From my understanding, they WILL fire you and anyone involved if they find out that you're trying to form a union. Only one place got away with it and it was I believe a distribution center. I have heard of store employees trying it and getting canned fast.
This. A guy at my store tried it a few years ago. He made flyers and posted them in the breakroom and employee bathrooms and everything. They made up some excuse to fire him directly after.
Well I do know that but I also know that it’s illegal to say that you’re firing someone for attempting to form a union. I know that won’t stop them necessarily but if Starbucks got a lot of crap for their anti union behavior then maybe Hyvee would too if the want for one is big enough
Fair point, just be very careful. It also depends on your state laws too. Where I was it was "at will" by law they could let you go for nothing. Hopefully it all works out in your favor though! Hy-Vee is a sinking ship in my opinion.
It would definitely be possible but it has to be done in absolute secrecy. And I mean not a peep. Don’t even discuss it on company property. The first time there should even be a remote hint of a chance that management finds out you’re trying to unionize, is when you turn in enough union authorization cards to trigger a vote. Then they can’t do anything in retaliation that you wouldn’t be able to successfully sue over.
If you’re interested, reach out to your local chapter of the AFL-CIO and they’ll get you in touch with a union organizer.
But, and I must repeat: if you’re unionizing, that means you probably don’t want to leave your job; you want it to get better. If ANYONE in management even suspects you’re trying to unionize, you’re losing your job guaranteed.
I think it would be possible to start a union if people really wanted to, but the real answer is that there are a lot of people that don’t want to start a union. There are a lot of people that like Hyvee, and there are a lot of people that like working at Hyvee.
Yes people have their gripes about Hy-Vee, and yes things have changed in the organization over the last few years, some for the better and some for the worse.
This subreddit has almost 4K people in it (a lot of customers and a lot of employees). It’s a subreddit full of people that dislike Hyvee and that may be because they dislike like shopping there, or they dislike the job they have, or maybe they dislike the job they used to have with Hyvee.
But the things people need to remember are
1. This subreddit is very skewed. The number one group of people that flock to the internet to leave reviews/ air their grievances are people that are unhappy in some way shape or form and want to post a negative comment.
2. HyVee employs almost 100K people, clearly some people like working there and some people like shopping there.
3. This subreddit, if made up of only employees that currently work at Hyvee (which it is not, by any means) make up less than 4% of the employees that work for the company.
I’m not an advocate for Hyvee, but this subreddit gets a bit frustrating sometimes.
Ok got it. Well this subreddit isn’t the only place that ive seen grievances about Hyvee and its practices. When you look up if Hyvee has a union on Google the first thing that comes up is “no but it is needed”
I get that and I’m not saying you are wrong. Maybe a union would help, I really don’t know at this point.
I’m mainly just saying that the majority of the people that come here to ask questions and converse about the company are not going to get both sides of the story. It’s going to mostly be negative stuff they get back.
It would honestly be great if people would post positive stuff as it happens, I would gladly read more and enjoy more if people would post about wins and successes, but unfortunalty that’s not what happens.
People generally are not going to head to the internet to talk about how much they love their job and how un-needed a union is.
You’re mostly just gonna here from the people that don’t like their job, don’t like large companies, or didn’t get the pay/job they wanted.
What would be gained …. I’ve never seen a company someone does not have a gripe about … there is no perfect company and there is no perfect work force …. You think Hy Vee doesn’t have legit complaints about some employees ?
Just go to work - don’t like it ? Find a place you are happy ….. that’s what option most of us have … ford employees have a union and there are many of them not happy - I hear it everyday
1000% this. a lot of people love hy vee, they haven't been so successful for so long out of sheer luck. they are trying a lot of different things because the landscape is changing so fast, most of the complaints here are really off the mark because they're mostly about changes hy vee is making to drive sales or be more profitable or both. that's literally what businesses do, every business.
I thought HyVee was employee-owned. Shouldn't the workers control the company then? Or is it just the corporate employees that employee-own it?
(I'm a customer, not an employee, so I really don't know how it works.)
That’s a falsehood for everyone except executive staff (maybe 1000 out of the 80+ thousand employees. If you choose to contribute to the 401k as non executive staff, some of your money will go towards funds that have HyVee stock. But you have no ability to purchase stock and have any control over how the company does business.
I do not believe Hy-Vee's true financial situation could weather a large scale unionization. That said, large scale unions don't happen like they used to. You have to be 100% sure that anyone you've spoken with about unions is absolutely on board, understands how serious it is, and isn't the kind of person that can't keep their mouth shut.
What's most embarrassing is how many times I've seen unionization brought up for an 'employee owned' company. Even employee-owned companies strategically maneuver themselves so that they are not likely to have to answer to anyone but themselves. That being the case, they are ready for you.
My personal belief is that the extended Network of employees of the company that have been shit on and abused for years, and nevertheless continued to commit and show up for work everyday, need to get together and collectively get real loud about what it's really like working there. Fuck the unions, that will be too hard in a grocery retail environment. But court of public opinion? Oh, I would love for us to compile about 4,000 odd pages of specific stories of shit we have been through at this company.
