Unions are money makers. No union has any want to be part of one staples store. Wages are so small and turn over is so high there is no money in it for a union to make. You need 50% of you store (hourly) to sign for a union. In one year if the store didn't close, half of those who signed on would have moved on and a new vote would take place. What would a union get us? Not more hours. Not more money. Not a better work environment. Just less money In our paycheck. This company breaks down to simple economics. If you store does $4m, you can average 264 hours a week (over a year) to stay in the black, figuring 22,000 sq ft building open 85 hours a week with a $30,000 a month rent. Sadly these figures Show a bleak future as wages raise, prices go up, and buildings look rattier and rattier. If it hasn't been said ten times already: get out. You're not happy. And you won't be happy with the future changes. Sticking around for the 12 weeks of Severance while on a pip is not worth the hassle and harassment. They don't want stores. Period. A union won't change their mind.
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They are setting stores up to fail. They want to drive out long term management through PiPs and stress to avoid severance, and then close the location. I have seen this exact method used repeatedly on 5 of the best GMs I have ever worked with in any company. They were well paid, but ran great stores until corp. started sabotaging them to drive them out. They were all warned by a DM that had quit that the new RVP had a hit list and they were on it.
264 hours a week divided by 85 open hours equates to 3 ( 3.1058 to be exact) associates working each hour the store is open. Then there is a GM and maybe an assistant, who's pay do not count against the 264. If there is no assistant, then the supervisors hours count against the 264.
Three people and a manager per shift are NOT enough to provide platinum customer service and keep the store up to standard!!!!
Even with 340 hours (4 associates per hour open) you still have to consider time spent opening and closing. At least 1 associate has to be in early with a Mgr to open. Then even if the staff is able to get a good close in only 1/2 hr you still have 3-4 people working for 1/2 hr after the store is closed, this equals another 2 hrs of payroll (per day, approx.) This accounts for approx. 21 hours a week of required scheduling beyond open hours.
Bottom line, Staples does not provide enough payroll to meet their expectations for store standards and customer service.