Class Action - Chinese OT

Joined: 05 Mar 2004 Posts: 11 Location: Indiana

I am a former (though recent) employee of Lowe's and I decided to leave when they offered me a DM position after only being there for a few months. I realized that I would be the lowest paid DM in the store if I took it, and that it would be much better financially to take my time getting there, so I could experience a few pay increases, become a specialist, then go for DM; i.e., play the game right so when I became a DM my salary wouldn't be a joke, for that position of responsibility.

I also didn't like the way the "overtime" was calculated, but it had been made known to me during my new hire orientation, even though at that time it meant nothing to me. Our store seems to be like all the others. The management wants to save as much as possible on payroll so they terribly understaff the departments.

It disgusted me to see customers get frustrated and walk out when we couldn't serve them quickly enough. I could argue our society has become very spoiled but that doesn't help the overall problem of poor or inadequate service.

My generation was taught to work hard and be proud of having productive work. So I went beyond what I had to because I thought it was the right thing to do.

The point of all this is that it is a tragedy to see the values of our country changing in such a downward direction where the end result is mistreatment of very good people. Management talks one thing and enforces another as if to say "The floggings will continue until morale improves."

I believe Lowe's is a great company and I would rather shop there than at their main competitor. But I'm really getting upset that it takes so much out of good people to accept employment there. I honestly believe if they could figure out a way to outsource the workers to another country they would. They don't seem to appreciate their employees and this is going to bite them hard someday.

I've never belonged to a union and as such tend to not believe in them but in the case of Lowe's I'm prone to changing my mind. They need representation now for the same reason the slaughter houses needed it in the 1920's - unfair and sometimes illegal exploitation of their workforce.

This variable overtime pay scale is cruel and unjust. I'm an old Army field artillery sergeant and if I ever treated my men the way Lowe's treats their employees (in general), I would be quickly disposed of, most likely by my men.

I can't be a part of the class action lawsuit because I never drew overtime or worked in the capacity of a manager, but you can bet I support it.

Joined: 05 Mar 2004 Posts: 11 Location: Indiana

Reply to Cabinetman:

Although I can't personally join the fight for back pay due me, I have already begun alerting a lot of people at the two Lowe's stores in our town, and I will continue to provide help and support to any current or former Lowe's employees as requested.

Joined: 08 Jul 2003 Posts: 214

OldWorkEthic,

Welcome to the board, you have some very good replys and I've enjoyed reading them. I think we both see whats happening in this Country, I just hope enough people will see it and demand changes before it's to late. Too many people leave things up to someone else to do, they don't want to get involved, they have to go out and have a good time, I hope they don't wake up one day and look around and say why didn't I see this happening, why didn't I get involved when I had a chance to make a difference? I'm only a few years away from retirement (unless they keep raising the age) and I've been asked why I worry about it so much, but just because someone may retire doesn't mean you should stop worrying about your Country. What about my Children & my Grand Children, when my Grand Children enter the work force (if there is one) will they be saying, do you want fries with that order, or will they be able to get a decent job? Not cutting down people who work at fast food places alot of people started out there, but it was a stepping stone to get work experience to move on to bigger & better jobs, now theres no where else to move to thats much better.
We've both been in the workforce a long time, I can look back and I'm sure you'll agree, 30 years ago the people of this Country would never let things that are happening in this Country happen, they would stand together and fight. Made in America used to be a proud symbol of this Country, when is the last time you heard it, it used to be Wal-Mart's biggest Ad, haven't heard them say it in years. It's gonna be hard for people to start asking for American made and spend more for it, but it's something we all need to start doing.

Joined: 05 Mar 2004 Posts: 11 Location: Indiana

I too enjoy your comments Cabinetman. I think we also need more people who understand what it might take to force the revolution. For my children to have a better life I have to be willing to give up mine and due to my age and the way I was raised, that's perfectly acceptable to me. It's sad that we have let our greed drag us down as we have but we still have the power to change it all, as long as we are willing to give the needed sacrifice. This isn't any new philosophy. What is new will be when we wake up and get moving back in the right direction. I hope anyway.

Joined: 08 Jul 2003 Posts: 214

OldWorkEthic,
I've talked about this subject before on this board & others and I was told I was to old fashion(thank goodness) and things change and I need to change with them. I say if it's not broke don't try to fix it. If you have a good work force with product knowledge and high morale you'll have the customers & the sales, but they think that they can get more out of employees if theres no morale and if we always fear for our jobs. I say to them that it's their turn to except change because the employees have just about lost everything they can, it's like they say about wild animals, they'll take alot from you until they're backed into a corner and then they'll fight back. I've been told by Management before that if I couldn't say something good about the Company don't say anything, and then there's the all time favorite out of their play book, if you don't like it you don't have to work here. And then there's the write-ups, the more they can get in your folder the less chance you'll have of drawing unemployment when they decide it's time for you to go. In the old days Management would talk to an employee and work things out (that was real Management)they don't won't to deal with that anymore so they just do the write-up. They don't care about experience anymore, it cost to much money, if you're a long time worker so what if you quit, they can hire someone for half what you make & have more bottom line bonus money. I guess the one thing that gets to me the most though is the people who come on these boards and say that Lowe's is not and doesn't have to be a democracy and that we have no rights in the work place, I say nuts to these people and they should go live somewhere else if they don't believe in a democracy.
Getting back to the main topic of this post about overtime, I joined the Lawsuit from the start, not to try and hurt the Company, but if the Company owes me money I want it. We've been told by people on this board & others that we are wrong, that we should just leave it alone and forget it. Right or wrong we have a right to know the truth, so I plan to be in it to the end. I know that it's likely that Lowe's will try to find a way to get rid of people involved in the suit if they can find out, that's why alot of employees haven't joined. But you being a War Veteran like I am also, we know that even though we hope it want happen that we can never go into battle without the possibility of losses.

Joined: 05 Mar 2004 Posts: 11 Location: Indiana

Old fashioned is good, but then I'm old fashioned too. I remember as a kid going into town (only 5,000 people in that town then) and watching my dad transact business with a handshake. I asked him once if he was worried that the other man would try to cheat him. I was only about 6 or 7 at the time. He said he wasn't worried at all and as far as I know he never really got stiffed. I do know today that if I shake my father's hand and say I will do something I had better not default on the agreement. That kind of old fashioned way of thinking works for me.

In the military back 35 years ago I could tell the captain he could "consider it done" when he told me to do something and he knew I'd either do it or die trying. These days you won't generally find anyone who has that much respect in their word.

The stockholders put enormous pressure on the CEO and his/her staff, who then pass it down the line and everyone is unhappy. The only way I can see this changing for the better is when we hit absolute bottom and have no where else but up to go. Unfortunately it will be my grand children that suffer the most from that and will have to rebuild the country to what it could and should be today.

I really think Lowe's is a great company and a good place to work. I have quite a bit of experience working for a lot of other companies. But it is an employer's market right now and with all the unjust pressure on management I guess I can't blame them for treating us the way they do. It could be better but I doubt if I will see it change in the rest of my working years.

Then again, I will probably have to work until I'm 75 to afford to retire! So maybe I will enjoy positive change.

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