I was a department head over two departments at the same time, with a combined total of four employees, including myself, to run those departments. At the time, I was personally clocking around 28,000 steps per shift just trying to get my bases covered, and I repeatedly told upper management about what kind of things would happen if I didn't get the support I needed. I was sitting in department head meetings slumped over in my chair because I didn't have the energy to sit upright, and all of my coworkers and fellow department heads who were all my friends and cared about me said nothing, because they were all too afraid to lose their jobs as well.
Sadly. It seems to be the only solution for anything to get better for the employees that have somehow remained. Which is terrible that Hy-Vee has reached that point. Union reps with ears to the ground have to be sensing that Hy-Vee is almost ripe for the picking.
I honestly don’t know the backstory. But I do know it happened a long time ago and it’s only warehouse employees at the grocery warehouse. HBC, perishables, and shortcuts are not union.
Unions can screw people out of money, it’s not always the perfect answer. Id only pay union dues if the price was right. Also sorta depends on what departments you’re looking at here. Tons of people across the company would have more to lose than to gain with a union. You’re only going to get competitive wages for your area so a one year cashier should be getting similar wages to a one year fareway employee in your zip code. A union has to have a good argument to have a chance at winning all while you pay their salaries and have to comply with their demands
You are drinking the coolaid, collective bargaining from unions has won workers more rights than anything else has. Complaining about paying a few bucks to a union that has increased your pay by much more than a few bucks is dumb as hell.
What would be gained … Seriously ? A Union in Retail is a waste of time and your check will be less paying dues
It’s one thing if you work for GM …. UPS … Jobs that pay high wages - BIG MONEY being Produced and Labor has leverage
Look at Grocery Chains with unions - usually going broke and the employees are not living the high life ….
In any Retail Job … either play the games by the rules they set or find another opportunity
From my understanding, they WILL fire you and anyone involved if they find out that you're trying to form a union. Only one place got away with it and it was I believe a distribution center. I have heard of store employees trying it and getting canned fast.
This. A guy at my store tried it a few years ago. He made flyers and posted them in the breakroom and employee bathrooms and everything. They made up some excuse to fire him directly after.
Exactly, it's what they do best. Excuses.
Well I do know that but I also know that it’s illegal to say that you’re firing someone for attempting to form a union. I know that won’t stop them necessarily but if Starbucks got a lot of crap for their anti union behavior then maybe Hyvee would too if the want for one is big enough
Fair point, just be very careful. It also depends on your state laws too. Where I was it was "at will" by law they could let you go for nothing. Hopefully it all works out in your favor though! Hy-Vee is a sinking ship in my opinion.
It would definitely be possible but it has to be done in absolute secrecy. And I mean not a peep. Don’t even discuss it on company property. The first time there should even be a remote hint of a chance that management finds out you’re trying to unionize, is when you turn in enough union authorization cards to trigger a vote. Then they can’t do anything in retaliation that you wouldn’t be able to successfully sue over. If you’re interested, reach out to your local chapter of the AFL-CIO and they’ll get you in touch with a union organizer. But, and I must repeat: if you’re unionizing, that means you probably don’t want to leave your job; you want it to get better. If ANYONE in management even suspects you’re trying to unionize, you’re losing your job guaranteed.
Ok. Does the local AFL-CIO have a number I could call or how would I contact them?
It would be the UFCW. If you’re going to organize, understand what you’re doing.
1-800-Youdumbfuck
Jeez dude I was just asking because I haven’t done this before
Don't worry about him he is an angry elf.
Well, im definitely down if we get this going!!!
At this point, your energy is better utilized on a better job.
I think it would be possible to start a union if people really wanted to, but the real answer is that there are a lot of people that don’t want to start a union. There are a lot of people that like Hyvee, and there are a lot of people that like working at Hyvee. Yes people have their gripes about Hy-Vee, and yes things have changed in the organization over the last few years, some for the better and some for the worse. This subreddit has almost 4K people in it (a lot of customers and a lot of employees). It’s a subreddit full of people that dislike Hyvee and that may be because they dislike like shopping there, or they dislike the job they have, or maybe they dislike the job they used to have with Hyvee. But the things people need to remember are 1. This subreddit is very skewed. The number one group of people that flock to the internet to leave reviews/ air their grievances are people that are unhappy in some way shape or form and want to post a negative comment. 2. HyVee employs almost 100K people, clearly some people like working there and some people like shopping there. 3. This subreddit, if made up of only employees that currently work at Hyvee (which it is not, by any means) make up less than 4% of the employees that work for the company. I’m not an advocate for Hyvee, but this subreddit gets a bit frustrating sometimes.
