Here's Why Petco Workers Are Unionizing

Petco workers in Seattle are organizing the company’s first-ever union. They’re paid just a fraction of what other dog groomers make and say that poor training and negligent management is putting pets-and workers-in danger. They're unionizing to make the company listen.
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[@vepyr6290]

The very fact that corporations are scared of unions and spend so much money to defeat them proves their effectiveness, when even the threat of organizing can cause improvements, you know you’re onto something.

[@chernobyl169]

You may have heard the phrase "united we stand"? Yeah, unionize your workplace

[@bigsquez]

I used to work at petco. They didnt let us take our last break

[@leelindsay5618]

The only good things in employment come about through union efforts. No CEO would become a billionaire without shorting worker pay and cutting benefits. The CEOs would still be wealthy, but no worker would be homeless if they worked a full 40 hour weekly shift and got paid decently.

[@TorchicNidoran1994]

I've worked at Petco since 2016. This company has absolutely gone to shit ever since they started making us push Vital Care. Our GM walked out because he was being targeted for termination by corporate despite our store being one of the best performing in the entire country. I'm so fucking sick of this company caring more about profits than the "health and wellness" of its animals and its employees. My store has been wanting to unionize for some time now so hopefully this will kick it into gear

[@UlexiteTVStoneLexite]

I worked from 2007 to 2019. It's been getting bad since 2008. In 2007 I had plenty of hours to get everything done but they started cutting back hours in 2008 and they never came back. Pay was always terrible. I did the best job at cleaning all the animal cages (according to best practices) and even had the district manager say that they were the best cages he had seen and that he wished all of his stores cleaned them like I did. Not once did I get any recognition really other than it just being mentioned that he had said that instead they just kept telling me to do it faster. You can't do something fast and do it correct. They would tell me that other associates did it faster yet when I cleaned the cage the following session after they had cleaned it there was still bedding from the previous cleaning left in the cage which means they didn't actually clean the cage. So I'm being told to clean as fast as someone else who's not actually cleaning the cage. I was a manager for half of the time that I worked there and it was terrible. I stepped down because the extra 50 cents of pay just wasn't worth it.

[@user-tm8dv1hm2z]

YEEEEES! This is so true I work at Petco right now too. And it’s an absolute shit show

[@Sacrifishul]

i didn’t get promoted to GA because of my hard work and dedication to the health and well-being of our animals, or for making sure our store is up to standard and is functioning at its peak. i got promoted when they saw i had met my required percentage of pals conversions for the quarter. passion, hard work and dedication means nothing when your success is measured by your ability to push frequent buyer memberships and meeting unrealistic sales goals.

[@desert.mantis]

Thank you for your compassion for the animals. I wholeheartedly support your unionizing.

[@naddarr1]

Few things are worse then loving animals and getting a job where you end up seeing animals being neglected and absued. I had a job working on dairy and other farm equipment that I ended up quiting 6 months later partially because of all the times I ended up witnessing animals being abused and neglected. I requested to work on smaller farms where it occurred far less often but that work was only available a couple times a week. The primary reason I took the job was because I grew up on a farm and wanted to go back to being around animals and on farms so it really devastated me when I accepted the fact that morally I just couldn't have any part of the abuse anymore. If you love animals I really encourage you to be cautious getting a job working with animals. Your dream job might just turn into a very dark reality.

[@UlexiteTVStoneLexite]

The worst part is dealing with the bad customers that don't care about the animals and then you not getting back up from the company. I've had so many customers just put animals in completely inappropriate settings and then have the company get mad at me for not selling the animal. They wanted to put a fish that needs to be in a 55 gallon tank in a 1 gallon tank. I told them no. The customer came back months later pissed off that the fish that I told them not to purchase and would not sell to them they had purchased from someone else died and they were mad at me that the fish died when I had told them that tank was completely inappropriate for that fish.

