searsmatrix
Joined: 04 Jul 2003
Posts: 477
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2003 1:58 am Post subject: What do you think about these changes?
|
|
|
Okay this is a list of proposed changed from www.1805alive.org
This is believe is a much more thought out and more representive agreement of sweeping changes across the board that they want to be seen. I would like everyones opinion on these and a vote on the poll i am going to set up if you dont mind.
These 30 "benefits" (SEE BELOW) are the basis for a Union Contract and represent a significant improvement over what Sears give us now. These ideas have been developed over a period of nearly a year and come from all the employees. While new to us, these "benefits" are very common to many other companies, including most retail stores. Sears doesn't want you to know that.
Once Sears sees these 30 Benefits they will deride them, and tell you that none of are acceptable to Sears and that we won't get a single one. But of course they will say that to stop us from forming a Union, just like they tried to stop us last September when they changed managers, declared a points amnesty and brought in all the corporate honchos. Their actions were actually against the law, as Sears has acknowledged, and as you will soon see in a document to be posted in the store
30 BENEFITS:
Benefit #1
Immediate Wage Increase for All Hourly Employees
Wages for all hourly employees must be increased to $9.00 per hour. Those who work in hazardous positions, like package pickup, must receive a minimum of $10.00 per hour. All other employees shall receive an immediate $1.00 per hour increase.
Comments:
A survey of most of the other mall department stores show that many pay a minimum of 9.00 per hour. And you should get this amount as well. We currently have some employees who receive $7.50 per hour and have worked at Sears for some time. Other employees who just started are making $9.00 per hour. There should be equal pay for equal work. No one in the store should make less than $9.00 per hour and that is what we will work to get for you. The few employees making more than $9.00 per hour will continue to receive the higher wage, plus an immediate $1.00 per hour increase.
Benefit #2
Immediate Base Increase for all Commission Sales Associates
Sears will provide a base rate of $9.00 per hour for all commission sales associates. This will be a draw, only when commission earnings exceed the $9.00 base. If commission earnings fall below the $9.00 earnings rate, the $9.00 will be paid as a flat rate and will not be deducted from future earnings.
Comments:
It is time for Sears to pay us closer to what we are worth, and a $9.00 base/draw rate is a lot closer than what Sears pays now, which is nothing or close to it. This change shall increase our income and sustain us when seasonal sales are very low or when ice storms or droughts harm our ability to make a living.
Benefit #3
Commission and Income Protection
There will be no reductions in commission percentages on any products for a period of three years. Sears will also publicly post the commission percentages on all products in the store.
Comments:
In this last year Sears has cut commission on shoes from 10% to 7% which meant thousands dollars of lost income and they have cut commissions on other products as well. Sears will not be able to just reduce your income whenever they want.
Benefit #4
Annual Merit Raise
In consultation with the Union, Sears will establish a reasonable Annual Employee Performance Review program. Upon satisfactory review, the flat wage employee will receive a wage increase of $1.00 per hour per year for the period of the contract. Upon satisfactory review, $1.00 will be added to the benefit rate of the commissioned sales employee.
Comments:
When Sears gives a merit raise, it often amounts to no more than 25 cents an hour, which is a pittance and an insult to employees. And commission sales associates get no raise at all. And why shouldn't they get some appreciation for their longevity and good performance?
Benefit #5
Annual Cost of Living Raise
Sears will give each employee an annual cost of living (COL) increase. COL's are usually around 2% to 3% and would be paid starting with each new calendar year.
Comments:
A cost of living increase is a very common raise for most workers at most American companies. When you don't get an annual cost of living increase then you are actually losing money, because the money Sears pays you doesn't buy as much as it did the year before. This is a very, very basic raise that millions of Americans receive every year.
Benefit #6
No More Point System!
The Union will force Sears to completely withdraw the point system. The Union will develop an attendance policy in consultation and agreement with Sears that is a fair one for all.
Comments:
The Point System is an abusive system that very few companies have, and that no other mall store has. We will force Sears to develop an attendance policy system that all employees can vote on, one that is fair and responsible to all. Most other Sears stores throughout the nation still have the Point System and Sears only dropped it momentarily as a way to bust our organizing effort, an action that is actually against the law according to the National Labor Relations Guidelines. But the System is creeping back, and if we don't get a Union here, Sears will wait a few months, then bring it back full steam as it still is at other stores.
