Wow commie...where to start? Saying spot has done "nasty and underhanded" things is a little extreme. I mean it's like you truly believe they are just out to screw their employees over just for the fun of it, or maybe you think it's that evil "big corporate greed!!'" Give me a break! Healthcare skyrocketed several years back. Most health care providers increased the cost of care by as much as 400%! Much of it came out when obamacare passed the senate almost 4 years ago. So when ALL insurance companies raised their costs by such an asinine amount, what do you think the companies did in return!?!? You guessed it, raised the cost to us to compensate for the loss. And believe me this was across the board. At that time I worked for another company, a small privately owned company and we all took the same hit. I was also in the medical field at that time and gained quite a bit of business knowledge about how it was effecting the private sector. Long story short, that was everyone but the govt that got hurt by that situation.
"Expand to Canada by cutting our hours" Hahahaha....ignorance is bliss. Have you reviewed your stores, districts, groups, regions, or companies payroll forecast vs last year? I can answer that for you....no! Hours are tight yes, but all very comparable to the year before. We are all expected to be more productive each year, that's just setting wise business expectations. Canada has nothing to do with our hours. I guarantee the Canadian market is going to do amazing and it was an extremely wise business choice. No rewards in business come without risk.
If all of your TLs have degrees they should push the envelope and strive towards getting promoted if that's what they would like to do. That in no way has anything to do with you"glee" ETLs. In my experience with spot, there is no mold to an ETL. I have seen them in every shape, age, gender, race, and sexual orientation.
Anything else I can help you understand today?? 🙂
Can we start without the condescension?
I'm willing to apologize for my hyperbole and tendency to assume people are familiar with Spots poor history of treatment of its employees.
I suspect that this post will be tl;dr for most or at the very least easy to misinterpret by fast skimming but I'll do my best to keep it simple.
When I made the comment about the nasty and underhanded methods Spot used against its TM's, I was referring to The methods they used against the store that was trying to organize an union.
A judge agreed that what they did was illegal and told Spot there had to be another vote so they closed the store.
Here is a thread and blog on the subject.
http://www.thebreakroom.org/showthr...nion-election-at-Target?highlight=union+judge
http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/...m_store_closed_ahead_of_unionization_vote.php
As to the cutting of health benefits; lets be honest, the cost of health care and insurance has been a scandal for more than 20 years.
People have been trying to fix the problems with a system that is basically broken.
The POTUS managed to fix a few of the problems but only a few and the continued rising costs have nothing to do with those efforts, they are part of the constant rise that are mapped out over the past.
As someone who has a long term medical issue it would be impossible for me to live without medical insurance and I'm lucky that my wife is in a union with good benefits.
However for the TM's who have to depend Spot for their insurance have been screwed.
The traditional health insurance was cut out completely.
Leaving only what amounts to savings accounts which are offered by my wife's union as side accounts -- backup to the main insurance for things that aren't covered.
What they are not, is insurance.
We have discussed, in many threads, how Target has multiple TM's with children on Medicade (and in some cases food stamps).
There is something wrong when taxpayers get to support Spots ability to pay their TM's peanuts.
What I was talking about in the expansion to Canada was the worst kind of hyperbole to make a point, mea culpa.
What I really should have said was ...
Spot should be investing in making Target the main shopping destination of US before it tries dominate other countries.
The shopping destination part is even one of the companies mission statements and dominating another country is very much at the expense of their employees.
They are using the same union busting techniques in Canada that they used here.
If they put that money to good use in our stores, filled the sales floor with people, gave us the hours to accomplish the tasks assigned and help the guests fully and completely, those surveys would be green on a consistent basis.
Last but not least, talking about advancement.
The thing I was getting at is; right now we have a number of new ETL's, as each one introduced themselves they said, "I've been with the company four/five years."
Pretty impressive, eh!
Getting to be a big boss and making all that money so fast?
Well everyone started out as an intern and went straight into being a STL or ETL.
The only ones who didn't are AP but it seems like they are a little more careful about the training for those guys.
All of the cool, smart, hard working, diverse, middle aged, college educated, non glee club TL's have been with the company much longer and don't lack drive in the slightest but I know they are going to be moving on to other (and better jobs) because the chances of their getting promoted are so slim (as my granpa used to say) they could slide down the chimney without getting dirty.
Their are people here who really liked working for the company back in the day which is why they are so disgusted and frustrated now.
Their are people here who because of the economy have to work at a job that is below their skill level but they will still do their very best.
Their are people here who moved on after getting burned one too many times.
And their are people here who are new and really love their jobs.
We don't want to discourage that freshness and innocence but do encourage a bit of a reality check.