[@Chickadee2202]

I recently got a job at a local animal shelter and even though I am super impressed with the quality of care and all, it's still hard seeing the dogs so sad and having to close the door on them looking up at me. Some of them aren't doing well in the shelter environment and desperately need a home, and some have been there for a very long time. They need more human contact and love, they need a owner, more training, and out of the loud, high stress kennels. This private shelter is about as good as you can get for a shelter, but its still not where these sweet loving creatures should be. It gets hard and heartbreaking seeing them like that and having to keep shutting the door on them, locking them in the kennel by themselves. I try to give them as much love and affection as I can but obviously that is severely limited. There's even puppies and kittens that have been here for a long time, and non-mixed breeds (mutts). Adopt don't shop and please please please spay and neuter your pets!! (Even rabbits and guinea pigs, there's a lot of those in shelters too)

[@levonowens4084]

I feel so bad for these workers. I have not taken my pet to one of these stores due to hearing about what was happening., I hope they unionize. Unions made this country great for workers. Please America fight to bring back unions to receive the compensation you deserve. Cruel Capitalism is going to be the end of America, unless workers in every industry stand up like workers used to do in this country.✨

[@Alexardelean89]

I worked at petco for 6 years we never used heated dryers. It’s just air. I can’t believe some places still do that.

[@TheMrMelodramatic]

solidarity to all workers!

[@UlexiteTVStoneLexite]

I worked for Petco from 2007 to 2019. Constantly understaffed and not able to get things done because I'm pulled into multiple directions at the same time helping customers and then getting criticized for not getting things done because I spent my whole day helping customers. You can't do your work and help the customers at the same time and then expect us to actually go and find customers and help customers. I also never was able to keep ahead in my own personal finances until I finally quit and finally got another job because they just don't pay us enough.

[@kaliphs22]

United corporations of America

[@soninalphin2771]

This one is too painful to watch.

[@twistoffate4791]

Makes me never want to take my dogs to a groomer again. I will never spend another dollar in Petco. Ever.

[@Caz1studios]

I have never had to deal with so much from one job than I did working for Petco, the only time management only cares about them animals is when corporate comes to visit, ask about the death freezer full of fish and mice that are constantly over populated in their habitats

[@victoriahope8371]

Holy f@ck, I applied for a job there at that exact petco location a year and a half ago......I got covid and couldn't do the interview. I dodged a bullet there. Yikes! The Middletown Rhode Island branch.

[@EvaRodriguez-id4yw]

I felt I was alone.....knowing other employees feel the same

[@michimatsch5862]

I mean, why wouldn't workers unionise?

[@theburnix]

Fear of losing their job because of union busting

[@michimatsch5862]

@@theburnix valid, if not always. But certainly valid.

[@daveassanowicz186]

Worked for Petco in 2010-2012 Horrible company, doesn't care about employees or animals

[@billandlizy]

Hopefully this will change companies to actually care about animals. Take care of those fish! Even feeder goldfish deserve clean tanks and space to live (in the store) stop putting male hamsters together. They will fight to the death :/ the company should also have heating lamps and humidity sprayers on a timer. Their lamps should not be on the entire day :( the people have the power to try to change companies for the better.

[@UlexiteTVStoneLexite]

We have animal Care policies that ensure that we do take care of all the animals the problem is we're not giving enough time to actually do all the steps we're supposed to do. We don't have enough time to properly clean all the cages and properly clean all the tanks. The policies are there we just don't have time to follow them and we're constantly told not to follow them. All reptile cages do have heat lamps that are on thermostats they just do not have automatic misting systems. And honestly female hamsters fight just as much. Realistically every cage should just be one hamster per cage.

[@billandlizy]

@@UlexiteTVStoneLexite and they expect young kids to educate pet owners on how to take care of the animals.

[@snakehandler87]

I worked at petco... always wanted to work at a petstore... I was the only one who cared

[@roseblondie692]

Yes to Union, it gives you a voice. Corporations don’t care about the worker’s.

[@ogzombieblunt4626]

Yes corporations care about attracting good workers. In the labor market individuals will be choosing the wages on a market level, ie negotiating for higher wages due to more experience or because there is little labor compeition. The more experienced you are the more of a say you have over the price you choose to get paid. After all these are all voluntary transactions so its not the corporations that determine pay but macro forces. Paying someone more than their productivity in the market just creates negative externalities by not allowing companies to train up newer workers which decreases the amount of available labor which increases commodity prices for everyone, making everyone poorer. A lot of people have a zero sum mindset on the left.

