Interesting union policy

[Astro14]

I'm not sure. I assumed that the union were the ones to determine how and what health insurance the employees would get.

Some unions are inept, and don’t fight policies like this. They may have accepted the company cost-saving on this issue without realizing what they had allowed. The union is there to represent and to provide informed negotiations on the behalf of employees.

Doesn’t mean that they are good at it, or that they get everything they want.

 

[Vil_Riker]

If she didn't use PTO or other paid time for those sick days then she is technically a part time employee. The DOL regulations allow companies to not provide benefits to part-time employees if they choose to do so. The grocery store has a very aggressive policy that I think is determined by the type of employment it provides. Usually the union would negotiate better terms with the employer for such HR policy but it seems they have not been successful in doing so.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

I thought health insurance was by the month

 

[Hall]

They have health insurance but if you work less than 32 hours on a week then you do not get health insurance for that week. So with her being sick two work days so far this week (four in total so far), she does not get health insurance this week so she cannot see the doctor.

Like others have said, almost no way this is accurate. There must be some misunderstanding here. They still withhold her portion of the insurance premium ? Being unionized, you're saying she doesn't get sick days ? I'm not a fan of unions, but what benefit do they provide the workers at this place ?

I understand why some places don't offer insurance to part-time employees and I wonder if it's similar thinking.... That is, no insurance carrier offers "part-time" coverage or payments so in some cases (with lower pay and low # of hours), the employee's paycheck could be negative or $0 or very small amount after deductions (with insurance probably being the highest).

 

[Vil_Riker]

Can she get health coverage on the ACA marketplace?

 

[Pew]

Like others have said, almost no way this is accurate. There must be some misunderstanding here. They still withhold her portion of the insurance premium ? Being unionized, you're saying she doesn't get sick days ? I'm not a fan of unions, but what benefit do they provide the workers at this place ?

I understand why some places don't offer insurance to part-time employees and I wonder if it's similar thinking.... That is, no insurance carrier offers "part-time" coverage or payments so in some cases (with lower pay and low # of hours), the employee's paycheck could be negative or $0 or very small amount after deductions (with insurance probably being the highest).

No, to be a full-time employee you need to reapply again to the main Jewel-Osco and they can move you to any store within 50 miles of your house as they chose.

Can she get health coverage on the ACA marketplace?

I'm not sure, it's almost min wage there so I don't know if she makes too much for decent ACA payments but I'm not 100% sure on how ACA works for someone who works 40 hours at min wage.

 

[97prizm]

I had a union at Safeway an NEVER again will I work a union job because of it

They promised health care after four months then changed it to a year.

 

[Hall]

I'm not sure, it's almost min wage there so I don't know if she makes too much for decent ACA payments but I'm not 100% sure on how ACA works for someone who works 40 hours at min wage.

Absolutely anyone (based on income) can buy coverage through ACA.

 

[Pew]

Alrighty so she said the insurance goes every 6 months so unless she makes up the 14 hours she missed on Sunday and Monday on her next next 3 days, she'll get dropped in April for 6 months.

Employees need minimum 30 hours a week for the health insurance. If you're out sick for the entire week, you get dropped next renewal.

So basically she has to go to work tomorrow, Friday, and Saturday for an extra 4-5 hours, working sick in a grocery store for health insurance.

They promised health care after four months then changed it to a year.

That's ridiculous. Then the companies play the "Everyone is lazy, no one wants to work" card.

Absolutely anyone (based on income) can buy coverage through ACA.

Thanks, I'll check up on the ACA stuff. It'll be good knowledge to know anyways.

 

[Owen Lucas]

I'd like to see the cars the union officials are pulling up to in their offices. Sure, some unions are good, but IMHO that might be the exception.

Maybe it's just me, but I get the vibe that some unions are more about protecting managements pocket and some of these employees are less concerned about product quality and more focused on benefit maxing and getting time off.

