Happy New Year everyone! I've wanted to congratulate everyone for their hard work in 2015 that made everything possible. We couldn't have done it without you or Liquid Armour. You guys may remember in my last post I mentioned Rons 2016 Bonus Fundraiser! I have setup a forum for us to get together and discuss our plans for 2016 and how we can make Rons bonus even BIGGER AND BETTER! Everyone who reads this should create an account on the forum and join the discussion. Head on over to RonsBonus2016.freeforums.net to learn more and get started.
Now in 2014 Ron had a bonus for approx $13 Million dollars. This year his bonus is still being calculated by the compensation committee for 2015, we hope its bigger then last year. Facing the challenges of the merger, He might have to take home a smaller prize. Thats ok however. Because with our dedicated forum and planing of our future we can put together a plan to give him something even better then money! We will use these online resources to organize an office supply workers UNION!
Now I wanted to tell you a little bit about myself. I am just like you, broke, and stuck in the retail grind since 2008. I have sold Millions of dollars worth of computers and services in this industry. I have worked at other big box electronics stores in the past. Delivered excellent customer service the entire time and did it all with a smile on my face. It is now 2016 and I wanted to share with you a few pieces of my retail experience. I have received the LOWEST pay possible the entire time. NEVER RECEIVED ANY COMMISSION. Hired at $8 and hour and maxed out at $13 and hour. I ask myself how is this considered good compensation for the difficult work that I do? I know of people in McDonalds making more then I do to flip burgers. My job consists of selling Computers and protection plans, Repairing Computers, resolving complex technical issues, pushing snake-oil products, and meeting quotas. Thats only the tip of the iceberg for what is done in the retail store environment and we all know that. For the hard work we do we should be paid a living wage.
Now all that happens at the store level, Corporate on the other hand is very bloated, indecisive, inconsistent, and of course overpaid. How can we have an error in our nationwide Advertisement every week? How can we be expected to do so much with so little Labor hours? Why are our most important systems (cash registers, Internet, Website etc...) so poorly designed, so slow, and insecure (don't forget the data breech we had)Why are we trying to buy our competitor? Why don't we focus on delivering a better service and product?
I would say that the bonuses paid to these "corporate leaders" should be reinvested into the company itself to bring it into the 21st century. The money would And then after so a much larger amount dispersed to the hardworking employees that made it all possible. If a store makes its budget the employees in the respective departments should make a bonus. They did the work they should get the reward. A few employees make bonuses currently but not the tech or office supply sections.
Not too long ago the sales industry was paying huge amounts, I constantly hear stories of appliance salesmen who made over 100k per year selling computers, cellphones, stoves and refrigerators. Over the course of time these commission payments were retracted and forgotten about with the employee turnover that ensued. Now all that extra money goes to the top to fund luxury homes, cars, stock options. All at the expense of your hard labor....
I say enough is enough! Its time we formed a union to represent our interests in this industry. With a nationwide office supply workers union we can could demand the pay, supplies, resources etc... we deserve. We can make a better living, Raise our kids right, have inexpensive health insurance, quit living paycheck to paycheck, Finally drive a car and own a home. Why should we keep enabling the corporate level to take advantage of us?
At this point I'm just an tech employee angry at what the model has become and I'm here to help us make a change! I have little knowledge of forming a union just like you. But if we work together and use our resources I'm confident we can make this happen! We will use the anonymity of the internet, Our collective computer knowledge, our family resources (Lawyers, Accountants, etc..) And we will make this real.