tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3023018867778958193.post6185076026204924094..comments2023-12-15T00:16:54.199-08:00Comments on Fresh & Easy Buzz: UFCW Union Launches Informal Boycott of Fresno CA Fresh & Easy Stores Today; One Day After the Stores OpenFresh & Easy Buzzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06339190145395775927noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3023018867778958193.post-41957295359475934512013-04-08T19:58:49.260-07:002013-04-08T19:58:49.260-07:00At the downtown F&E store in Fresno One of the...At the downtown F&E store in Fresno One of the Union people trys to block the entrance by walking back and forth in an effort to hinder customers entering the store. This is only creates enmity for the union - just the opposite of what they want! They need to picket without looking/acting mean and intimidating if they want to get people on their side. I didn't take the man's handout because I am already familiar with the union's position on F&E, so he yells out to me "I see you're one of those!" Well, he has no idea who or what I am - just so happens I am pretty left in most of my views, but it's really offensive when they behave in this rude and insulting manner and they now have turned me against them - I hope they fail. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3023018867778958193.post-11298402060036632732011-08-23T07:03:55.871-07:002011-08-23T07:03:55.871-07:00It is interesting that the UFCW is focusing on the...It is interesting that the UFCW is focusing on the F&E stores that are owned by Tesco (a UK company), but ignores Trader Joes which is owned by the Albrecht family (Germans who also own the Aldi grovery chain in Europe).<br /><br />Arguing with the Union morons that sit outside my local Fresh and Easy is my favorite weekend passtime. <br /><br />If you find them threatening simply call the local police department.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3023018867778958193.post-38323821415789103512011-06-28T06:06:39.143-07:002011-06-28T06:06:39.143-07:00Union extortionist was a phrase used above; I coul...Union extortionist was a phrase used above; I could not have put that more aptly. 10/hour is a great entry level starting wage; I worked for less myself in San Diego more than once. What's funny here is that I know for a fact that unionized, large stores like Vons start people in entry level positions at *less* than that(min. wage) for three months then you're told to cough up a union enrollment sum/dues when you've been making frigging slave wages for 1/4 of a year - so they have a lot of turnover in entry level employees. I knew all of the staff at my neighbourhood F&E and almost all had been there since it opened. F&E does not have a lot of staff, does not have checkout people though their employees are always quick to help if needed. They have a great product line that is similar to what is available in Europe - not bloated with horrible additives, sugars and fillers since they're not even allowed here (oh yes, I'm an ex-pat now, moved to Ireland). I loved F&E and shopped there weekly. It's different from the regular grocery store, you do bag your own things and scan your own products, but I'd rather do that myself and save a lot. Good on F&E for standing up to the union bullies; getting paid $20/hour to stand at a till is crazy!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3023018867778958193.post-35388851285328819012011-05-21T22:09:18.655-07:002011-05-21T22:09:18.655-07:00Wow, wages really that bad? I mean, I wish I coul...Wow, wages really that bad? I mean, I wish I could expect to make a living working in a comfortable manor only working at Target/Radio Shack/Best Buy/<br /><br />Point is, if you are working at an entry level job that doesn't require more than a HS degree, maybe you shouldn't be complaining about your wages and how much you make. I mean, that's why we do have college and student loans to help you though that.F&E Employeenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3023018867778958193.post-91895084724480379002011-05-03T12:43:44.820-07:002011-05-03T12:43:44.820-07:00I shop at Fresh & Easy downtown. Same guy hand...I shop at Fresh & Easy downtown. Same guy handing out fliers everyday in front of store. Really rude to customers if they do not take his flyer. Doesn't UFCW monitor the people they hire? Shouldn't there be a law that they have to at least stand 20 feet away from the door. These people are really rude!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3023018867778958193.post-61858089469731358532011-02-23T17:28:08.300-08:002011-02-23T17:28:08.300-08:00The CEO of F&E gets 9 million a year so does h...The CEO of F&E gets 9 million a year so does his second and third they are not even Americans, but guess what the Americans get 9 dollars an hour. They live in Pacific Palisides, call that fair go live in England then.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3023018867778958193.post-64046471243875935152011-02-23T17:20:28.199-08:002011-02-23T17:20:28.199-08:00Did you bump your head? do want Americans to make ...Did you bump your head? do want Americans to make poverty wages? I ran a store for them and quit for you can make more as a checker in Seattle. Idiot low wages hurt business we dont spend get it?