MajorMojo, I believe maybe you're the one who needs to go to college as there is no way possible to have 350 people in line. I think you confused Woodmans with the Dmv. Nice counting job. Most of us working there are making more than people with college educations. We have wonderful benefits given to us and if stay more than 25 years will more and likely be a millionare, so lets see who the smart one now. A college degree is just a piece of paper does not prove how smart you are.

wsk,i agree,totally.but,he said he bought exp. products.hmm? check his post on march 18. you are right though, let the stores vote.

I think that everyone is getting off of the topic. Plainly put, there are enough employees in the four affected stores that would like to vote on whether or not to keep the union. The union decide to fight this decision. Phil says that it's our choice. The NRLB has yet to decide on if we can or cannot have an election. The union should have just let us vote. It has now lost many people that used to support it. The vote will happen, it is just a matter of when. Meanwhile, the situation at work is tense. I'm blaming the union. If they had just allowed the vote to happen, this issue would be done with by now (either for or against).

I do use the self serve line IF I HAVE LESS THAN 20 ITEMS. And yes, I do check the dates and the last two times, the products were well within their expiration date and Woodman's would NOT give me a refund. And yes, the steaks at Logli are increddible and well worth the money, thanks for caring.

majormojo,check the dates when you shop.would you buy a new car with a flat tire.350 people standing in line? wow,never seen that before.and you were 350 or 351? a college grad. probally would of used the self fast lanes,instead of waiting.hope you enjoyed those logli steaks.you probally paid double the price.p.s. save a little $ next time and go to prime quarter.or better hire a chef.

and another thing. Why doesn't Woodman's stand behind its products? Three times in the last month I have purchased rotten expired food there and they would not give me my money back. I now go to Logli's because the steaks there are awsome (as well as the seafood). Woodman, take a look at Logli's and take a few notes at what a real meat department and seafood department looks like.

I feel that ALL Woodman's employees should be required to have a college degree, even the floor scrubber guys, the baggers and the cart-go-getters. That way they can see that when there are the typical 350 people waiting in line on the south side check out that they need to call for help.

"P.S to all Woodmans employees, Get the crap out of the isles!!! How am I supposed to shop and spend my money there to pay your salaries when you leave those big cardboard carts and pallets all over?"

Hard to keep the aisles clean when the cardboard clerks and stockers are bagging and checking because there are more customers and not enough checkers and baggers. Skeleton crew!

Who really cares about this? Ken Hendricks was worth billions and he was a good businessman, but yet when Phil builds his company he is just greedy? Every time I go to Woodmans it is always the same. A bunch of young kids checking and bagging talking about "where there getting drunk tonight" and not even saying hello. These are the people I'm supposed to care about? Get real!! P.S to all Woodmans employees, Get the crap out of the isles!!! How am I supposed to shop and spend my money there to pay your salaries when you leave those big cardboard carts and pallets all over?

i have to say i don't know a lot about the madison stores. i am talking about janesville. a few of the supervisors there are educated, but the managers are not. at all. i know common sense means more than education, but to be a manager requires a certain amount of knowledge and skill when it comes to employee relations and other areas. they are sorely lacking in that area. while seniority is a basis for promotion and should be, education would also be helpful.

"Education is not a substitution for common sense."
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Boy, is that an understatement.

Responding to tbs123: Madison is a degree heavy town. Most of the supervisors have some form of college and many have degrees (Associates and Bachelors). Most of the employees have at least one year of college or more. Education is not a substitution for common sense.

yes yes yes supervisors fire people all the time, and also "write people up". and it's also true that management does not do the hiring. is there even an HR department at woodmans??? the answer to that is no. I was once talking to one of the 2nd shift managers about HR and he didn't even know what that meant. woodmans had the right idea at one time about baggers becoming managers, but nowadays, it would be nice if some of the management had a little education. no one in power there has more than a high school diploma. i know that for a fact. at woodmans it is all about who you know and who likes you. if you aren't the little lap dog they want then they will find a way to get rid of you.

Actually my point was to all of the whining employees that currently work at Woodman’s. If this is such a horrible place to work, quit and go work somewhere else. Most people stay because of the pay and the benefits… the same reason non-Woodman employees stay in their jobs. If jobs were wonderful all of the time, they wouldn’t be called work. As to the union … I’ve never had the need to file a grievance so I cannot state first hand as to how these are handled. I have taken problems to immediate supervisors, the store manager, and corporate and had situations resolved. (Before you read more into that statement, issues were taken to the party that could help with the situation, I've never had to go over anyone's head to 'the next level'.) I can say that the union’s actions (especially in the last few months) have caused me some concern. I feel that the union is purposely mis-leading people in a desperate attempt to keep these stores union.

