Pros
1) Co-workers are respectful, helpful, and very easy to get along with 2) 15-minute paid break (2 such breaks if shift >7 hours) 3) Management allows ample vacation or requested days off, even during busy holiday seasons, provided that notice is given a couple weeks prior 4) Allows for a second job with a consistent schedule 5) Can work during the summer, go to school, and be guaranteed employment during class breaks during the winter and spring 6) Compensation sufficient for typical menial-spending/fiscally conservative high school or college student 7)Last minute schedule changes/problems are generally accomodated/handled to the best of management's ability (albeit with some contempt) 8)Sunday Premium Pay is (Time x 1.5)
Cons
1) Union does not guarantee an adequate amount of hours or pay (current number guaranteed hours is only 12 per week) 2) Being part of Union does not mean hourly rate higher than minimum wage 3) Only management can choose not to join Union 4) Union dues 5) Management, on some days, performs low-level clerical duties that otherwise could have been fulfilled by new employees or current employees not scheduled to work such days 6) Management often did not assign more than one employee to complete tasks that needed multiple workers for efficiency purposes 7) Unlikely to be promoted much, if at all, after the first couple years of employment (most employees hired in the late-1980's and early-1990's are still doing the same work as employees hired 1-3 years ago receiving the same pay and only slightly more hours); employment really only financially suitable for high school or college students, retirees looking to keep busy or earn a little extra cash, and married people aged in-between who are not the primary source of income for their family 8) Favoritism toward certain employees (even those without much tenure) 9) Employees committing multiple infractions are warned multiple times but never fired 10) Little incentive to work hard (as most employees earn at or slightly above minimum wage and receive comparable amounts of hours) 11) Unpaid, 30-minute lunch breaks during long shifts (>7 hours) are not always granted to employees who ask 12) Low discount on Jewel and Osco products 13) Some inconsiderate, oblivious, and lazy customers (i.e. leave carts in the middle of the parking lot or on a curb despite close access to cart corral, use shopping cart to carry less than 4 light items or less than 2 heavy items, do not accept employee assistance outside with groceries but cannot return motorized carts to the inside of the store after use) 14) UFCW Local 881 policy forbids cashiers under 21 from selling alcohol and cashiers under 18 from selling tobacco (despite state and local laws being far less restrictive), which disrupts the check-out process for as much as a couple minutes at a time and decreases efficiency for both the checker and the bagger 19)Since 2010, Jewel and Osco have operated under the same store management (including directors), budget, employee work force, and ordering and receiving procedures; as a result, Jewel Front End Courtesy Clerks have to complete various tasks on the Osco side of the building, such as emptying/replacing garbage and recycling bags, pushing/organizing shopping carts, emptying ashtrays, and maintaining overall cleaniness