I'M PISSED! Publix Supermarkets sent a memo to their employees today

[napi21]

"NOT TO VOTE FOR OBAMA!" My husband works there, and he told me when he got home. Although the memo didn't say WHY, he & I are both POSITIVE it's because they're afraid of the dreaded UNIONS!!!!!

I've bitched and screamed about WM doing that kind of crap, and NOW the company that provides our income has the nerve to do it too!!!!!!!!!!

How many other companies out there are doing this same damn crap??????

[QueenOfCalifornia]

1. Pisses me off to read it

They need to shut the fuck up.

[lame54]

2. Please post the letter

[napi21]

11. O wosh I could. They sent the memo to the Managers and had each employee

read it. They didn't get their own copy.

[Tallison]

19. Employees didn't get copies because what they did is legally shady

to present a certain ideology as a condition for employment.

I'm not litigious, but yes, there is grounds for a suit there. Bet getting your hands on a hard copy of that letter will be near-impossible.

[napi21]

25. If I were the employee, trust me I would have gotten a copy!

At worst, I'd have gotten a pic on my cell. But my husband is not nearly as devious as I am!

[aquart]

30. I posted this OP to my Facebook page.

No reason this should be a secret, is there?

[napi21]

36. no. It's the truth. I just don't have any hord copy to prove it. n/t

[mourningdove92]

3. find a union and pass on this info.

got anything in writing by any chance? Its not right for employers to do that. My sig other works for Walmart.

[rurallib]

4. Well the perfect way to respond is to vote for Obama

and work for him also.

[napi21]

14. ;O)) We already DID vote for Obama via absentee ballot last week!

IMy husband asked his manager if he didn't realize that if McNuts gets elected, we'll end up with that idiot Sarah as President! She's so stupid, the whole damn Country is doomed! He said after that, the manager just left him alome!

[bbernardini]

Have him submit this to consumerist.com. They'll probably be able to help get a response from Publix

[hlthe2b]

5. I must be slightly dyslexic... When I lived in the South I always

saw the signs and read "Pubix"...... What a naughty name for a grocery store! LOL


Now, I know they really are PUBIX....

[Maine-ah]

63. lol, I lived in S. Fla for a little bit too, and that's how I always read it too!

[DJ13]

6. Thats illegal

Google Walmart on the same subject to learn why they had to back off.

[kenny blankenship]

7. That's begging for some boycott

If you can get documentation I'm sure many people would be interested to know that Publix is trying to influence/intimidate its workers' votes.

[Stellabella]

8. If they treat their employees well they don't need to fear unions.

My father owns a small company; he treats his employees like kings. They are well paid, with complete health insurance and profit sharing. His employees are very loyal - some have been with him for 30 years. And it's a tough business - a type of road construction.

And yes, even with treating his employees well, he's very well off.

That means no more shopping at Publix for me - and I'm going to tell them so.

[Sal Minella]

Isn't it a funny thing, how employees will work their butts off for a boss who treats them decently

and pays them good wages for good work. But somehow corporations cannot seem to get the gist of this.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

38. Your father sounds like a fine gentleman, someone I would like to meet.

There are too few businessmen with real honor and ethics, these days. Your father is worthy of admiration and he has mine.

And you can tell him I said so.

[Stellabella]

41. Thanks - I will!

eom

[codjh9]

9. Holy Fucking Shit! I'm so tired of this crap... there aren't any Publix mkts. where I am,

but if there were I'd boycott 'em for sure.

[Naturyl]

10. They can go to hell.

Employers have ZERO right to dictate any aspect of anyone's personal life and it's ridiculous that they would ever think otherwise.

Friggin employers. It's about time people realized it's employees who are doing THEM a favor by being there, not the other way around.

[Stellabella]

12. CONTACT page for Publix

http://www.publix.com/contact/SendUsAMessage.do

[napi21]

17. I already have a contact for Publix, but when you send them a message

they ask you for the store # or address of the store where you were shopping.

My husband is retiring at the end of this month, so trouble for him is not much of an issue, but I won't give out the store where he works because his mgr. really is a nice guy and treats his employees well. I'm pretty sure what the CO wanted the mgrs to do is have a meeting with their staff and explain this memo to them. I don't think this mgr. agreed with that, and it's why he took the chicken way out and said there's a memo on my desk you need to read.

