Workers Want Unions but The Union Leaders Refuse to Take up The Challenge: Working Non Union is No Gravy Train

Let's get 'em

I just returned from my friendly COSTCO store.  I am always somewhat stunned by the amount of food in these huge warehouses and it makes me think about those billion or so people that are starving every day even those who go hungry here in the United States where so much food is wasted.  At COSTCO they always have these little stands where you can get samples of the different types of foods and drinks they sell.  Quite often, the people standing at these stalls, and they're always standing, are older people.

I have a thing about standing up in these work situations where the work is not interrupted if someone wants to sit for a while to rest their feet; it reflects the real way the bosses look at people.  I always ask the person working there about it. I do this because I used to get fed up with paid Union officials and Labor "experts" telling me all the time how American workers need educating about Unions, how they need to take "baby steps" etc. etc. which was really an excuse for the failure of the Union leaders to organize them.  I was in Cleveland airport after a conference and had had such a discussion with a Union official earlier so as I bought a paper from such a stall I asked the woman manning it (that's odd, a woman "manning" a station, but that's the problem with gender language I suppose), anyway, I bought a paper from the woman womanning it and asked her if she was Unionized knowing she wasn't.  She was very favorable and I asked her would she like to sit down once and a while and she said they (the bosses) don't want us sitting down. 

I mentioned that I'd just come from a Union conference (actually it was the founding conference of Tony Mazzochi's Labor Party)

"If you had a Union", I commented, "It would be a little easier for you to fight to get a stool to sit on once in a while."

"If the Union can get me a stool, sign me up" she said.

It's not as simple as that of course but it nearly always confirms that most workers support a Union especially if it produces the goods, which is why we fought to build them in the first place. This is all the "educating" workers need and we pretty much all have a better sense of the importance of solidarity than most paid officials.

Anyway, I get to to one of these folks at COSTCO after sampling her wares.

She is is an older Asian woman serving up some goodies. 

"Can't you get a stool to sit on" I ask her as I woof down the treats.

"No sit" she replies in broken English, "Get fired if sit"

I steamed in to the boss about this and what rotten bastards they are.

" No drink water here" she adds, "Get in big trouble"  She explained that she was not allowed to drink water at her station. She could only drink on her break.  I am always careful in these situations and glanced around me to see who was about. She was restocking her treats and there was only one other customer in the vicinity so I talked a bit more about the nature of the boss and how they treat workers.

She opened up again about the toilet, they have to get permission, "can't leave".
"What if you have to go real bad?" I ask.  She tells me she has to shut down everything and put it away.

It turns out that COSTCO has a separate company that deals with this aspect of their business called Warehouse Demo Services.  So they contract it out basically.  This is just another way to farm out profit and make exploitation of workers easier. And while COSTCO does pay better benefits and wages than WalMart for example, they're all bad.  And for workers, Unionizing is not just about pay, it's about power in the workplace and some control over our work lives.  It offers us at very least a structure for fighting back against the boss although, this also is getting harder the more cooperation the bosses receive from the Union hierarchy.  I have a friend who is a strong shop steward and she told me she got a call from the Union office complaining that the boss had called down there saying she was not being cooperative enough.  She was fighting too hard for her members; wasn't being a good "team" member.

This is what you get when you check out WDS's employment page:

"Join our WDS team!


Warehouse Demo Services is the exclusive Product Demonstration company for Costco in the Northwest, Bay Area and Los Angeles Regions. We employ, train and equip energetic, friendly men and women to offer free trial samples of Costco products to Costco members as they shop.


WDS offers great jobs and wonderful career opportunities. We’re hiring Demonstrators right now to present world class products to Costco shoppers. You’ll work in an exciting, enjoyable environment with a flexible, part-time schedule. Opportunities are immediately available.


If you’re a people person and interested in a stimulating job with good pay, find out more now."

Sounds like heaven doesn't it.  I remember being in my bosse's office at work one time and he had left for a moment. There was this book by an organizational psychologist (spin doctor) on his desk on his desk  and I grabbed it and came across this statement:

"If you're going to strive to motivate workers through autonomy and empowerment, it's important to remember that the primary burden is to make sure employees believe what you say. Don't tell them you want them to be empowered to increase the company's profits.  Tel them you want them to be empowered because it's the best way to remain competitive and guarantee everyone their jobs." Carl Robinson, Vice President, Organizational Psychologists.

There you have it. The difference between objective reality and the massive propaganda is unhealthy for us no doubt. It makes us sick.  Lie they must, but in the last analysis objective reality reigns----consciousness has a material base.

There's going to be some crap hit the fan in this country in the times ahead.