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3023018867778958193.post-69228514337755141322011-02-22T12:16:17.255-08:002011-02-22T12:16:17.255-08:00Go ahead, unionize Fresh and Easy, their prices WI...Go ahead, unionize Fresh and Easy, their prices WILL go up and I won't shop there anymore. Unions are nothing but self serving socialists who are ruining this country. Look at what the CA state workers union has done to this state, 10% of the budget goes to pensions. It's a free country, if someone doesn't like the job or benefits, go bag groceries somewhere else, the employees there aren't exactly rocket scientists and should be easy to replace. I LOVE Fresh and Easy just the way it is, the unions WILL ruin it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3023018867778958193.post-14872135641940792462011-02-20T12:03:31.768-08:002011-02-20T12:03:31.768-08:00Just saw this blog after shopping at F&E in Wa...Just saw this blog after shopping at F&E in Walnut, CA. I usually shop at WinCo but wanted to try F&E. Unfortunately, my wife and I were accosted by some UFCW gangsters, who spent several minutes telling us how F&E isn't being allowed to unionize. I asked if any had read Ayn Rand. Having gotten a negative answer, I told them to learn to read, before they spout falsehods. <br /><br />Sad.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3023018867778958193.post-28385352746362541762011-02-05T18:34:34.641-08:002011-02-05T18:34:34.641-08:00Fresh and Easy at Herndon and Fowler in Clovis is ...Fresh and Easy at Herndon and Fowler in Clovis is a wonderful store! The Union pickets were pretty aggressive today pushing a flyer in my face and then questioning my Americanism when I politely declined. I looked at the disheveled picketer in his grungy foreign made clothes and asked him if he really wanted to debate that. If he could tell me he was open to right to work laws I'd have entertained his disrespect a little longer.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3023018867778958193.post-89491337294336759192010-11-17T12:12:59.603-08:002010-11-17T12:12:59.603-08:00I would support UFCW if they didn't talk down ...I would support UFCW if they didn't talk down and aggresively to shoppers... one "member" called me an as*hole the other day for shopping at F & E.... no need for that! Now, I WILL NOT BE SHOPPING ANY UFCW SHOPS!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3023018867778958193.post-13533393895854324282010-10-26T14:29:22.960-07:002010-10-26T14:29:22.960-07:00I was at F & E in down town Fresno and one of ...I was at F & E in down town Fresno and one of the UFCW employees called me an idiot, he said "Oh, I remember this idiot". He didn't like me telling a customer that it's no wonder F & E dosn't whant to work with them after UFCW tried to stop them in the first place. Well I think this means " more aggressive organizing " by the UFCW. I have never had a problem with unions untill now. I don't see picketing at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. Both not unionized. I don't think this is as much about pay and hours as much as it is about an outsider getting in and the UFCW not getting thier way. The UFCW should be spending the union workers money on something more consructive than sending people out to stores to hand out flyers and call people names that disagree with them. And Just so you all know, the picketers said they were working. Hmmmmm, I wonder how much more money is wasted on paying the picketers and why they were not doing this for free out of the goodness of thier hearts? Hmmmmm?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3023018867778958193.post-53249772183092055012010-09-16T14:44:03.640-07:002010-09-16T14:44:03.640-07:00We are planning some more aggressive organizing an...We are planning some more aggressive organizing and campaigning in Fresno at the Fresh & Easy stores. We have employees in three of the stores who are now very interested in becoming part of the UFCW. Also interest is growing at some of the other stores in our area.UFCW Membernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3023018867778958193.post-55928063999519327192010-09-16T00:02:50.423-07:002010-09-16T00:02:50.423-07:00I stopped shopping at F & E after receiving a ...I stopped shopping at F & E after receiving a flyer from a picketer, doing online research and emailing the company. I was checking back today to see if any progress had been made. Although I liked F & E I am particular about the type of businesses I support. My hope is that the parent company will expand good benefits to American employees as well as their European counterparts.Barbnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3023018867778958193.post-49772059822960074292010-09-14T20:00:41.632-07:002010-09-14T20:00:41.632-07:00I wonder how many union busters or tesco bloggers ...I wonder how many union busters or tesco bloggers are posting negative union comments on here. Is it good that tesco is creating jobs in California? Yes. Are they detracting business away from other grocery stores who pay higher wages? Yes. Wealth is generated from the bottom-up. If you start paying people lower wages you're only furthering the divide between the rich and the poor, and enabling the recession. I think F&E is great, $10 an hour is a great starting point, but where does it end, and how long does it take? I'm sure that cashier who is paid $18 an hour and puts more money back into the economy than F&E workers is wondering the same.Mikeynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3023018867778958193.post-88339655553725985642010-09-03T12:46:58.895-07:002010-09-03T12:46:58.895-07:00BRAVO to fresh and easy for standing up to union e...BRAVO to fresh and easy for standing up to union extortionists and saying NO to union shake downs and YES to the free market economy. Unions are parasites who dont want to accept the realites of free market economics. THe picketers have motivated me to shop at fresh and easy so i can support a company who tells them to pound sand.