Benefit #7
One Month Schedule, One Week in Advance
Sears will convert to a one-month work schedule with one-week advance notice. Employees will be allowed to adjust the schedule by switching work times with other employees and/or by gaining their managers approval.
Comments:
We employees have a right to get what Belk, Nordstrom, Lord and Taylor and Hecht's automatically give their employees; one month advance scheduling, so you can plan your life with your family and friends. It is so easy for them to do, but they won't make the effort unless we have a Union that forces them to do it.
Benefit #8
No Benefit Rate Freezes
Sears will not switch commission sales positions to flat rate positions without the Union's consultation and approval, and for the duration of the three-year contract. If the Union approves of such a change, every employee will not make less than the average of all employees' benefit rate (or flat rate), and any employee above the average benefit rate (or flat rate), will retain that rate.
Comments:
Last year Sears switched some commission sales positions to flat rate positions, without notice to employees, and some employees' benefit rates were frozen at very low levels. Many former (and some current managers) predicts that Sears will eventually drive everyone's benefit rate down, then switch all sales positions to flat rate positions. Only a Union contract can stop this from happening.
Benefit #9
All Time Benefit Rate
Your employee's benefit rate (or the flat rate, whichever is greater), will apply for all time off the floor, for training meetings, business meetings, store meetings, etc. Preparation time before the store opens will also be at benefit rate, or flat rate whichever is greater. There will no longer be a separate training rate, business rate or meeting rate.
Comments:
Sears gets us cheap when they make us attend meetings or come in to work 30 minutes before the store opens. But your benefit rate (or a $9.00 flat rate, whichever is greater), is what you are worth and they should not be able to pay you anything less at anytime. Calculate the improvement in your income.
Benefit #10
"No Flood" Protection
Sears will be forced to consult with the Union so as not to reduce incomes and benefit rates by "flooding the floor." Sears will provide sales per hour data, and other relevant statistical data to the Union so that the Union will be able to negotiate floor associate numbers.
Comments:
Sears takes money from our pockets every time it floods the floor with commission associates. We will work for a balanced number of sales associates so all can make money and all customers can be properly served.
Benefit #11
Truth-In-Income Protection
Department average incomes and median incomes will be publicly posted, monthly, quarterly and annually for each commissioned sales department. This will enable employees to effectively evaluate the income potential or non-potential of each department when they are considering moving to another department. Such information will also be provided to all potential employees when they are interviewed and before any offer is tendered so new employees can also be protected.
Comments:
This could be called the "Great Paint Caper Rule." Many employees have been told that they can improve their income by going to Hardware and Paint. Yet many employees have lost money because Paint is the black hole of money. This Rule would protect current and new employees by disclosing the income levels in all departments.
Benefit #12
Job Security
Grievance systems will be developed in consultation with the Union and will be publicly posted and mailed to the residence of each employee. A Grievance system is basically a series of steps that Sears must abide before any worker can be terminated. The Union Steward (chosen by employees) shall be involved in each step to be an advocate for the employee. No manager may have a private consultation with an employee about that employee's behavior, without a Union representative in attendance as an advocate for the employee, unless the employee chooses not to have the Advocate present.
Comments:
No employee could be terminated without an extensive review and Grievance System protection. Most companies have such a grievance and review system as a matter of fairness, even without a Union. We must insist on this clause in our contract to give each and every employee fairness and job protection.
Benefit #13
Full-time Benefits for Full-Time Work
Sears will not be able to work a new employee more than 30 hours per week, for more than one month, without giving the new employee full time status with all appropriate benefits, including but not limited to, health care benefits.
Comments:
Sears has a history of working employees as long as they can without providing full time benefits. No more. They won't be allowed to cheat people out of health care benefits.
Benefit #14
Respect for your Time-Off Requests
Sears will honor employee requests for schedule changes on the Stars Systems or inform the employee, in advance, why the request cannot be honored.
Comments:
Sears is supposed to use the Stars System, but time-after-time employees find out, after the fact, that their time-off requests have not been honored. With this rule Sears will have to honor the request unless they tell you why not, and in advance.
Benefit #15
Health Care Cost Protection
Sears will not increase the cost of health care benefits for the duration of the three-year contract without the express written approval of the Union.
Comments:
With the rising costs for healthcare, this rule will not allow Sears to increase your costs for up to three years.
Benefit #16
Diversity Training for Management
Sears will annually hire an outside human relations consulting company, approved by the NAACP, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, to conduct a three-day diversity and human relations seminar that all Managers, Leads and Asset Protection employees will be required to attend.