[Stellabella]

42. I just filled out the 'Subject' and 'Message' on that page

and it took it. No other information needed.

[Lorien]

39. Done

This ticks me off. A new publix store just opened within walking distance of my home, and now I'll have to boycott it!

[Supersedeas]

59. thanks for the link

[AmyCamus]

13. Post it, please.

[napi21]

15. I'm sorry, I can't. They sent the memo to the Managers and

the mgr. had each employee read it. I don't have a copy and honestly, unless you find a cooperative mgr. I dont know how to get one.

[Triana]

16. Got a local paper? Send a copy of the letter to them.

The publicity will be v.embarrassing for said union-busting Repig-run corprat.

[islandmkl]

18. i'll be checking into my local publix tomorrow...i live in a small town...

it will be interesting to see if they are doing this throughout the chain...

i'm in florida (publix's home)...

as an aside, i've always wondered how many employees follow this type of 'lead' from their employers...you know, shake your head 'yes' and vote 'no' because you see no real upside to further empowering 'the man'...kind of equal and opposite reaction may take place more often than compliance...

[napi21]

24. I posted that same argument yesterday about WM, and the response

to me, here on DU, was many of them are afraid their vote it not secret!

I can tell you that at Publix, the employees won't pay any attention, at least not the ones I know. It still pisses me off that any company feels free to try to intimidate their employees with this kind of crap.

[nadinbrzezinski]

20. started with walmart and in theory it is ilegal

but you can bet MANY are doing that

[Errrica]

21. WHAT.

Oh hell fucking no! I work for Publix! But I haven't worked since last Saturday.
Oh hell no...
That pisses me off.

[seafan]

23. If you see that memo, get a photo of it if you can. This needs to see the light of day. n/t

[Errrica]

35. I'll definitely try.

I am so steamed!

[dgibby]

31. Isn't Publix employee owned?

This is not good news, especially since I love shopping at Publix. Best grocery store in SC, and about a mile from my house. Staff there is great. What a bummer! I was just shopping there today. May have to go back and have a little come to jeebus meeting with the manager, explain to him how I'll have to be taking my business to the new Food Lion, how all my friends will be going with me, etc. Damnation!:grr: :nuke:

[Errrica]

33. It is.

The store itself is wonderful when it comes to customer service and all that... But if I catch word or sight of this memo, I'll be raising hell. This is ridiculous!
I work tomorrow, so we'll see.

[The Wielding Truth]

22. How many employees were told how to vote?

[napi21]

29. I can only tell you that the store where my husband works has

a little over 100 employees counting all the PT. I don't know how all the diff. dept. mamagers handled this. I can tell you that his mgr. spoke to each of his dept. employees separately and just asked them to read it. I have no way to know if each mgr. did that, or if some called a short meeting to read it to his dept.

Sorry to be so short on information, but you have to realize, I wasn't personally there, and my husband is a very non-political person he would never go around asking. He detests what Shrub has done to our Country, and he not only thinks McNuts would be a continuation of the same, but he this the guy is CRAZY! If you read my OP you'd see he quickly shut the conversation down.

[The Wielding Truth]

44. Wow, both you and your husband have been intimidated by

this and that is wrong on so many levels.

You may vote however you want and not tell your superior.

This,however does not make this okay.

100 votes could change the out come in a county, which could swing a State, and all it's electoral votes.

[napi21]

45. No, no! You don't understand. My husband was not intimidated and

you obviously have never read any of MY posts or you would NEVER think I was intimidated by anything! I'm more afraid of the 16yo who is a PTer and need the job to try to keep up with college expenses, and is afraid they might lose their job. Publix never said they would lose their job, but young prople in desperate situations are easily influenced.

[The Wielding Truth]

49. Sorry, I did read your posts with a different perspective and

I skimmed through some parts.The intimidation seems to be there, but not for you and your husband.

It's easy to get my blood pressure up when Republicons are steeling everything that is and isn't nailed down.

Hope you can get some hard proof and stop this. Thanks for making me reread I don't like to be off and running on the wrong road.

Good luck to both of you.

[tavalon]

56. The 16 year old can't vote, but yeah, I get your point

[tavalon]

57. The 16 year old can't vote, but yeah, I get your point

[Freddie Stubbs]

61. 16 year olds cannot vote

[Quantess]

52. So, this did not come from the VERY top, is what you're saying.

The people at the top (corporate headquarters, or whoever in this case) ought to be aware of this. I'd be surprised if the CEOs would have allowed this, since it could co$t them a lawsuit. The regional manager should get a visit from corporate HQ and a spanking over this.