6/12 Stores are non union? How the heck did this happen?

besides that woodworkerdude if you have been there for 19 yrs you know the whole truth about management. all they care about is getting a customer out and another one in there is no customer curtisoy unless you say hi have a nice day see ya!!!!! ifyou take any more time than that there goses your timings and guess what time for demotion to a bagger cause your checker timing fell below 30items so now you take a $6.00 dollar an hour pay cut because you gave a customer the time of day!!! So that mean you are punished because at woodmans minutes count customers don't and the employees eighter get demoted or they quit and thats what woodmans want QUANTY NOT QUALITY!!!!!!

you are wrong woodworkerdude woodmans supervisors do fire employees and also management do not do the hireing another union employee does the hiring. I know this cause i worked there for 10yr. and that is how it is done

Do supervisors (not managers) have the authority to discipline the employees in any way?
If so, there's a union conflict.

I kinda agree with wsk in a way. If you don't work for Woodman's, why do you care if it's union or not? Not your problem! As far as the union only being present at contract time, that's not true. You may only "see" them at contract time, because that's when they come around to find out what we want to bargain for with contract negotiations. Any time an employee files a grievance, the union is there to represent them. Store managers are NOT union members. Supervisors are. The supervisor's job is to make sure the jobs are getting done properly and in a timely manner. Supervisors do not hire/fire anybody, only management does, that's why managers are not in the union. So, union members don't file grievances on their brothers. Grievances are filed against the company, not the other way around.

wsk - great substance, you really add to the conversation.
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America, Love It or Leave It.....huh?

My suggestion to all of the whiners that hate Woodman’s is to go somewhere else. Work somewhere else, shop somewhere else, whine somewhere else. I highly suspect that these people would complain no matter where they work. Is Woodman’s perfect, no, but then again what job is? Phil is in the store every week. The union only makes its presence known at contract time. All the union is doing right now is irritating people. The longer this drags out, the more people want the union gone.

woodworkdude - you did indeed bash GM workers with that senseless comment. AND, you are all already Phil's puppets, based on the worthless UFCW union you belong to.
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Many moons ago, I worked at Woodmans. I experienced that world of retail and the goons who Phil places in supervisor roles - Many of whom are still there, based on my last vist.
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Neither you, nor anyone else, has yet to respond to the simple question - How can management (a supervisor) be a dues paying member of the UFCW and then write grievances against their union brothers?
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If the UFCW is doing such a great job, then WHY would they allow this relationship to continue for decades?
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Perhaps as Wisco says, there is a logical answer to this riddle, but at the surface, it certainly flies in the face of nearly 100 years of labor - management relations.

No, when everyone shows up for work, there is product being put on the shelves, there aren't 5 or 6 people waiting in line with just a few checkout lanes going. I'm not in any way bashing GM employees whatsoever! They are a valuable assett. All I am saying is that they make more money relative to their "Workload" than retail workers do. By the way...GM is union...which is one reason they make the wages they do. Bottom line...without a unified workforce, we are Phil's puppets, we will live by his rules, or we will not be working there. I'm not saying we need to overthrow Phil, but just like our government, we need checks and balances to make things fair.

everyone should have to work in retail for about two weeks. not only do you have to do your job, but you also have to be pleasant and smile and take any crap the customers dish out because the customer is always right (supposedly). i know that it is not easy to be a factory worker, but there is much more to working in retail than people who have never done it may realize. let's all respect each other and not be so judgemental...

woodworkerdude says "There are no "extras" to cover call-ins or shortages, we just have to work harder to pick up the slack. We may make more money, but we work harder. We're not machine watchers working at GM for 30 bucks an hour!"

So I guess what your saying is that when everyone shows up you are really slacking then huh.
At GM the jobs need to be covered or the line does not run.

The union helps us negotiate a fair contract so that the wages are acceptable. I'll admit Woodman's employees are higher paid than most grocery stores, but we are also biger than the others. We also work on a skeleton crew. There are no "extras" to cover call-ins or shortages, we just have to work harder to pick up the slack. We may make more money, but we work harder. We're not machine watchers working at GM for 30 bucks an hour! As far as the union not being there for grievances, any employee who feels they have been mistreated simply needs to give their union rep a call. Local 1473 has hired more reps to be there for us. Our rep is Peter Singler, who is doing an awesome job. If you have a problem, call and he will be there. Phil's not stupid. He will do whatever he can to get what he wants, that's why we need to stick together. I am impressed with this hugely successful business he has built, but I think it may be getting a little out of hand. How big does he need to be?

How much turnover of employees does Woodman's have? If it's such a horrible place to work then there must be a lot of turnover. Maybe all the disgruntled employees could start their own grocery store and they themselves could become "ruthless greedy" businesspersons.

I can't attest to the "worthiness or unworthiness" of UFCW but I do know that the employees ARE the union. Whether they are up to the challenge of installing officers who will protect their' interest's is another question.
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As far as the supervisor / subordinate issue, I don't have all the details. But I do know there is case law that requires a separation. I'll have to defer the process to the legal gurus.