Seems like a racket in some cases.

And in OPs case, isn't it about protecting the employee? They had to go out of their way to secure an insurance policy that covers week by week.

 

[Pew]

I'd like to see the cars the union officials are pulling up to in their offices. Sure, some unions are good, but IMHO that might be the exception.

Maybe it's just me, but I get the vibe that some unions are more about protecting managements pocket and some of these employees are less concerned about product quality and more focused on benefit maxing and getting time off.

Seems like a racket in some cases.

And in OPs case, isn't it about protecting the employee? They had to go out of their way to secure an insurance policy that covers week by week.

That's a good question about the cars lol. They don't do much either from what I hear. The meat department manager is harassed by the store director because he parked in her non-assigned parking spot but the union won't do anything about it.

Of course, not all unions are bad. I'm not for or against them - there's too much variance between locals and I don't know much about them. UPS teamsters for example, has a crazy awesome benefits. Some other ones like my local labor union have to carry the tools of other lazy higher-up union members.

Im fuming about this though. Absolutely furious.

 

[Vercingetorix]

They have to offer COBRA. I seriously doubt they go weekly because COBRA would be nightmare to do weekly for any insurer.

 

[GW.]

So, is this something the Union negotiated? Or something the company imposed? I’m not certain that this is a union issue, as much as a company issue.

Exactly. Sounds like a company policy as 32 hours is not considered full time. Not something that would be negotiated in a union contract and I can’t imagine it getting voted in by its members.

I worked union for 30 years. There’s good and bad just like anything.

 

[Pew]

They have to offer COBRA. I seriously doubt they go weekly because COBRA would be nightmare to do weekly for any insurer.

Cobra can be crazy expensive though, she'll be on the hook for the entire premium plus some. Last time i saw a cobra policy back in 2016, an employee would have been on the hook from $150/month to like $350.

So overall it's probably not a union policy as much as it's a company policy but the situation still sucks

 

[Arc]

In a union there is no incentive to do anything more than the least productive member because the pay is the same. If you are an employer be careful what information you give out even concerning health insurance because it is against the law for an employer to tell the union employee anything concerning union practices.

 

[Hall]

Employees need minimum 30 hours a week for the health insurance. If you're out sick for the entire week, you get dropped next renewal.

So basically she has to go to work tomorrow, Friday, and Saturday for an extra 4-5 hours, working sick in a grocery store for health insurance.

That makes more sense. Part-time employees don't get medical insurance and they base it on the previous 6 months.

Thanks, I'll check up on the ACA stuff. It'll be good knowledge to know anyways.

Just for fun, see what it will cost. Be prepared for shock especially since the add'l subsidies are gone now.

Last time i saw a cobra policy back in 2016, an employee would have been on the hook from $150/month to like $350.

If anyone was offered $150-350/month for insurance today, snatch it immediately !! That's a bargain !!

 

[skyactiv]

In a union there is no incentive to do anything more than the least productive member because the pay is the same. If you are an employer be careful what information you give out even concerning health insurance because it is against the law for an employer to tell the union employee anything concerning union practices.

You won’t last long at UPS if you’re slow and lazy.

 

[Arc]

You won’t last long at UPS if you’re slow and lazy.

I wish the ibew had been that way.

 

[Hall]

You won’t last long at UPS if you’re slow and lazy.

You rarely see out-of-shape UPS drivers !

 

[K-Man]

When I worked as a state correctional officer, one year the state had a shortfall and required most employees to take a certain number of unpaid days. Correctional officers were exempted because prisons always had shortages of them, but before that was made final the discussion was of officers taking one unpaid day per week until the number of days was met.

It turned out that under the contract with the medical-insurance provider, institutions with large numbers of officers working 8–hour days could lose insurance for those weeks in which most officers were part-time, that is, paid for fewer than 40 hours (with or without leave). That helped kill the idea of furloughing officers one day per week, and this was before the ACA passed.