[@ameridesign]

@@ogzombieblunt4626 lol so wrong.

[@ogzombieblunt4626]

@@ameridesign A detailed and concise argument... thank you I learned so much.

[@Veltrosstho]

@@ogzombieblunt4626 you're wrong on multiple layers. One. You introduced political alignments into an argument for no reason, the color hat you wear doesn't mean anything, taking shots for no reason already makes you look bad. Second you claim that negotiations are the means to getting more income for experience. Please describe such an experience when the employee has no negotiating power, or the employer says no. Should we leave? Good luck getting another job with the "worker shortage". You'll be chasing applications and getting ghosted for at least a month before a solid lead, and by the time you're hired you need to pay bills, so guess what, you'll take whatever they offer. Because what other option do you have? Raising pay isn't lowering productivity, it's making a standard of living for all people. That's the whole point of minimum wage, and with people like you parroting away that rising wages devalues skilled work, nothing will change. Raising wages maintains the life style of the working class by maintaining a good ratio of lower income household wealth to inflation. Might as well start setting up some hoovervilles with the path we're going. You've got the breadth of human history in your hands and cant even just look up the past of your own country? Some patriot you are.

[@ogzombieblunt4626]

@@Veltrosstho Yes the left tends to favor keynsian economics more than the right, and keynsians typically view the economy as zero sum, at least the less educated ones who haven't studied econ. Yes it is a labor market, if you have desired skills then you have a greater ability to negotiate higher wages. If you have not devoloped skills are prior jobs then the only person to blame is yourself unfortunately. All the data suggests that people are better off today than 20, 30, 40 years ago. Wages have risen susbtantially, even since you posted over a year ago, no new laws required. Most economists agree that minimum wages have a net zero effect and maybe a slightly negative effect on standard of living, as companies will charge more for services. This is basic econ 101, you really didn't disprove anything I said.

[@Will-It-Wolf]

Eat the rich!

[@ogzombieblunt4626]

Cringe!

[@UNKNOWN_508]

If I were one of the workers I Will never Hurt animals cuz pets are like parts of the family so THIS NEEDS TO STOP ANIMALS ARE NOT TOYS

[@Sacrifishul]

was told that i was killing my stores numbers for pals conversions every day for about two weeks and was threatened to be written up for it. had my abilities as a LOD questioned and was barred from doing anything besides being on the register until i raised my pals numbers up-all the while being scolded for not getting things done on the floor. i’m a GA and constantly get pulled in every direction helping guests, working the register, doing hourly walks + changing Betta cups, checking in/cleaning crickets, AND scrambling to work pallets sometimes all in one shift. we are understaffed, overworked, and all corporate cares about is pushing vital care and frequent buyers programs. three of our groomers have walked out and i just lie to myself by saying that it can’t possibly be like this forever.

[@760mom]

Unionize!!!

[@brucehutch5419]

Petco is a major sponsor of the San Diego Padres baseball team Petco is the name on the San Diego Padre baseball park. The park is built and paid for by the taxpayers of San Diego.

[@brucehutch5419]

The state of California and the governor of California Gavin Newsom in conjunction with San Diego Gas and Electric is mandating when it's hot days temperatures be 78° or higher people not use major appliances to try to prevent rolling blackouts this is the consequence of the policy of prevention of global warming does affect Petco pets in the shop and people's pets at home.

[@sydney2292]

GO UNIONS, Go BLUE,

[@vivalaleta]

Worker co-ops are the only way to maintain fair treatment.

[@ashheilborn]

We need worker co-ops in large numbers to compete with the capitalists. If there were enough co-ops, they would take workers away from capitalist ventures that don't treat their workers well. That would, over time, create a situation where it doesn't matter where you work, everyone would be secure **because** co-ops exist. Right now, there just aren't enough of them. I want to see a competitor to Amazon that's cooperatively owned.

[@ogzombieblunt4626]

Because that worked well in Venezuela. Required Co-ops would be a complete failure as individual investors won't invest in companies they hold no shares in. Not to mention buy ins disadvantage the poorest, and with chavez they found out the co-ops were behaving selfishly so they decided to break their promise (of allowing co-ops to act without much government oversight) and take more direct control of the 60k co-ops. Its almost like humans are selfish not the system, socialism makes selfish people steal from the state and become corrupt. Capitalism makes selfish people work hard for capital gain, and that capital gained will be invested back into the market creating a more productive economy, raising the standards of living for everyone, even the poorest.

