The Kroger Staff Rank-and-File Committee urges our co-workers in Central Indiana to vote down the second contract proposal introduced by the United Meals and Business Staff Native 700 over the subsequent three days!
Everybody who has learn the highlights that have been handed out to staff in shops Wednesday can see this isn’t a “new” contract, however a re-hash of the outdated one we rejected solely weeks in the past. Pay raises for staff on the prime pay charge will solely be $0.65 for the primary yr and $0.50 for the subsequent two years. For clerks within the Third Step, presently the best tier, pay will solely “rise” to the poverty degree of $17.60 an hour by the tip of the contract in Might 2024. For the decrease two tiers, clerks will make simply $15.75 within the First Step and $16.50 within the Second Step by the tip of the contract.
The Highlights should not even “highlights” however “lowlights.” They’re concessions via and thru. Who has the UFCW negotiating staff been negotiating for whereas we’ve been working beneath extensions via vacation weekends, making income for the corporate? Why are we instructed we will solely see the total contract after we ratify a deal we oppose?
The union is selling these raises as being an additional bump on prime of the lower than $2 will increase that the corporate gave out in 2021. The UFCW is enjoying straight into the arms of Kroger and its shareholders by portray this out to be a very good deal. In actuality, all it does is assist the corporate to proceed amassing billions in revenue off of our backs and pitting us in opposition to fellow Kroger staff throughout the US in a race to the underside for the bottom wages.
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The UFCW is attempting to sweeten the rotten cope with signing bonuses that we all know will barely put a dent within the quickly rising prices of meals, fuel and housing. Full-time staff at prime pay, who should not leads or division heads, are being bribed with a pitiful $2,500 bonus. Half-time staff at prime pay will get simply $1,000, all of which can be topic to taxes and union dues deductions. So as to add insult to damage, non-top pay staff should not even eligible for these meager sums.
The union that supposedly represents us is negotiating for Kroger and never the working class. It’s time for us to take the initiative to arrange to struggle for our calls for independently of the union.
To start with, we should formulate our personal calls for, a “pink line” past which we is not going to settle for any contract. We suggest these embody the next:
Improve beginning pay to at the least $29 per hour, the calculated dwelling wage for an grownup with one dependent little one in Indiana;
Return to the precise to an eight-hour day with no penalties for staff who refuse time beyond regulation; and
Totally-funded well being care advantages for staff and their households, a defined-benefit pension plan (not 401K-based) for all staff.
Kroger and its main shareholders have greater than sufficient cash of their coffers that they’ve gained off of our labor to satisfy our calls for for larger wages, higher advantages and dealing situations. In 2021, the company raked in $30.3 billion in revenue, a slight drop from $30.9 billion in 2021 however considerably larger than $26.9 billion in gross income recorded in 2019. Its CEO W. Rodney McMullen took residence an $18 million compensation bundle in 2021, which was gained off of the backs of staff who barely survive on $13 per hour.
The UFCW is aware of this, but it’s plain to see that this “union” is extra considering defending the corporate’s aim of gaining extra income whereas we’re paid lower than they’re preventing for the pursuits of staff who pay dues each week.
Union reps are chronically unavailable when we now have questions and patronize us after we specific our want to strike and lift considerations about vote counting. The UFCW is doing the whole lot it may well to make sure that as many staff as doable will be unable to train their proper to vote by having voting be one hundred pc in-person, with solely a one-and-a-half hour window. This forces staff that aren’t working to return in on their days off or effectively earlier than or after their shifts, or journey to totally different shops to vote.
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The UFCW’s technique is to persuade us that we must always vote “sure” to the contract, not as a result of it’s good however as a result of there’s nothing we will do about it. However that’s not true. We cannot solely vote the contract down, we will win substantial good points. However this requires that we manage a struggle not solely in opposition to the Kroger however in opposition to the corrupt UFCW paperwork.
To start this wrestle, we urge our co-workers to take the next concrete steps:
Take measures in opposition to any potential ballot-stuffing by the UFCW. Manage teams of staff at every retailer to watch the balloting and alert co-workers after we discover inconsistencies. This can ship a robust message that the UFCW bureaucrats are on discover.