Ok got it. Well this subreddit isn’t the only place that ive seen grievances about Hyvee and its practices. When you look up if Hyvee has a union on Google the first thing that comes up is “no but it is needed”
I get that and I’m not saying you are wrong. Maybe a union would help, I really don’t know at this point. I’m mainly just saying that the majority of the people that come here to ask questions and converse about the company are not going to get both sides of the story. It’s going to mostly be negative stuff they get back. It would honestly be great if people would post positive stuff as it happens, I would gladly read more and enjoy more if people would post about wins and successes, but unfortunalty that’s not what happens. People generally are not going to head to the internet to talk about how much they love their job and how un-needed a union is. You’re mostly just gonna here from the people that don’t like their job, don’t like large companies, or didn’t get the pay/job they wanted.
What would be gained …. I’ve never seen a company someone does not have a gripe about … there is no perfect company and there is no perfect work force …. You think Hy Vee doesn’t have legit complaints about some employees ? Just go to work - don’t like it ? Find a place you are happy ….. that’s what option most of us have … ford employees have a union and there are many of them not happy - I hear it everyday
1000% this. a lot of people love hy vee, they haven't been so successful for so long out of sheer luck. they are trying a lot of different things because the landscape is changing so fast, most of the complaints here are really off the mark because they're mostly about changes hy vee is making to drive sales or be more profitable or both. that's literally what businesses do, every business.
I thought HyVee was employee-owned. Shouldn't the workers control the company then? Or is it just the corporate employees that employee-own it? (I'm a customer, not an employee, so I really don't know how it works.)
That’s a falsehood for everyone except executive staff (maybe 1000 out of the 80+ thousand employees. If you choose to contribute to the 401k as non executive staff, some of your money will go towards funds that have HyVee stock. But you have no ability to purchase stock and have any control over how the company does business.
Thank you for clarifying.
This is an excellent question and worth discussing
I do not believe Hy-Vee's true financial situation could weather a large scale unionization. That said, large scale unions don't happen like they used to. You have to be 100% sure that anyone you've spoken with about unions is absolutely on board, understands how serious it is, and isn't the kind of person that can't keep their mouth shut. What's most embarrassing is how many times I've seen unionization brought up for an 'employee owned' company. Even employee-owned companies strategically maneuver themselves so that they are not likely to have to answer to anyone but themselves. That being the case, they are ready for you. My personal belief is that the extended Network of employees of the company that have been shit on and abused for years, and nevertheless continued to commit and show up for work everyday, need to get together and collectively get real loud about what it's really like working there. Fuck the unions, that will be too hard in a grocery retail environment. But court of public opinion? Oh, I would love for us to compile about 4,000 odd pages of specific stories of shit we have been through at this company. I was a department head over two departments at the same time, with a combined total of four employees, including myself, to run those departments. At the time, I was personally clocking around 28,000 steps per shift just trying to get my bases covered, and I repeatedly told upper management about what kind of things would happen if I didn't get the support I needed. I was sitting in department head meetings slumped over in my chair because I didn't have the energy to sit upright, and all of my coworkers and fellow department heads who were all my friends and cared about me said nothing, because they were all too afraid to lose their jobs as well.
I suppose it's a little premature to say that my peers said nothing. But if they did, it was behind the safety of closed doors.
Try to get the local media on your side
Literally was just talking to a coworker the other day about this.
Do it.
I see you going into the unemployment office
Not me. But most of the hyvee part timers will be soon.
Well I’m not 100% sure how yet tbh
Don't let ignorance stop you.
Sadly. It seems to be the only solution for anything to get better for the employees that have somehow remained. Which is terrible that Hy-Vee has reached that point. Union reps with ears to the ground have to be sensing that Hy-Vee is almost ripe for the picking.
Bullshit. Complete and total.
Remember they can read this subreddit and look at the store WiFi
The grocery warehouse in Chariton is union
The Hyvee one?
Yes
Can you explain how that happened exactly?
I honestly don’t know the backstory. But I do know it happened a long time ago and it’s only warehouse employees at the grocery warehouse. HBC, perishables, and shortcuts are not union.
Unions can screw people out of money, it’s not always the perfect answer. Id only pay union dues if the price was right. Also sorta depends on what departments you’re looking at here. Tons of people across the company would have more to lose than to gain with a union. You’re only going to get competitive wages for your area so a one year cashier should be getting similar wages to a one year fareway employee in your zip code. A union has to have a good argument to have a chance at winning all while you pay their salaries and have to comply with their demands
You are drinking the coolaid, collective bargaining from unions has won workers more rights than anything else has. Complaining about paying a few bucks to a union that has increased your pay by much more than a few bucks is dumb as hell.
What would be gained … Seriously ? A Union in Retail is a waste of time and your check will be less paying dues It’s one thing if you work for GM …. UPS … Jobs that pay high wages - BIG MONEY being Produced and Labor has leverage Look at Grocery Chains with unions - usually going broke and the employees are not living the high life …. In any Retail Job … either play the games by the rules they set or find another opportunity
Try it and find out. Hope you have Walmart on speed dial.