Blue Orange
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Are they going to change their name to Noble Peasants? Noble Veche?
(suggestions from people with deeper knowledge of the Middle Ages welcome)
(suggestions from people with deeper knowledge of the Middle Ages welcome)
You might be surprised. There are, apparently, something like 2.8 million grocery workers in the US. The UFCW represents about 800,000 of them. So there are quite a few grocery stores who have been recognizing unions. And while there may be quite a few workers in those positions (and other retail positions) part time, don't underestimate the number of people who work there full time. There should be no assumption that it's a side job. The time the employee spends there should be fairly compensated, full time or part, with appropriate benefits.Not necessarily.
Grocery store workers in the majority of the US are not unionized (they are in California I believe), but that doesn't necessarily reflect bad working conditions (at least in relation to the US). [Yes, I realize NK is NOT a grocer, this is an example of retail work in the US]
IT CAN reflect what their target employees are in some cases (younger individuals or those looking for additional income in some places, others have varying pay depending on the position with some positions specfically focused for some of those types of employees with the expectations those positions will not really buy the healthcare or other items).
Some of it may be part time work where the default is expected that one can schedule times to not work if they wish and don't have to go in as much so the company feels they don't need the days off like a full-time worker.
With that said, most grocery stores probably would also flat out refuse to recognize a union in the United States, especially if they feel that union is trying to demand things that are not useful to the business (for example, trying to force the above part time workers to be given 2 weeks vacation fully paid, getting a healthcare plan that is affordable for those part time workers to afford on part time pay, and paying filler positions high wages).
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Wait? What?So, Noble Knight is going belly up within a year. Sad to hear it, actually bought stuff from them.
Let's hope they do.Does this mean they've thrown off the shackles of the ruling class and seized the means of production?
Grocery stores typically have profit margins of 1-3%. Organic & natural food groceries hit about 4-6% profit margins.Having your workforce get difficult in a business with razor-thin margins means you go bankrupt.
You might be surprised. There are, apparently, something like 2.8 million grocery workers in the US. The UFCW represents about 800,000 of them. So there are quite a few grocery stores who have been recognizing unions. And while there may be quite a few workers in those positions (and other retail positions) part time, don't underestimate the number of people who work there full time. There should be no assumption that it's a side job. The time the employee spends there should be fairly compensated, full time or part, with appropriate benefits.
If unions have a black eye or low numbers in the US, it's mainly because of efforts to bust them and massive campaigns to undermine their value and the robustness of the economy is paying for it and will pay heavily for it in coming decades.
This is fairly typical when the union didn't go through the National Labor Relations Board. Noble Knights can certainly recognize the union at this point, but most company's will require them to go through the NLRBs voting process before they'll recognize it.If the company is refusing to recognize the union, well, that's not a good sign.
That's partially true. While states may have their own employment laws regarding unions, the federal government also has laws that each state must obey. The National Labor Relations Act of 1935 and the Labor-Management Reporting Disclosure Act of 1959 are two such laws.When talking about the US and Unions, you also have to remember there is not a blanket federal law, like in other countries. Each state has it's own laws for Unions. So while a company like Kroger, and subsidiaries, are nationwide, and the Union is represented in all locations, support and enforcement vary by state.
always those pesky workers asking for "fair pay" and "good working conditions" that ruin businesses smhget difficult
This is fairly typical when the union didn't go through the National Labor Relations Board. Noble Knights can certainly recognize the union at this point, but most company's will require them to go through the NLRBs voting process before they'll recognize it.
It's likely that management wants the formal vote to fail and they might even take this opportunity to try to convince workers not to join the union. Some unethical managers take this time to fire union organizers for contrived reasons, I'm not arguing that's what Noble Knight's will do, but it's one of the reasons many people aren't happy about their decision not to recognize the union at this stage.That's possible. Maybe it will just take a little more time. But the ICv2 article makes it sound like they have filed properly with the NLRB. And the association with the CWA lends further credence that their paperwork is in order. I am not an expert on how the legalities work, but even if your right it still sounds like NKG is using a delay tactic rather than addressing worker's concerns.
That's partially true. While states may have their own employment laws regarding unions, the federal government also has laws that each state must obey. The National Labor Relations Act of 1935 and the Labor-Management Reporting Disclosure Act of 1959 are two such laws.
If your business can't handle paying decent wages and decent benefits and having decent working conditions, you should not be running a business.Having your workforce get difficult in a business with razor-thin margins means you go bankrupt.
There are 28 right-to-work states and and most states have at-will employment. In a right-to-work state, employees cannot be compelled to join or pay dues to a union, but they still receive the benefits of any collective bargaining. i.e. Whatever employment deal the union negotiates for applies to non-union members as well. So the union bargaining does affect their jobs.I live in a state that is "Right to Work" and has "At Will" labor laws, so no notice or reason needed to fire someone, as long as those few federal laws are not violated, and can't be forced to join a Union to practice certain professions or trades. So employees in jobs that do have Union representation can either join it or tell them to F off and not have it affect their job.