Demand an finish to contract extensions. With each contract extension, the UFCW continues to place cash into Kroger’s pockets as we work beneath the pitiful hourly wages that have been negotiated years earlier than inflation hit file excessive ranges. With every extension of the contract, the UFCW willingly extends the no-strike clause in an try to create a authorized impediment to our capacity to unite as a category to withhold our labor energy to cease the income flowing into the coffers of the company.
If the contract is voted down by lower than two-thirds, demand that the bogus clause requiring a supermajority rejection of a contract earlier than a strike takes place be waived. What does or doesn’t occurred needs to be decided by what staff need, not by some bogus provision which was solely put in as an impediment to a strike.
The fundamental drawback is that the UFCW is run as an unaccountable paperwork, not as a real democratic group. Staff in some locals report that prime officers should not even elected however appointed. However even in circumstances the place officers are elected, their loyalty is to their salaries and to hoarding the lots of of thousands and thousands in union belongings. Which means that the struggle of Kroger staff should start with the struggle to ascertain rank-and-file management.
We’re 8,000-strong throughout the area, and over 450,000-strong throughout the US. If we will unite our struggles, we will win. However this will solely occur if we break away from the isolation imposed by the UFCW and construct this committee, which has the facility to hyperlink up staff throughout industries, throughout the nation and the world in a united wrestle in opposition to company rule.
In case you are a Kroger employee and also you wish to struggle for these calls for outlined above, fill out the shape beneath and start discussions with co-workers in your retailer right now.
Detroit Pistons (8-12, 11th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Indiana Pacers (9-10, seventh in the Eastern Conference)
Indianapolis; Friday, 8 p.m. EST
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BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Pacers -8; over/under is 228.5
BOTTOM LINE: Indiana will try to keep its four-game home win streak alive when the Pacers face Detroit.
The Pacers are 1-1 against division opponents. Indiana has a 4-3 record against teams over .500.
The Pistons are 0-4 against the rest of their division. Detroit gives up 112.0 points to opponents and has been outscored by 2.5 points per game.
The Pacers make 48.6% of their shots from the field this season, which is 3.1 percentage points higher than the Pistons have allowed to their opponents (45.5%). The Pacers average 109.5 points per game, 8.0 fewer points than the 117.5 the Pacers allow.
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TOP PERFORMERS: Tyrese Haliburton is averaging 17.4 points and 8.8 assists for the Pacers.
Cade Cunningham is averaging 23.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 8.9 assists for the Pistons.
LAST 10 GAMES: Pacers: 5-5, averaging 115.1 points, 40.4 rebounds, 27.3 assists, 9.3 steals and 5.5 blocks per game while shooting 48.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 116.5 points per game.
Pistons: 4-6, averaging 111.1 points, 47.2 rebounds, 25.7 assists, 6.3 steals and 5.4 blocks per game while shooting 44.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 113.5 points.
INJURIES: Pacers: Aaron Nesmith: out (ankle), Andrew Nembhard: out (knee), Isaiah Jackson: out for season (calf), James Wiseman: out for season (calf), Ben Sheppard: out (oblique).
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Pistons: Bobi Klintman: out (calf), Tobias Harris: day to day (hip), Cade Cunningham: day to day (hip).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – He wasn’t here long, and he is one of several one-year Indiana wonders who have taken the Hoosiers to unprecedented heights in their 10-win 2024 dream season.
The brief and glorious ride that defensive tackle James Carpenter has been on in an Indiana uniform is close to its final act.
The final game of the regular season for Carpenter and his teammates is Saturday when Indiana hosts Purdue in a 7 p.m. ET kickoff.
It won’t be Indiana’s last game as the postseason beckons, but it might be the last chance for Carpenter to bask in the appreciation of home fans who have grown to love him and some of the other Hoosiers – new and old – who have taken Indiana to a possible College Football Playoff berth.