[@ashheilborn]

@@ogzombieblunt4626 you're making quite a few assumptions here. How about this for an example: Workers set a portion of their income aside in order to buy the stock back from a company they currently work at, thus the company is already established, so it doesn't need outside investment, and over 10 years or so, it will be owned by the people who work there. If someone leaves, their shares are bought back by the company, and will be distributed to the employee who takes their place. If they pay anything into it, that will be returned to them upon their departure, but they shouldn't be required to do so. Second example: two different kinds of stock. Voting stock, and owning stock. You can own a piece of the company without having any votes. That already happens quite a lot. Instead of giving the voting stock to the investors, give it to the workers, and give the investors ownership stock. Naturally, make sure they know this ahead of time. The investors can still walk away with a profit, while the workers still have a voice in how their company is run. Third idea: a company charter. Instead of running it like a kingdom, or a lawless void, write a charter that explains the operating procedures for the company. Make sure everyone follows the rules, and set up committees within the company to handle addressing problems. If the company is big enough, you could have full time departments dedicated to that. If it's not, you can still have people who do that on some days but not others. Just because it failed once doesn't mean it always will.

[@ogzombieblunt4626]

@@ashheilborn Yes required stock buys are a good way to handicap low skilled workers when they are making the least money in their lives when they start working. Especially the poorest who are in debt and need the money for paying back lenders. Owning a piece of a company without being able to vote would scare away investors. As the employees are more interested in helping themselves than paying back the investors who allowed the factory to be built and took the initial risk alongside the owners of the company. They absolutely deserve to have a say in the companies future because without them the workers productivity would be whatever the worker can make on his own or whatever the co-op raising capital from a much smaller pool of investors pays. Which is lower than what the company pays currently, if it wasn't the worker would work for himself or start a co-op. Lol ur third point is nonsense, a company charter can change based on who leads the company. Again just because a company is controlled from within doesn't mean they won't be selfish. As chavez learned 🤣

[@vivalaleta]

@@ogzombieblunt4626 What worker ownership in Venezuela? Venezuela's downfall was a mono economy. The banks loan money. There shouldn't even be stockholders! The money all flows to them in place of the workers.

[@jackrussell1601]

How do you take care of hermit crabs so bad you flood the tank?

[@warlock4hm]

the groomers work a 50% commission rate. the groom is $100 , they get $50. for them to make money more they would have to raise the prices.

[@animeluver22113]

I once taken my dog to petsmart and they didn't even finish the grooming with the excuse of him not being cooperative.. and charged full price either way. that was the only groomer to ever do that while all the other groomers (not at stores) always finished the job

[@idleflux4251]

It's still the individual's fault for killing those dogs. I get these are shit corporations but all the "I feel so bad for the workers" crap- give me a break. Grow a backbone and say no to getting overbooked, or increase your skill and get a better job/ work for yourself (yes, a lot of these groomers would actually have to develop customer service skills). A lot of these kids or grown adults can't manage their own clients or work in a higher end salon for a reason. And the customers bringing their dogs to these chop shops are clearly not seeking quality work. It's everyone's fault involved, especially these shitty ass corporations that offer ridiculously low prices and undercut their groomers who make commission. Grooming is A LOT of work, with mental focus and physical labor (something a laptop worker wouldn't understand) and they need to be paid properly for that work. If customers don't want to pay proper prices, they can learn to groom themselves and see for themselves just how much time it takes to properly groom their dogs. If you take this job and know from the get go how much their grooming prices are and what your commission is- then it's your fault for choosing this. Even if you want to attend one of their BS grooming schools to get your foot in the door- it is ultimately you, the groomer who makes the choice to allow yourself to get overbooked. Stand up for yourselves or leave, and the company will either have to change their ways or hire a bunch of illegals since they've taken away Americans' leverage against these greedy ass companies. Sorry, truth hurts! Speaking from experience.

