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Whole Foods employees striking over requirements to work Thanksgiving

Who is giving up values for profit? If the consumer did not want to go to a store on a Thanksgiving they wouldn't. If enough people did not shop on the holiday, the store would not be open.

It is also interesting raising the "value" stance. Some think its manditory or ok for police/fire/medical to work on a holiday. Yet, it is sinister for a retail or food store to be open.

Comparing emergency workers to retail doesn't work.

My whole point about values is, if people are fine with other people working on holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving for the sake of convenience, then put your values where your mouth is and be willing to work too. I've a feeling people would change their tune if their own place of business sacrifices holiday for profits. I would ask them why anyone should get the day off at all?
 
If Whole Foods feels that is in their best economic interests, they can do so. What, I thought you believed in freedom.

Fortunately, Whole Foods isn't going to do that because they have more business sense than you do.

I do - just wasn't sure you did. So if/when some of these employees suffer the consequences of their strike, you'll have no sympathy for their loss - good to hear.
 
Not everyone gets time and a half. I have worked on national holidays at Trader Joe's and they do not give time and a half.

Talk to your state's labor board about that. Every state out West here requires so many holidays, and Thanksgiving is on all the lists and must be paid time and a half. What state?
 
Comparing emergency workers to retail doesn't work.

My whole point about values is, if people are fine with other people working on holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving for the sake of convenience, then put your values where your mouth is and be willing to work too. I've a feeling people would change their tune if their own place of business sacrifices holiday for profits. I would ask them why anyone should get the day off at all?

So, the corollary to your rant would be that no one should be allowed to work on a holiday if not all people are expected or required to work on a holiday. Correct? So that single college student who loves getting paid double time to work 8 hours on Thanksgiving and then go home to dinner with the family after work should be forced not to work or receive that benefit.

There was a time when it was illegal to work on holidays or even work on Sundays - you want to go back to those days, do you? We are putting our values where our mouths are, right?
 
How dare people dislike something and then act to change a thing they dislike. That's messed up, man.

And I'm sure you wouldn't complain if their employer acted to change the thing they dislike by firing the striking workers.
 
I don't agree that it's strikeworthy, but they shouldn't be forced to work Thanksgiving.

Somebody's got to work on Thanksgiving. The world can't just grind to a halt on a holiday.

On a holiday centered around a feast, it only makes sense that grocery stores be open. I applaud Whole Foods for the decision to keep some stores open on Thanksgiving. It's a smart business practice.
 
Somebody's got to work on Thanksgiving. The world can't just grind to a halt on a holiday.

will the world grind to a halt if you have to wait until tomorrow to buy a TV?
 
will the world grind to a halt if you have to wait until tomorrow to buy a TV?

Yeah, it does. If Wal Mart wants to sell me a TV on Thanksgiving there is no reason they shouldn't be able to. And if an employee doesn't want to show up for work when he's required then he can quit or get fired.
 
Yeah, Whole Foods is the man. You should bone up on your friends and enemies to the cause list. :lamo

Whole Foods was founded by a libertarian. Despite the fact that its brand is oriented towards hippy-dippy liberals, Whole Foods is very much "the man."
 
Yeah, it does. If Wal Mart wants to sell me a TV on Thanksgiving there is no reason they shouldn't be able to. And if an employee doesn't want to show up for work when he's required then he can quit or get fired.

.....

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I dunno - if some liberal diva decides she needs some Spicy Wine Mustard for her turkey sandwich later tomorrow, those damn peons better open up and let her in or there's gonna be hell to pay.

Note to self: get spicy wine mustard for turkey sandwiches.
 
So, the corollary to your rant would be that no one should be allowed to work on a holiday if not all people are expected or required to work on a holiday. Correct? So that single college student who loves getting paid double time to work 8 hours on Thanksgiving and then go home to dinner with the family after work should be forced not to work or receive that benefit.

There was a time when it was illegal to work on holidays or even work on Sundays - you want to go back to those days, do you? We are putting our values where our mouths are, right?

I'm saying if business wants to make profit on a holiday, what's good for the goose is good for the gander. Also, it seems to me these employees did not wish to take the overtime pay. They wanted to spend it with family otherwise they wouldn't strike.
 
I'm saying if business wants to make profit on a holiday, what's good for the goose is good for the gander. Also, it seems to me these employees did not wish to take the overtime pay. They wanted to spend it with family otherwise they wouldn't strike.

Three points:

1. In many retail businesses, the owner of the store also works on the holiday and is often part of the sales crew to cut down on overhead costs - so, in your example, the gander is working so all the little worker goslings must work too, if asked.

2. When I was working, it was a pain sometimes to work on a Friday - those long weekends were great - according to you, I should just be able to book off every Friday to satisfy my needs, not the needs of my employer.

3. Those businesses, government, etc. who give their employees the Friday off after Thanksgiving Day should be forced to haul their employees in and make them work because lots of other people work on that day - or do you consider the days after a holiday to be sacred, non-work allowed days?
 
Good morning Lady P - aren't you supposed to be slaving over a hot stove about now?

Or are you striking for higher wages?

