Slog
News & ArtsThursday, November 10, 2011
Election Costco Will Consider Hiring Former State Liquor Store Employees (But if They Want to Stay in Their Union... Maybe Not So Much)
Posted by Eli Sanders on Thu, Nov 10, 2011 at 1:25 PM
Nine hundred people are set to lose their jobs at state liquor stores as a result of I-1183's passage—which sucks in this economy.
Now Costco, which paid more than $20 million to push them out of their jobs, says it will consider them for employment in its new spirits business.
With one big caveat: People who want to stay in the liquor store employees' union may not fare very well in Costco's hiring process, Costcto Chief Legal Officer Joel Benoliel told the Seattle Times today:
Benoliel... noted that workers who want to keep their affiliation with their union, which also represents grocery store workers, might be better off seeking work at other chains. Costco is nonunion.
3
I love they way lawyers don't come right out and say they won´t hire union people just that they might want to go elsewhere. Almost an unfair labor practice, illegal discrimination based on union membership, but not quite
5
How much does Costco pay? As state employees, they were making a living wage, and getting benefits. I hear Costco is a pretty decent place to work, as far as corporate drudgery goes, but don't know any specifics.
6
@ 3, that's one way to spin it. I read it as a reminder that Costco isn't unionized.
I applied for a job at Costco once. You had to take one of those online psychological tests, where they asked you what you would do if you found a $100 bill in the parking lot and no one was in sight who seemed to be missing it. You also had to agree to drug tests. And, they're looking for really positive people. Based on what I recall from my WSLB store experiences, most of their employees will be filtered out by this process.
I applied for a job at Costco once. You had to take one of those online psychological tests, where they asked you what you would do if you found a $100 bill in the parking lot and no one was in sight who seemed to be missing it. You also had to agree to drug tests. And, they're looking for really positive people. Based on what I recall from my WSLB store experiences, most of their employees will be filtered out by this process.
7
@ 5, Costco employees can make $30-40k, from what I recall. Their employee compensation has been criticized by Wall Street analysts because that money could go toward profits (and therefore shareholders). It's definitely not typical for corporate retail.
Granted, they're still horrible bad corporate citizens, according to some people on Slog...
Granted, they're still horrible bad corporate citizens, according to some people on Slog...
8
@6: i don't disagree with the first half of your comment, but why should people who are bad at interacting with people have a retail job? they can still be stockpersons, and costco has those. i've had some good experiences at WA liquor stores, but also a lot of bad ones. No bad experiences that i can remember at costco, though.
9
@ 5 Costco has always been known to offer living wages and affordable benefits to its retail employees and as @ 7 mentions they routinely take heat from Wall Street analysts for not cutting wages and benefits to increase shareholder profit. They also have a very strong culture of promoting from within; it's rare to find an employee in their corporate headquarters that didn't start in a warehouse.
This is a very generous move by Costco.
This is a very generous move by Costco.
11
What the fuck are you even talking about? Those workers are going to want to pay dues to a union that wouldn't be able to represent them since Costco is non-unionized? Benoliel is basically just pointing that out.
If former liquor store employees want to stay in a union, they need to find a unionized workplace or try to unionize wherever they wind up, which doesn't seem to happen much these days.
People who want to stay in the liquor store employees' union may not fare very well in Costco's hiring process
What the fuck are you even talking about? Those workers are going to want to pay dues to a union that wouldn't be able to represent them since Costco is non-unionized? Benoliel is basically just pointing that out.
If former liquor store employees want to stay in a union, they need to find a unionized workplace or try to unionize wherever they wind up, which doesn't seem to happen much these days.
12
Nice try to make it sound nefarious: "Union members need not apply!"
The point was simply that supermarkets are (for the most part) unionized, so if they DO want to be in a union that would be a better choice.
Based on the small sample of workers I have talked to I would MUCH rather work at non-union Costco than unionized Safeway, QFC, etc.
The point was simply that supermarkets are (for the most part) unionized, so if they DO want to be in a union that would be a better choice.
Based on the small sample of workers I have talked to I would MUCH rather work at non-union Costco than unionized Safeway, QFC, etc.
13
The Stranger's Apparent Stance on Washington State Liquor Sales:
1)WAH! We can't buy booze when we want to buy booze! We hate the WSLCB!
2)Washington State should get out of the liquor retail biz.
3)Costco spends lots of money so they can sell liquor.
