STRIKE!

Stop and Shop employees are on strike. That’s the grocery I’ve been shopping at lo these past 15 years, ever since we moved to Valhalla. We go to the one on the Southern Artery – conveniently right across from the Y. I work out and then walk the store's long aisles – laps while I peruse and purchase. That so counts as part of my workout – oh, yes it does!

The parking lot’s nearly empty now and I’m LOVING this!

What’s the strike about? The uszh. Richie Rich company wanting to nickle and dime the shit outta the workers who bring them their wealth. Details here.

One bit of blindingly parsimonious bullshit – the company wants to kick worker’s spouses off the Stop and Shop health care plan IF the worker’s own company offers health care. Doesn’t make a damn bit 'o' difference to them if that other compnay’s health care plan is over the top expensive and unmanageable and/or radically, cheeseparingly substandard.

Another point of contention is Stop & Shop’s desire to implement a so-called “spousal exclusion” to its family health care plan. The provision would mean that Stop & Shop employees’ spouses would be ineligible for health care coverage if they’re offered health care by their own employer. Company officials say they shouldn’t be effectively paying another company’s health care costs. 

The union opposes the provision, noting that it could kick approximately 1,000 employees’ spouses from the family health care plan they get though Stop & Shop, regardless of cost or quality of care being offered by their own employer. (source)

So, let’s say that spouse is me – me with my big-ass preexisting Nf2 condition. I have specific, MONDO necessary docs. The team is keeping me alive and as healthy as I’m capable. NOT all health plans will cover my specialists. You know, they say ya gotta see docs from within our “system.” Exceptions might be made if you go in to beg and jump through 80 bazillion hoops BUT that’s NOT a lock.

So these heartless, unthinking (or just uncaring) corporate suits would kick me to the curb if the company I worked for offered insurance EVEN IF that plan is exorbitantly expensive, radically sub par or wouldn’t cover my needed docs and the hospital I gots to frequent.

Can you say MEDICARE FOR ALL? Sure ya can.

Inside stores, shortages are evident. Meat and produce are rapidly disappearing from shelves, and aren’t being replaced because truck drivers in the Teamsters union are refusing to cross the picket line. (source)

Yea Teamsters!

For now, Ten and I are doing our shopping at Trader Joe’s, the local hippy groovy grocery, PetCo and Star Market.