Comments:
Sears gets by with practicing racism in their promotions and in their relationships with employees and customers. It is not obvious to many non-minority employees because it is very subtle and unspoken, but it is very real to minority employees who suffer from it every day. Many Fortune 500 companies have an ongoing professional diversity training program to help build positive and mutually beneficial relations between management, employees and customers. Sears should do no less and a Union will show them how to be a better company employees as well as customers.
Benefit #17
Safety Inspections
Sears will allow the Union Safety representative to inspect the facility at any time, without notice, to protect the health and safety of all workers.
Comments:
Sears consistently puts employees' health and safety at risk. Last year they wouldn't fix an unsafe forklift just to save money. Then they wouldn't fix the zone heating system, which is what causes the second floor to be extremely hot while the warehouse is freezing cold. They have tried to use the cheap way out by using a very dangerous torch propane heater in the warehouse next to cardboard boxes making the warehouse a tinderbox, ready to go up in flames if a box gets to close to the heater. This is likely a flagrant violation of fire codes, but Sears uses the cheap way out at the risk of harming employees. This rule will ensure that Sears does not violate fire and safety codes as they may be currently doing.
Benefit #18
Vacation Restriction Notices
Sears will post the dates of the seasonal vacation restrictions (i.e., Thanksgiving and Christmas), six months in advance. Sears will not introduce any new vacation restrictions without the approval of the Union.
Comments:
Last year Sears abruptly announced a no-vacation policy. With this rule they will give employees advance notice so we can plan for our lives, without interruption.
Benefit #19
Employees' Review of Management
Sears will invite all employees to participate in an annual review of the Store Manager, all Managers, Assistant Managers, Leads and Asset Protection Employees. Upon consultation between the Union and Sears, a Personnel Performance Review Program will be selected from The Society of Human Resource Managers, (SHRM). This Performance Review will be mailed to each employee's home. Included in the mailing will be a self-addressed return mail envelope with postage attached, for a convenient mailing back to a third party evaluator. No signatures or identification will be required, or allowed, except for the identification of the employees' respective department. These statistically significant evaluations will be considered relevant and necessary to the annual evaluation of each Manager, Assistant Manager, Lead and Asset Protection employees.
Comments:
In many healthy companies the employees get to evaluate the managers and Sears should be no different. Managers should be responsive to the employees so that employees can get rid of bad managers.
Benefit #20
Shift Premium Benefit
There will be a shift premium for those employees who are required to work between the hours of 10:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. These employees will be paid an additional $1.00 per hour for any portion of those hours worked.
Comments:
Those employees who have to stay late or come to work early should be compensated for the disruption of their lives. Almost all companies provide this benefit to employees and under this rule Sears will too.
Benefit #21
Sales Associates Will Not Stock, Clean, or Assemble
Sales Associates cannot be required to assemble products or equipment, clean equipment or floors, or participate in any activity that is not directly related to the function of selling. Nor can Sales Associates be required to assemble products off premises in customers' homes.
Comments:
Sears tries to cut expenses by using sales staff as assemblers, stockers and janitors. That puts others out of jobs as is happening now in all areas of the store while Sears profits are good.
Benefit #22
No Interference with Associates Income
Sears will not deny the right of employees within their divisions to sell all products within that division at any time, and under any circumstance. Nor will Sears import sales staff from one division to another without the written consent of the Union.
Comments:
This rule is the result of the Sears Chain Saw Massacre, where many employees lost hundreds of dollars in income because the store manager put his own year-end bonus above the livelihood of employees.
Benefit #23
Sixty Days Notice for Any Layoffs
Sears will give at least 60 days notice to any employee before reducing those employees' hours more than 10 weekly hours in any consecutive three-month period.
Comments:
No matter that Sears #1805 sales were very good for 2002 they severely cut part-time and seasonal employees after the new year. Sears takes advantage of these employees by not being candid about their end date. This rule will force Sears to be more honest with part-time and seasonal employees thereby enabling employees to plan for their future.
Benefit #24
Year's End Bonuses
All employees who have been with the company six months and who also receive a satisfactory Performance Review will participate in the success of the store by receiving a year-end bonus. The store must first meet its projected sales goals and those goals will be analyzed by the Union for authenticity. The bonus will be .01% of the employee's income for the calendar year. For example, an employee who now makes $7.50 per hour ($9.00 with a Union) or approximately $15,000 per year, would receive about $150.00 in a bonus, paid on or about December 20th. Employees who have been with the store less than six months, but more than 30 days, will receive a bonus of $50.00.