4)WAH! We hate Costco because they're a big company that spent lots of money to pass the initiative so they can sell liquor but small biz's can't. We hate Costco!
And, then throw in something about HUMP!, bike lanes, the tunnel and homosexuals.
1)WAH! We can't buy booze when we want to buy booze! We hate the WSLCB!
2)Washington State should get out of the liquor retail biz.
3)Costco spends lots of money so they can sell liquor.
4)WAH! We hate Costco because they're a big company that spent lots of money to pass the initiative so they can sell liquor but small biz's can't. We hate Costco!
And, then throw in something about HUMP!, bike lanes, the tunnel and homosexuals.
14
@5 What exactly is a "living wage"? Also what is the number of people who died last year not earning a living wage, which I can only assume is a "dying wage"?
15
And the reason that Costco remains un-unionized? Because the employees are treated well, respected, and well-compensated. Other companies should try it sometime.
17
@ 14 Troll harder. The term living wage is an accepted term for the minimum hourly income a worker needs to earn to meet their basic needs. Costco pays well above that level.
18
@14 You can meet your basic needs earning minimum wage if you are smart with your money. So technically you cannot pay someone less than a living wage.
20
Fuck Costco. If I were a former liquor store employee, I'd go through Costco's phony screening process and get a job there. Once there, I'd organize those motherfuckers. Payback time, bitches! By the way, @6, I applied for a job at Top Foods when I was younger, and took those same phony psychological tests. Top Foods is unionized, and I'm pretty sure the liquor store employees would pass those tests.
21
@18 And often get public assistance. A family of three can get food stamps at around 25k of income (its 130% poverty). Minimum wage puts you at about 19k. A living wage is one at which you can live without relying on government benefits or scrounging around for every cent.
22
the reason Costco does the drug test, which is the mouth litmus test and anyone can pass and survey is because insurance requires it so that Costco pays less. it psychologically filters out people.
this is an awesome move by Costco. they are non union because they pay higher wages. yeah they got some hackery but you want more business to be like Costco and less like walmart. hell, you need the CEO signature to be fired if you worked there for 2 years.
this is an awesome move by Costco. they are non union because they pay higher wages. yeah they got some hackery but you want more business to be like Costco and less like walmart. hell, you need the CEO signature to be fired if you worked there for 2 years.
23
@20
Yeah, I'm sure all those Costco employees would flock to line up behind your brilliant leadership.
Yeah, I'm sure all those Costco employees would flock to line up behind your brilliant leadership.
24
@ 20, it's the positivity requirement that would screen out most of them. And possibly the drug test.
25
Okay, I gotta ask - what's the "right" answer here? Is it now somehow unethical to pocket cash found on the street, assuming you didn't just see it fall out of someone's pocket? I found five bucks in the middle of Madison St the other day - am I an asshole?
You had to take one of those online psychological tests, where they asked you what you would do if you found a $100 bill in the parking lot and no one was in sight who seemed to be missing it.
Okay, I gotta ask - what's the "right" answer here? Is it now somehow unethical to pocket cash found on the street, assuming you didn't just see it fall out of someone's pocket? I found five bucks in the middle of Madison St the other day - am I an asshole?
26
If you can't figure out that you should answer "No, I wouldn't take the money, I'd turn it in" and "Yes, I'm a positive person", you're too dumb to work anywhere.
In King County, a living wage to be able to rent a two-bedroom apartment (which most families need) is about $20/hour, fulltime. Probably more now that rents have gone up lately.
In King County, a living wage to be able to rent a two-bedroom apartment (which most families need) is about $20/hour, fulltime. Probably more now that rents have gone up lately.
27
I bet the state liquor store folks are saying this morning, "who moved my cheese"?
Heh. Sorry, just watched that terrible video post on Slog later in the day.
Heh. Sorry, just watched that terrible video post on Slog later in the day.
28
To those who act like those who work for a company that treats its employees with basic respect have no reason to unionize: what a union gives you is the security that you will be treated in a dignified way for the life of the contract. In a non-union shop, all of the living wages and affordable benefits could be taken away tomorrow at the whim of management.
29
What a huge pile of arrogant PR progaganda. Costco is just trying to polish its tarnished image after putting a thousand people out of work in a really bad economy. What about the class action suit against them for descriminating against female employees. Are the displaced liquor store employees supposed to come crawling with their tails between their legs and beg for a job? I think not, not everyone dreams of working in a windowless warehouse.
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