Got the slaving part handled early this morning, now it's the oven's turn...

and for the record, I'd settle for minimum wage if it were offered! Maybe I erred in the past when I used to holler "you think this kitchen is a restaurant?" so they probably thought it was a free soup kitchen :mrgreen: BTW, I understand your Mom cooking meals all day long for her dear little boys! :thumbs:
 
Three points:

1. In many retail businesses, the owner of the store also works on the holiday and is often part of the sales crew to cut down on overhead costs - so, in your example, the gander is working so all the little worker goslings must work too, if asked.

2. When I was working, it was a pain sometimes to work on a Friday - those long weekends were great - according to you, I should just be able to book off every Friday to satisfy my needs, not the needs of my employer.

3. Those businesses, government, etc. who give their employees the Friday off after Thanksgiving Day should be forced to haul their employees in and make them work because lots of other people work on that day - or do you consider the days after a holiday to be sacred, non-work allowed days?

Point 1. When I used that expression I meant if retail does it why not business in general??? Would people who think it's fine for others to do it, would they too be willing to do it in their line of work because the business can make profit or would they think business can wait one day?

2. Your second point doesn't apply because working Friday is not at all the same thing as working Thanksgiving.

3. No, that is not what I said at all. I clearly stated for those willing to say people in retail should work Thanksgiving and had the opinion they should suck it up, do they feel the same about themselves if their own place of business decided to open on Thanksgiving?
 
Three points:

1. In many retail businesses, the owner of the store also works on the holiday and is often part of the sales crew to cut down on overhead costs - so, in your example, the gander is working so all the little worker goslings must work too, if asked.

2. When I was working, it was a pain sometimes to work on a Friday - those long weekends were great - according to you, I should just be able to book off every Friday to satisfy my needs, not the needs of my employer.

3. Those businesses, government, etc. who give their employees the Friday off after Thanksgiving Day should be forced to haul their employees in and make them work because lots of other people work on that day - or do you consider the days after a holiday to be sacred, non-work allowed days?

My experience is the owner often has the ass manager handle holidays.

Big difference between friday and thanksgiving.

There is a huge difference between government jobs (fun to watch so many CONs point to the sacrificing government workers after spending an entire year blasting them as over paid and incompetent) and low wage service sector jobs. You really need Pizza Hut to be open?

Big difference between manning the ramparts of Freedom and a cash register so some dumb ass smuck can buy a can of corn, or pummel each other for one of three cheap TVs in stock.

Once upon a time most of us took the day off to be with family, now it is go-go commercialism.

What I am waiting for is the bracket creep, like there was in immigration. As long as the competition was for picking lettuce or mowing lawns most the middle class just shrugged- no skin off their nose. NOW as immigrants work up the skill ladder, more and more citizens sit up and squawk.

All well and good to snicker at the retail low end workers- until YOUR boss says no more holidays. :doh
 
Do you ever go to a movie on Thanksgiving or Christmas?

Nope. We watch any of the hundreds of movies we have. We eat. We laugh. We sing songs. We basically spend time with each other. Tough concept to grasp for the majority of people today.
 
Not to mention they get time and a half working holidays. It's a shift a lot of folks in retail volunteer for, or used to when I worked retail.

That's fine...for those that choose that. But many get no choice.

I'm against stores being open on Thanksgiving and Christmas but that's just my personal belief. I dont feel the need to make laws about it but if enough people felt similarly, then they wouldnt shop on those days and it wouldnt be worth opening.

I personally do not shop on Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Christmas Eve. And dammit! I'm out of coffee creamer! ;)
 
I don't think a Thanksgiving has passed yet where I wasn't at grocery store picking up something that was needed for the meal that was discovered we didn't have. Well, ok, I can, but it doesn't happen nearly often enough. :lol:
 
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Nope. We watch any of the hundreds of movies we have. We eat. We laugh. We sing songs. We basically spend time with each other. Tough concept to grasp for the majority of people today.

Times change. It's not for the government to force some obsolete idea that certain days have to be designated family-only time. That's not for everybody, and, increasingly it's not for anybody.

Instead of resisting change due to personal prejudice, people need to respect the rights of others to require their employees to show up to work.
 
You didn't catch me saying all liberals are rich - those are your words. But the ones who are rich are often the snotty ones like Bloomburg or any number of Hollywood types who can't wait to look down on the masses and put them in their place.
Funny you say that, since US conservatives and Republicans have been looking down (and spitting upon) the "masses" that don't pay income taxes.


And you didn't catch me saying the workers at Whole Foods are "f'n wage scrubs" - those are your words.
Gipper used the phrase, in the first post of this thread.


I honor all work but I expect people to honor their work commitment, that being to work the hours they agreed to when hired, the hours assigned, and for the wages they agreed to when hired or any such additional monies they have been granted through hard work or promotion.
None of that excludes the option by employees to protest when faced with what they regard as unfair (or unsafe) working conditions. The fact that you agree to work somewhere does not mean you surrender unilaterally to your employer on every point.

Nor is this an example of "entitlement." They don't want to work on a national holiday, and their jobs are not critical in nature. As such, they are well within their rights to coordinate in this fashion.


You get what you deserve and you deserve what you get unless you're willing to improve yourself and your value to someone who wants to buy your services.
You also get what you're willing to fight for. If employees can get together and fight (peacefully) to get a holiday off, good on them.
 
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