Comments:
According to the Store Manager, #1805 had a good year. Did you share in it? You did not! Many companies give their employees a bonus if the company has a good year. Not Sears, they only give bonuses to the Managers and the CEO, who made about $25 million last year. If he can get a bonus, so should you.
Benefit #25
Employee Incentive Programs
(Examples only) Employees who have perfect attendance for every three-month period would receive an extra $30.00, and an extra $50.00 per year for an entire year of perfect attendance. Employees who write-up five Sears' MasterCard's per week will receive a free lunch at Belk the following week. Employees who get 30% of their sales per week to be charged to a Sears or Sears MasterCard will receive an extra $50.00 per week of Sears' Bucks. These Sears' Bucks will be able to be spent in the store for any products just like a Gift Card.
Comments:
Benefit #26
Sales Bonuses for Commission Sales Associates
When commission sales associates achieve their sales goals, they will receive an additional commission bonus from .005% to 1.5% on the total sales volume. Bonuses would be paid quarterly within 15 days of the end of the quarter. For example, an associate who sells $75,000 per quarter could receive another $1,125 as a bonus for that quarter. This is in addition to a merit raises and a cost of living raise. The Union, working with relevant sales data and historical sales data provided by Sears, will work with Sears to create reasonable and fair sales goals.
Comments:
Every successful sales incentive program ever devised rewards people who achieve their sales goals. These rewards programs are actually good for the company because sales people are driven by greater rewards for effort. Many companies give away free vacations trips, extra cash, etc. The American capitalist system of rewards for effort, is practiced at thousands of companies every day.
Benefit #27
No More "I Know It Warnings"
Sears will no longer have "I Know It," or "I Know It Warnings." The Union will work with Sears to develop an effective training program that is more positive.
Comments:
Very few companies inflict this demeaning and rude action on their employees. Recently a very responsible long time employee left a couple of checks in the drawer at the close of the day, by accident. Most companies would have recognized that this was a simply an accident and would just remind the responsible employee to be more careful next time. Not Sears. They wrote up the employee with the "termination warning" included. Professional companies who respect their employees never do this stuff.
Benefit #28
Dress Code Protection
Sears will not make any changes in the dress code without the specific written agreement of the Union, in voting by the affected employees. Any uniforms etc. shall be at the expense of Sears and Sears shall provide at least three items of wear to each employee.
Comments:
Rumor has it that Sears may soon require Brand Central employees to wear shirts like those worn in Home Improvement and Circuit City. This rule will require Sears to discuss any dress change with the affected employees and obtain employee consensus before any changes are made.
Benefit #29
Elimination of Code 75 Issue and Charges
Sears shall insert into the software of the cash register system, a "return/exchange manager's approval code restriction" for any return/exchange of more than $100.00. After inserting this restriction, Sears shall no longer be able to confront or demand any explanation for return exchanges that might result in punishment of the employee.
Comments:
Did you know that if you don't have a receipt when you exchange a purchase for a customer, you run the risk of being charged with theft, attempting to receive a double commission on the original purchase and the exchange. This is unknown by most employees yet Sears fired an honest young man in Electronics, threatened another and suspended the Co-Chair of the EUOC, all for this infraction. The Asset Protection Manager told these employees that if they would just admit the admit the infraction Sears will work it out with them even though all of these employees denied ever doing this intentionally.. Most all retail stores insert this self-protection into the software, but not Sears. Sears uses this to threaten and fire those they no longer want as employees. This type of firing could result in your inability to receive unemployment compensation and destroy your employability at other companies even though you were innocent of any intent to defraud Sears. Only a Union can stop this terrible threat to your reputation and employability.
Benefit #30
Inclement Weather Store Closing Policy
Whenever the Governor of North Carolina declares a Public Emergency due to inclement weather, as happened during this last winter, Sears shall close and not re-open until the Public Emergency is removed. Sears shall pay all those employees who are scheduled to work during such emergency.
Comments:
Sears stayed open during the ice storms and put many employees at risk by expecting the employees to report to work. Sears also stayed open long after many other Mall stores had closed and sent their employees home. Sears has no balance when considering the safety of their employees so we shall force them not to endanger our lives. Many other stores have the above policy and pay their employees when the store is not able to open.
|
|