gotribe31]

THIS is why people hate unions:
http://www.aflcio.org/911_trumka.cfm

It's 9/11! Time to remember why Karl Rove sucks! Unreal.

No, that's why Republicans hate unions. Everyone they called out are low life scumbags anyway. Against working Americans, little dick Republicans have waged a propaganda war that Goebbles would be proud of. Making them out to be some kind of evil cabal trying to hurt the country by having rights and making a good living.

The rich should get more. The middle class should give up more. That's the way the gutless right sees it. War on the American worker....

People aren't inclined to take that shit lying down, nor should they.

Obviously it offends you because they used the holy name of 9/11 to preach unity among their workers. I guess you cannot co-op the name of 9/11...... unless you're on the right and you want to further your own agenda. Then you put on your flag lapel pin and go on Fox News.

Ok, I'll narrow down my generalization: this is one reason why I hate the AFL-CIO. Better?

Anyone using 9/11 for any sort of alterior (ulterior?) motive offends me. It's still a very emotional, personal event for me as it is for millions of Americans and it pisses me of when it is misused by anyone, anywhere.

[Cerebral_DownTime]

I guess i just don't understand what makes people in a union so bad. From what I see most of them are just hard working Americans, and I don't get why people would want to destroy their ability to use bargaining to improve their station in life.

I really hope we repeal SB5, and I think it's possible. If Kasich wants to start saving the state money, he should start with his own paycheck. I'm not sure why our Governor and state Senate are drawing a paycheck and benefits on our dime anyway. Obama and congress should do the same thing, no way they deserve a paycheck. I'm sure they think they deserve a medal for not taking their automatic pay raise for 2011. From now on I think we should get to vote on if those assholes get a raise, that would be fun. After all, they work for us, we're their employers.

[Orenthal]

THIS is why people hate unions:
http://www.aflcio.org/911_trumka.cfm

It's 9/11! Time to remember why Karl Rove sucks! Unreal.

or...
http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/po ... f-longview

[Orenthal]

I guess i just don't understand what makes people in a union so bad.

The site ate a fantastic dissertaion so I'm gonna go small ball. There is a big difference between rank-and-file and union leadership. Another big difference, through becoming less clear, is between private and public unions. Republicans, and myself typically think that union leadership pushes an OVERALL job killing agenda. I don't know if you are union or not, but I worked as both union and non-union and there is no doubt they are 100% in favor of a shrunken pie where they control all of it versus a larger pie that everyone gets a piece...

Republicans also feel the masive dues collecting operation going to Democrats fuels poor overall economic policy in favor of one group. The amount of money really is sick in its totality, and is very focused. While Democrats rail on about Wall Street Fat Cats that money is essentially balanced, if not favoring Democrats.

http://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/list.php?order=A

There is also the historical context in which unions were created, the power struggle won by the CIO over the AFL, and our current 24/7 media world that go into the equation but can be discussed at some other point.

[Cerebral_DownTime]

I've worked both, and I really had no problems whatsoever from my union job. Plenty of pie for everyone.

And Wall Street buys just as many Democrats as Republicans, just look who Obeezy's #1 campaign donor was in 2008. Unions don't wield nearly the amount of clout they did 30, 40 years ago. The idea they can compete with Wall Street in terms of influencing policy is laughable IMO.

And why would the unions donate to a party that is openly hostile to their existence?

[Orenthal]

Well your expierence is better then mine, always in the Columbus area? Cleveland is perhaps a bit rougher in terms of the total control that unions exert. Your posts wanted to know why Republicans are so hostile to unions, and its because they conrol a good part of Democrat policy, policy that those same Republicans feel damages the economy as a whole. The Wall Street example is only an example of a group that most Democrats have equal vitriol for, and as you point out since they spread money around between both parties they aren't as an effective driver of pure partisan policy.

We can argue all day long on Project Labor Agreements, prevailing wage (lack of journeyman/apprentice rates for open shops), among other thing that shrink the pie, but then again we'd be back to arguing opinions that can be backed up by links on both sides. Most of my reasons have been laid out, and I didn't even have to get into how we had been salted, harassed, had holes put in buckets and equipment ruined, had owners pressured into having us thrown off jobs in progress and before they started.

On Rite-Aid its just stupid to strike your own stores, in an environment rich in competition, and with Rite-Aid being a national company that could pull out of the market. How this helps the individual worker I have no idea... It's like Gollum reaching for the ring while falling towards the fires of Mount Doom... bwwwwaaaaa

On SB-5 it also looked really good in Wisconsin for the recall efforts, but the silent majority was on the Republican side. Time will tell, and Kasich offering to negotiate to keep the measure off the ballot might forshadowthe strength of the union effort.

[Cerebral_DownTime]

There's a local town hall kinda meeting at the firehouse near me next week on Issue 2. I plan on going to hear what they have to say since it directly applies to them.

And yeah my Union experience was here in CLB at Krogers.