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Carpenter will be out of eligibility after the 2024 season. Other prominent Hoosiers, transfers or not, such as quarterback Kurtis Rourke, running backs Justice Ellison and Ty Son Lawton, wide receivers Myles Price and Ke’Shawn Williams, center Mike Katic, defensive linemen Lanell Carr Jr. and Jacob Mangum-Farrar and safety Josh Sanguinetti, are among the senior-plus players who are nearing their post-college football futures.
For Carpenter, coming to Indiana and being an integral part of the Hoosiers’ 10-1 season has confirmed to him (and many of his transfer teammates) that they made the right choice to try their luck in the Big Ten after playing at a so-called lower level in the Sun Belt Conference.
“It’s really just having a chip on our shoulder. Most of us that have transferred here, we were under-recruited guys who didn’t get recruited by the schools we wanted to coming out of high school,” Carpenter said.
“So I think we’ve always kind of had that chip on our shoulder coming here, We saw a lot of stuff about how we were too small. We weren’t going to be able to play in the Big Ten. We’ve used that as motivation for us” he said.
Indiana’s James Carpenter (99) celebrates with Daniel Ndukwe (91) after Ndukwe blocked a punt during the Indiana versus Maryland football game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
That fuel has pushed Indiana’s defense to impressive heights. The Hoosiers have the best run defense in the nation, giving up just 76.1 yards per game. Indiana is third in total defense at 261 yards per contest. The Hoosiers also rank third nationally in first downs allowed (167).
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Carpenter said that defensive coordinator Bryant Haines keeps things fresh by adding layers to the defensive base principles each week.
“Coach Haines and Coach (Pat) Kuntz (defensive line coach) have definitely added a lot of different stuff. Different fronts, different pass rush schemes, a lot of different blitzes and unique looks,” Carpenter said. “They put a lot on our plate, and we welcome that.”
Carpenter – who has 29 tackles, including five sacks and nine tackles for loss – also cited a good rapport with fellow defensive tackle CJ West, himself a transfer from Kent State.
As they have grown accustomed to one another, Indiana’s run defense and push up front in pass rushing situations have become that much tougher for opponents to handle.
“In camp, we usually build upon the base level stuff. Then, each week, we’re putting in a bunch of new blitzes, different looks,” Carpenter explained. “A bunch of guys have been in the system long enough, we work well together. So they can throw a lot at us, and we’re going to go out there and execute.”
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At a minimum, Indiana will have a bowl game after its regular season finale against Purdue. However, Saturday might be the last chance for Carpenter to play at Memorial Stadium, a happy place for him as he’s concluded a college career near the top of mountain after he was barely recruited out of high school in Roanoke, Va.
Indiana’s James Carpenter (99) celebrates his sack of Maryland’s Billy Edwards Jr. (9) during the Indiana versus Maryland football game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Curt Cignetti believed in Carpenter. He was one of his first recruits at James Madison and brought him to Indiana, where both men have enjoyed career highs not known before.
Carpenter will walk on the Memorial Stadium turf on Saturday thankful for his time as a Hoosier.
“It’s definitely going to be a little bit of an emotional moment,” Carpenter said. “It’s been an incredible ride. It’s definitely going to hit me when I’m out there with my parents, but I’ll just save that for that moment.”
A moment Carpenter earned by covering himself in glory in his one season in an Indiana uniform.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana’s football rise into the national elite has been such a dizzying, intoxicating ride that it felt like it might never end.
Alas, No. 2 Ohio State dealt the Hoosiers a reality check with a dominant 38-15 victory Saturday at Ohio Stadium.
Most Indiana observers understood that a splash of water in the metaphorical face of Indiana football was likely when the College Football Playoff rankings came out.
Once revealed? It was a pretty cold splash that hit the Hoosiers late Tuesday night.
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Indiana (10-1) fell to the No. 10 spot in the rankings. Six one-loss teams (Ohio State, Texas, Penn State, Notre Dame, Miami, SMU) and two two-loss teams (Georgia, Tennessee) are ahead of the Hoosiers. Indiana is rated the worst of the one-loss Power Four conference teams.