[@BruceWaynesaysLandBack]

Once you unionize. Start threatening to take the building as a worker owned worker cooperative

[@featherjean6291]

Be careful choosing to unionize. Some unions are good. Some are not and only want to line their pockets with your money. Do the research and be wise.

[@anussurfer]

I would light that place on fire if my dog died there.

[@waynecory6101]

If you want a Union job joining a business that has a Union, be careful because the company will close down the stores and you'll be out of a job. Ask Walmart meat cutters that tried to Unionize, they were all fired and Walmart now sells prepackaged meat!

[@ogzombieblunt4626]

Unfortunately unions lobby to raise minimum wages in an attempt to price non union workers out of the market. This decreases the amount of labor in the market which allows unions to increase labor costs and the amount they pay their employees. All while increasing commidity prices because there are fewer laborers as minimum wage increases (due to many new and undereducated workers not having experience to justify paying them 15 an hour, a business owner will not hire a loyal but disadvantaged employee to train them up because paying him 15 an hour while he learns is not economically viable for many companies, minority youth unemployment used to be much lower but as minimum wage laws increased it made investing in that workforce less economically viable so now they have no jobs).

[@tomknauss570]

Reading through these comments and replies.........you made the most valid points and comparisons. Straight to the points, with proven comparisons, pit falls and rational between cooperatives, socialism’s, and capitalism. I like your work.....the way you own the comment stream.

[@ogzombieblunt4626]

@@tomknauss570 Thank you, saw all the one sided comments and at least attempted to bring some rationality and facts into the discourse. Hopefully some well meaning but ill informed people see them.

[@pegatheetoo1437]

Sometimes these pet activists scare me. They're begging for money for helping animals and providing for homeless pets. ... meanwhile there are STILL homeless vets who need our help. Just like those who want us to provide help and housing for those who enter our country illegally while snubbing those who are citizens and are forced to live on the streets. So sad that they have charity SOOO screwed up!!

[@user-ls2uq3pv1h]

As if it has to be one or the other? It's more than possible to achieve both goals with effort.

[@pegatheetoo1437]

@@user-ls2uq3pv1h But the time and money they use to put it out there, could feed many. And they're not pushing to feed people ... Only pets.

[@Kumonosuu]

Wanting your workplace to be a better environment and provide the income necessary to live hasn't anything to do with charity for the homeless. Separate the two, they're far different and do not correlate to the point being made here.

[@pegatheetoo1437]

@@Kumonosuu and therein lies the rub ...

[@Kumonosuu]

@@pegatheetoo1437 if you wanna be someone's savior, go be it then

[@joeriley3721]

So your blaming the company? Bull shit!

[@billandlizy]

Of course they're blaming the company 🤣 df do you mean

[@UlexiteTVStoneLexite]

Yes we're absolutely blaming the company. They make record profits and then can't even pay their employees. They can they just won't. I worked there from 2007 to 2019 the pay was always terrible and we were constantly overworked and understaffed. Every single day. I would have issues of actually being able to take my breaks because we don't have enough employees in the building. God forbid someone gets sick because that means I'm probably not taking a lunch because I'm the only manager in the store. Yeah the problem is the company

[@ogzombieblunt4626]

@@UlexiteTVStoneLexite If they don't pay well then people will stop applying for jobs, clearly they pay competitively with similar companies or else nobody would work there, or everyone they hire has no experience so they can justify paying less. If everyone they hire is new then their customer satisfaction plummits and they lose profit or the customers are ok with lower quality for cheaper service. This is more of a macro issue where the economy took a huge blow from overstimulating the economy, which makes people not work for awhile. They are absolutely incentivized to offer competitive pay, almost every company has a worker and supply shortage due to the trillions of dollars pumped into the economy. I would be surprised if they havn't raised wages since 2021 as wage growth accelerated in 2022 due to inflation, but it didn't keep up with inflation.

[@UlexiteTVStoneLexite]

@@ogzombieblunt4626 and then the Republicans will call people lazy for not wanting to take those jobs and the Republicans will b**** and moan over the fact that no one will take those jobs.

[@Erikthedood]

Yes they make billions of dollars in profit and don’t pay their workers living wages which they could very well afford to. If you use even a little bit of your critical thinking power you’d understand it makes sense. The company is responsible for how their business operates after all.