And cross the picket lines I did!
I crossed the picket lines on Monday proudly with my head up high. No, I do not support the strike.

This is a former Benefits expert talking...After examining the proposed benefit plans here, all I have to say is, who the hell gets PPO coverage for FREE nowadays? The union members right now. The proposed plan asks them to pay $43.33 per month for the plan. I used to pay $60 where I used to work.

For those of you who don't know, PPO is the premier plan of all health plans. Unlike an HMO where one doctor or a Medical Group you choose or are assigned to (Primary Care Physician aka PCP) facilitates ALL of your medical needs (specialists i.e. x-rays), a PPO allows your to visit a specialist directly...without ever needing your regular doctor you go to!

Because of the restrictions that HMO plans offer, you usually pay less. My old company offered the plan for around $40/month...In the case of the unions, the stores are asking the union members to pay for around the same rate.

The most deceiving information that I have found about the chart is how purposely disorganized it is. The gigantic inflation of expenses are calculated upon quantity, which is labeled ONE time at the very top. Now the person who made the spreadsheet obviously knew something about tables. And I would have done some of the things to hide certain information on it too. Thus, allow me to yell that the spreadsheet is MISLEADING.

Besides...For any regular random person, who purchases 16 prescriptions per year? Most of the people I have seen at the stores are relatively young and healthy...?

And don't boohoo me about paying $25 for a brand name prescription. That's how much I used to pay...Three years ago.

For those who argue that the union members already dish out so much for union membership, I say that that is a completely different issue than what we are discussing. Take it up with your union rep. After all, the President needs to get paid and someone needs to pay for those picket signs...right?

Grocer union employees should really go out to the IGA stores over in Illinois sometime and talk to the non-union grocers there. I guarantee you; no butchers there make over $19/hr. And the difference in minimum wage is only $1.60. Consider yourself lucky, very lucky.

Oh and another thing. What gives a company not the right to make more money? Isn't that what America is all about? If you want communism, go to a communistic country. Or, get another job and pay what the rest of us pay and stop being such...sheep.

Edited to reflect the correct day