[Lint Head]

26. That is illegal is fuckin' hell! Contact your attorney general.

You cannot solicit votes to a 'captive audience' that cannot control political propaganda. This is a lawsuit waiting to happen!
Walmart just got 'dinged' and is still denying they ever made a political statement. Do something. Don't just complain.
We cannot change this country without activism. You can make a difference. I've have done it in the past. I have called the State and Federal law administration and 95% of the time resulting in action. Lawyers love to prosecute and sue. That's why it is their chosen profession. It will not cost you a dime. They are paid by your tax money. Just do it!

:dem:

[FatDave]

27. So isn't there a single democrat in the Publix management hierarchy?

I expect this will get more attention.

[napi21]

34. I have no way of knowing that, but I doubt with the number of stores

they have, that there aren't quite a few Dems in the bunch! I HOPE one of them is brave enough to send it to their newspaper, CNN, Keith or Rachel...even if they do it anonymously!

[1]

28. this shit never works. my boss could hand deliver a note to me saying "do not vote for obama..."

"right boss." *wink*

and then i'd vote for obama anyway. better yet, if i'm undecided or unsure... and my boss wants me NOT to vote for obama? well, i love and respect my boss so much...

i'm voting for obama.

heh. thanks boss.


:rofl:

[PeaceNikki]

32. Or what? Was there some implied threat if they did?

[napi21]

37. Not that I know of. That I think is the key. If it's just playing advocate

it's probably not illegal. I think that's where WM got into trouble. THEY told the employees if you vote for Obama, you'll lose your job. Publix is smarter than that. I suspect it's not illegal, but it still pisses me off BIG TIME!

[LSK]

43. there is no way for Publix to know how anyone voted

[napi21]

46. I believe that too, but apparently a lot of people don't! If you check THIS

thread, you'll see that I already argued this with another Duer and I was told that a lot of WM employees don't believe their vote is secret! I have no idea how to convince them!

[bertman]

40. If you and your husband fear retaliation, have a trusted friend write a letter to the editor of the

local paper explaining what went down and what that means when employers try to coerce voters' voting decisions. My guess is the PUBLIC will give PUBLIX some good reason to back off this kind of crap.

[marlakay]

47. Hopefully people don't do what they say

Anyone with any brains votes for who they want not their bosses. My bosses are right wing nut jobs.

[shanti]

48. got an email about walmart

doing the same thing.

[Quantess]

53. Haven't they learned anything from all those lawsuits?

[progressivebydesign]

50. Rather amusing that Publix is now dabbling in "green" markets... all the while...

screwing over the very customer base they hope to attract. Let's make sure that this OP's story gets lots of traction. If you live in a Publix or GreenWise market area, then talk to the store and tell all your friends.

[mmonk]

51. That can be regarded as an implied threat given the

employer/employee relationship.

[Jeanette in FL]

54. Publix will be hearing from me

I will be contacting their coporate office this morning. I shop at Publix because of their greenmarket and organic lines.

This is such BS.

[Maureen1322]

55. Sent e-mail.

[PDittie]

58. RePublix. Or Republicks.

As when they call us the Democrat Party, for example...

[akwapez]

60. Well Crap....

Our first Publix opens Monday. My wife and I have been looking forward to the new store for months. This puts a damper on things.

[Truth2Tell]

62. All it would take is a few affidavits from employees who saw the memo

and a lawsuit would likely have legs. They would then HAVE to turn the memo over in discovery.

My bet is they calculated that fighting a lawsuit and getting a slap on the wrist was better than Obama winning the election and changing the leadership of the NLRB.

[barbtries]

64. are there employees who don't know

their vote is their own?

[JohnnyCougar]

65. ***ATTENTION. THERE IS NO EVIDENCE THAT THIS HAPPENED AT MORE THAN ONE STORE***

Please, cut Publix some slack. They have close to 1000 stores, and they can't control what every manager does. As soon as someone comes forward with evidence that other stores were engaging in this sort of activity, feel free to be outraged at corporate. But please do not fly off the handle until we know the full story.

Thank you.

[Incitatus]

66. There's no evidence that it happened in more than one department.

People here are ready to condemn an entire company for the actions of one manager, or at most probably a district manager.