Because of the way the College Football Playoff bracket is constructed, Indiana is the last team in the 12-team field. Two teams ranked lower than Indiana would make the field as projected conference champions.
It’s a precarious position for Indiana as its margin for error has been exhausted. Still, there are plenty of happy and heartbreaking outcomes to consider as the college football season gets closer to its pre-Playoff climax.
Here’s a few scenarios to consider after the College Football Playoff committee set the latest pecking order Tuesday.
The best-case scenario
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• If Indiana wants to go for the glory? Apart from the obvious win Indiana needs over Purdue, Hoosiers fans can hope for a Michigan win over Ohio State and a Maryland victory at Penn State. That would put Indiana into the Big Ten championship game against Oregon. A win in that game would give Indiana a bye into the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.
However, the risk in that is that if the Hoosiers were to lose, they could be out of the CFP field altogether depending on what happens elsewhere. High reward, but high risk, too.
For Indiana to get back into the playoff hosting picture? The Hoosiers probably need at least two of the following results: Georgia loses at home to Georgia Tech on Friday night, Tennessee loses at Vanderbilt, Miami loses at Syracuse, SMU loses to California at home or Notre Dame loses at Southern California on Saturday.
After the upsets that took place in Week 13? Stranger things have happened.
The most realistic good scenario
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Indiana Hoosiers wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. (3) celebrates scoring a touchdown during the second quarter against the Washington Huskies at Memorial Stadium. / Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images
• If your best-case scenario is to beat Purdue, but lose the risk of incurring a second loss by missing the Big Ten championship game? It’s as simple as beating the Boilermakers on Saturday night. Given that Indiana are currently 28.5 point favorites, that is a solid probability.
However, Indiana is looking over its shoulder, too. No. 12-ranked Clemson lurks behind the Hoosiers and has a chance at a quality win when the Tigers host rival South Carolina Saturday. Though the Gamecocks are also lurking in the No. 15 spot, it would do Indiana a world of good to have South Carolina get Clemson off Indiana’s rear bumper.
The worst-case scenario
• This is simple: Indiana loses to Purdue. Barring a litany of upsets elsewhere, a loss to the Boilermakers would be a mortal blow to the Hoosiers’ CFP hopes.
Another worst-case scenario would be if Indiana beat Purdue, but Texas A&M beat Texas to make it to the SEC championship game and then pulled a major upset in that contest against Georgia.
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That would put the Aggies in the CFP field as a bid-stealer and knock every other team down a notch. If Indiana was still on the bubble, this would cause it to burst.
The most realistic bad scenario
Clemson Tigers wide receiver Antonio Williams (0) runs after a catch against The Citadel Bulldogs defensive back Kaleb Bowen during the second quarter at Memorial Stadium. Clemson is lurking behind the Hoosiers as a College Football Playoff contender. / Ken Ruinard-Imagn Images
• Indiana beats Purdue, but not convincingly. A two-touchdown win or less is going to reflect poorly on the Hoosiers. Like it or not, style points matter.
If Indiana squeaked by the Boilermakers, in combination with a Clemson win over South Carolina and no upsets in front of them, it would be high time for Hoosiers fans to start to sweat.
Add in an Alabama win over Auburn and/or an Ole Miss victory over Mississippi State? The Hoosiers might survive it all, but the conference championship games and the reveal of final rankings on Dec. 8 would be a white-knuckle experience for Indiana.
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The most ambiguous scenario
• Indiana beats Purdue, but once again, not convincingly. However, some of the teams ahead of Indiana also lose.
Any loss by either Georgia or Tennessee would be trouble for either team as it would be their third defeat. SMU has had a great season, but the Mustangs would take a hit if they lost at home to California. Similarly, Miami has just one loss, but the Hurricanes have won their share of close shootouts during the season.
Add in wins by Clemson, Alabama and Ole Miss? Perhaps toss in a Texas A&M victory over Texas that would put the potential bid-stealing Aggies in the SEC championship game? The CFP committee would have one heckuva Gordian knot to untangle going into the conference championship games.
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