Well, perhaps the Gazette can look into the question of how can a member of management also be a union brother, and, how then, can a member of management write a grievance against a union brother?
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Wiscoheat didn't really give enougn detail in that answer.
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The UFCW union is 110% worthless to have not challenged that separation, if that is what was required. Actually, the UFCW is 110% worthless anyways. Do they even have a shop floor foreman in each Woodman's location?
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Maybe someone can answer this simple question....as tbs stated....what happens if you are not checking 30 items per minute, or you are stocking shelves too slow? What happens if the "supervisor" writes a grievance against your "slowness?" Is there a union rep present when that grievance is presented? Is there an ability to contest a grievance? Or, do those slips of paper simply accumulate in a personnel file until management either demotes or terminates an employee?

I have no problem with the successful businessman who got there honestly and with some integrity. I do, however, have an enormous problem with the successful business man who is rich because of all the little people he has stepped on to get to where he is. My case in point is Rick Wagoner. You look at what he has done and tell me if you could sleep at night doing what he has done. After reading about the Woodmans issues lately, I am really glad that I didn't decide to put in an application there back in high school as it sounds like I would have most likely hated it. I wish you all the best of luck in your situation.

As far as supervisors being in the same union as their subordinates that is only allowed if no one officially challenges it.
There is legal case-law that that prohibits it but it must be challenged legally.

this is my last comment for the day... Phil Woodman probably makes more in 10 minutes than the average worker there makes in a year. That is called corporate greed. and that is one of the huge issues in this election year. the wealth needs to be spread around a little bit to the people who do the grunt work. as long as those groceries are flung down the counter as fast as possible, that is what matters to the management and supervisors. because that's what feeds their bonuses. the managers there do not care about their workers except to put pressure on them to be productive. all to feed their six figure incomes.

Unions drive up prices but greedy businessmen Don't.
Just where is the logic in that one.

don't workers in retail deserve a living wage? i don't believe the new hires at woodman's are handed information on how to sign up for food stamps or medicaid. that is because their union has negotiated a living wage for them instead of leaving their livelihood dependent on state aid. the info for those things is handed out when you get hired at walmart. just because people work in retail doesn't mean they should be considered second class citizens. have you all tried to stock shelves and be timed by how many cases per hour you stock. or checked out groceries and been expected to check 30 items per minute or else be demoted to a bagger along with a $6 per hour pay cut after working there for many years. or how about chasing those carts in the parking lot... especially after this winter. All those workers are under a lot of pressure and deserve the wages they are paid.

What's the big deal? Unions in a retail environment do nothing except cost consumers in the pocket-book. We have a free market economy. Why should anyone get paid a ridiculous wage for being able to stock a shelf or chase carts in a parking lot? Whats wrong with a greedy businessman? It amazes me how the cowards criticize the successful businessman because he is successful. Last time I checked, most card-carrying union people do not have a financial stake in any venture except to suck it dry for every penny and then wonder why businesses want to always bust unions.

Think about it.

one more thing, i believe that the reason the supervisors were allowed in the union in the first place was so they could be covered by the union insurance. the insurance at woodmans is now a self funded insurance through the corporate office and has nothing to do with the union. i wonder why when that change took place they did not separate the supervisors from the union. anyone know the answer to that???

first of all Phil Woodman is a ruthless greedy businessman. he will do anything necessary to protect his bottomline... the almighty profit. it is true that all the supervisors are in the union and i never have understood that. it is a conflict of interest. i am sure that it will all come out that the drive to decertify the union was, if not started by management, then it was strongly supported by management. working there now is probably unbearable. i am soooooo glad that i left when i did. to all of you who are miserable...there is life after woodman's. the sooner you get out, the sooner you can start working to live instead of living to work.

Common, how tuff can Phil be? Have you seen those commercials?

Stewy writes: "I never understood why a employee owned business even has a union. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense." I've worked for Woodman's for 19 years now, and we are only employee-owned on paper. We have no say in anything. Nobody asked me if they could spend my hard-earned money on a "consultant". Without our union to be our voice and sit on our side, making sure things are fair, Phil will have TOTAL control. There would be no contract, no bargaining. What Phil wants, Phil will get and we won't have anything to do with it. The monthly dues are worth it to me to have a little security.

Shocky52 - that is a big issue I would think, that as you say every employee regardless of rank, pay union dues.
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How does that work, being both management (supervisor) and a union brother? If that is true, then how can a supervisor write a grievance against another employee? And where is the union shop steward among each store operations?

I never understood why a employee owned business even has a union. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

dear packerfan
As a spouse of a Woodmans employee, which is a supervisor, you should know that all the supervisors have been cleared of any so called charges that were so called union conspiracy theory. Second of all all the employees there regardless of rank are union. They all pay their fair share of dues. Most all the employees are pro union, but now I don't know. ALL THE talk now is split, due to that fact, the union started to subpoena all the employees to Madison just to play their little head games, scrutinize all there personal records, and for what. The union was never there when the employees needed them, but now there are crawling out of the woodwork. For what. fear of losing millions of dollars. I don't know why or what happened to you at Woodmans but you shouldn't print allegations that you stated without proof..

As A former employee of Woodmans; this is management driven. There are supervisors who are helping greatly too. Supervisors and management get a big bonuses to be Phils little LapDogs