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3023018867778958193.post-89495613603262749552010-07-20T23:20:18.504-07:002010-07-20T23:20:18.504-07:00F&E pays what they feel the positions are wort...F&E pays what they feel the positions are worth. If the employees need or want to make more than that they can look elsewhere for employment. No one is holding a gun to their heads to work there. Additionally, it is not F&E's responsibility to pay for someone to raise a family, it is their responsibility to run a profitable business.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3023018867778958193.post-54218105663006860042010-03-16T08:45:51.696-07:002010-03-16T08:45:51.696-07:00There's nothing wrong with making $10 dollars ...There's nothing wrong with making $10 dollars an hour. In some areas of California that's not a bad wage, especially with the bad economy. What gets me is these unions saying that Tesco is sucking money out of the US because Tesco is a foreign company. Last time I checked, unionized stores sold produce and meat that are produced in Mexico and other foreign countries. Aren't they just as guilty of taking money out of the US instead of buying local? Unions suck. How can anyone justify someone making $20 an hour working at a grocery store? I could see a manager making that much but not a bagger or cashier. That's why places like Save Mart are way over priced because they overpay their employees. You want to be paid a higher wage, then get a degree. Not some union who looks to only benefit themselves.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3023018867778958193.post-42023521121158409302010-03-11T19:48:49.276-08:002010-03-11T19:48:49.276-08:00They were out there in Reedley tonight and its jus...They were out there in Reedley tonight and its just a shame! With unemployment at 18% to 20% here in the valley even a job that pays $10 an hour for 20 hours a week is better than nothing. This little shopping center is a shot in the arm for our little town and to see hired hands out there who don't give 2 hoots about the lack of work, even farm work, in our area picketing a new store that is offering jobs is just a shame on SaveMart and I plan on telling them so.<br /><br />I work in Fresno and could easily spend my money in Fresno after work, save a few dollars then drive home but I do not. I spend my money here in Reedley to help our local mercants stay in business and help our city's tax revenue. Fresh and Easy is a great choice for a quick stop after work and SM for my big shopping.<br /><br />Why don't they picket Town n Country? They don't pay $20 an hour and they certainly are NOT union. T&C takes more revenue away from SaveMart than the little Fresh and Easy store ever will and this IS about revenue, make no mistake!<br /><br />You want to make your picket line in our little town work? Have the clerks of SM out there picketing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3023018867778958193.post-34768665668452439852010-02-25T18:35:05.204-08:002010-02-25T18:35:05.204-08:00I just got back from the Clovis store (Shaw and Wi...I just got back from the Clovis store (Shaw and Willow) and they were out there in force, telling patrons the evils of Fresh and Easy!Adrianhttp://www.untitledtheshow.com/poliblog/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3023018867778958193.post-22030579490578010412010-02-05T21:27:21.556-08:002010-02-05T21:27:21.556-08:00whedne"Did you know Fresh & Easy workers ...whedne"Did you know Fresh & Easy workers make half that amount. Plus they can only work 20 hours a week even if they want to work more."<br /><br />I don't know where you got your information SaveMarter, but it is, 1.) misleading, and 2.) inaccurate.<br /><br />1.) $10hr is the standard starting pay for lowest level entry employees (not all employees).<br /><br />2.) Employees are expected to work a minimum of 20 hours a week (not a maximum). Most work significantly more than 20 hours a week.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3023018867778958193.post-16238822872038224432010-01-24T21:05:31.233-08:002010-01-24T21:05:31.233-08:00Save Mart and Safeway pay a living wage and offer ...Save Mart and Safeway pay a living wage and offer good benefits because they are union. I work at Save Mart and make $20 hour. Did you know Fresh & Easy workers make half that amount. Plus they can only work 20 hours a week even if they want to work more. That's $200a week of gross wages. Fine for a part time student or second wage earner with a very well paid spouse. But that's it.SaveMarternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3023018867778958193.post-65720809106387622972010-01-18T04:21:50.685-08:002010-01-18T04:21:50.685-08:00Fresh and Easy(tesco) work with the unions in Brit...Fresh and Easy(tesco) work with the unions in Britain,however the American unions tried to undermine their entry before they had opened a single store.That is why they will not work with them.Anybody shopping at F and E can be certain of getting quality products at great prices.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3023018867778958193.post-45296515703285560852010-01-16T16:09:32.506-08:002010-01-16T16:09:32.506-08:00LOVED fresh n easy a great experience all around! ...LOVED fresh n easy a great experience all around! =) so excited to have this store in my community.troubsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3023018867778958193.post-34177510715111957372010-01-16T15:05:51.231-08:002010-01-16T15:05:51.231-08:00There were some union members picketing out front ...There were some union members picketing out front of the 2 Fresh & Easy stores in Fresno on Thurday and Friday. They said they would be back today.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com