Friday, December 31, 2010

Doesnt Seem That Management Can Keep a Secret

Wow, someone who works up front - one of those supervisoreeee types gabbed a lot. Gave away the layoff announcements, i.e. you are fired, prior to the actual carnage.

Always great for someone to hear they have been fired by others insinuating they will be in short time.

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Carnage at the Front End

Did anyone notice the nervous faces on the "first faces of Costco" (i.e. front end, cart crew and member services personnel?) Well, they weren't worried about slipping on a patch of ice, seems that RP Costco is once again thinning the herd. Seems that several people in the aforementioned departments have been let go. Final tallies aren't in yet, but I'll inform as soon as known.

All the best to my fellow employees in their involuntary retirements.

UPDATE: NOT AN UNCOMMON PRACTICE COSTCO, 160 WORKERS AT COSTCO IN EAST HARLEM KICKED TO THE CURB EARLIER IN 2010.

Monday, December 27, 2010

Its Collllllldddddd Outside.

Costco workers can expect much colder conditions inside. From high ab ove, orders are to cut as many hours as possible!!!

Remember part-timers, the employee handbook guarantees 25 hours a week. Yes, thats that silly handbook that says that the following week's schedule must be posted on the MONDAY prior to the following week.
BUT it was posted on FRIDAY. I hope Costco's violations of its own regs didnt screw up any co-workers plans.

Not lookin for radical changes, but a Union could curb these problems.

Right now, employees have no place to voice a complaint except with a supervisor. Do you think your supervisor will properly vent your frustrations? What do supervisors do? They report tomanagement. They are making waves, causing problems, etc. Do you think they want to do that? So WHO is working on your behalf?

NOBODY. VOTE for a union!!!

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

How might a unionized shop benefit Costco workers?

Let's look at history:

"Costco Wholesale Corp and union negotiators have reached a tentative agreement on a new labor contract for 13,000 Costco workers in California, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters said. The agreement raises annual wages, lifts semiannual bonuses and increases retirement packages."

These are heartening results, but what I like about a union more is that it is a vehicle whereby the hourly part-timers at Costco have a voice to challenge the company's confounding policies about scheduling, seniority and task allocation.

As things stand now, we have no voice.

Monday, December 20, 2010

The Wheels are Turning...

The notion of a unionized Rego Park Costco is getting closer. Major Union forces have announced their interest in a unionized Costco and have been in contact with the author of this blog.

The employees of this warehouse need to be represented. They need a voice.

Hopefully it will come shortly. I think the best way to achieve it is by the collective action of its employees in support of a union.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Big Jim stopped by....

and I didn't even get a t-shirt. But the employees got some extra hours. Speaking of hours, shoutouts to store bigs for posting next week's schedule a full 3 days before the Christmas week begins, but still, er, uh 4 days later than it was supposed to be posted.

*Updated Query*
As an aside, Wikileaks says that Mr. Sinegal likes to say - "you have to take the shit with the sugar." I am curious to see why he likes to visit his locations, visits announced well beforehand, fully and completely sugar-coated, with warehouses ridiculously overstaffed.

My input. If you want to see how a store is run, make an anonymous visit, alone, dressed in middle class Queens garb on a Tuesday afternoon. Stop these Royal Presentations...

IM

Friday, December 10, 2010

Unionize Costco at Rego Park: Response to commenter at Queens Crap

Unionize Costco at Rego Park: Response to commenter at Queens Crap: "One of the commenters at the Queens Crap link mentioned in a prior post has this to say: 'LOL, the store is not doing well... making less m..."

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Response to commenter at Queens Crap

One of the commenters at the Queens Crap link mentioned in a prior post has this to say:

"LOL, the store is not doing well... making less money than they thought... how to fix this?

I know lets unionize the workers forcing the company to spend EVEN MORE!! Yeah, that will be fantastic!!!

Gee boss, I know times are tough but I'm sure if you gave us more money and more time off and bigger benefits, sales would pick right up!!!"

They are called straw arguments. Make up things people have said. Then mock them for the things you made up. Buy an intellectual crutch.

I am not arguing for 1. higher wages; 2. more time off; 3. 'bigger benefits.'

Costco is often a great example of how an employer treat its employees well. My concern is how Costco treats its workers in Rego Park. I want Costco to succeed!!! My future is tied to it. At the very least, a good dialogue between workers and management might be a start to accomplish that.

Voicing a Complaint I Have Heard

Costco has a very rigid policy about lateness. It is tracked to the minute. That is a logical and prudent policy for any corporation. An employee shouldnt be paid for time they didnt work and the employee shouldnt be late because it affects other employees who have to adjust for their absence.

By the same token, after a late-hour employee punches out, how are they compensated when they are forced to stand in the front of the store for 10 - 15 minutes waiting for a manager to let them out?

Employees should be compensated for every minute they are forced to wait to be let out of the store after-hours. Period.

Interesting strategy

You have dozens of part-time employees begging for more work. You need more hands. What to do? What to do????

HMMMMMMMMMM.

Hire more people.

UCRP Gets Noticed by the Blogosphere

This humble blog is proud to have received links from two very important blogs writing about NYC. The first is from Queens Crap. Its an anonymous blog I have read for a number of years devoted to exposing the "overdevelopment and "tweeding" of the borough of Queens in the City of New York." This blogger, for many years, has worked ceaselessly, to expose the corruption of New York City politicians. The link to this blog is here.

The second link is from The New York Times City Room blog. This link caught me a bit off guard. The link is noteworthy and appreciated but its synopsis of this blog is somewhat off the mark. It says that I am trying to 'shame' Costco into unionizing. This is not correct. I do not want to shame my employer. I want to give voice to the people at Costco who are afraid for their jobs.

So, the direction of this blog goes uncharted.