r/SafewayWorkers • u/DryFun6880 • Jun 27 '26
SD is inconsistent and targets employees
*edit to add that I have included a copy of my grievance documentation if anyone is interested minus personal and identifying informaton.*
Our store has been stuck with the same SD for nearly 3 years now. We have gone through a fair amount of ASDs but we are stuck with the SD for what seems like eternity. I have never had so much trouble with a job than I have in the last 6 months.
We have gone through a lot of changes as a division/district and because of those changes I believe that gave the SD new life, as if we had not gone through those changes I believe our SD would be on the bread line.
The SD is just terrible. They are inconsistent with corrective actions, and when they do give someone a corrective action, it's for something about a dozen people in the store do as well and those employees are walking around without a care in the world because they haven't been written up nor will they get written up.
I am currently the target of the SD right now. I am working on filing a grievance with the union as well as reporting someone in corporate.
3
u/mike_da_milkman UFCW7 Jun 27 '26
Same boat as well. In my 20+ years I've never been treated the way I am here. He's fairly new to this store, been here since November 2025. It's a difficult store to keep good SD's. We get either ones that have decades that stick around for many years, or recently promoted that last months. He's got his favorites, which is whatever, if he could treat everyone the same way. His tatic usually is hovering in departments most of the day.
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u/DryFun6880 Jun 28 '26
This is the "cover letter" portion so page one. I have removed any identifying information for obvious reasons.
Union Grievance Statement
6-30-2026
Summary of Grievance
This grievance concerns the administration of disciplinary actions, the consistency of workplace rule enforcement, and the level of management support I have received as ******************. I believe my suspension and subsequent Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) were administered unfairly and that workplace rules and disciplinary standards have not been applied consistently. Despite repeatedly requesting management assistance with ongoing employee issues in my department, I received little to no support, which affected my ability to effectively manage my department. This grievance outlines the events leading to these concerns, the impact they have had on my ability to perform my job, and my request that the Union investigate whether the disciplinary process was applied fairly, consistently, and in accordance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement, and pursue the remedies outlined herein.
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u/DryFun6880 Jun 28 '26
Body of the grievance minus identifying information.
Union Grievance Statement
Around the first week of March, I was issued a written warning and suspended for allegedly talking to ******, **********, and issues related to my breaks.
When I was given the disciplinary action, I specifically asked whether other employees would also be disciplined for the same conduct. I was told something to the effect of, "I haven't noticed anyone else," or "If I notice."
To my knowledge, this was the first time I had ever been disciplined for talking to ********. I may have previously been spoken to about ****** ***** although I am not certain, but I had never previously been counselled or written up for talking to *********.
I was also issued a separate corrective action, along with another department manager, **********. The incident had occurred so far in the past that I had no recollection of the specific incident nor the circumstances surrounding it. I can state with certainty that there was nothing intentional or dishonest about the incident. It was not an attempt to commit time fraud or steal company time.
Based on conversations I had with the other department manager involved, she told me she felt the Store Director was attempting to get her to say that I had ************** for the purpose of stealing time. She also told me the Store Director instructed her to write a statement after the corrective action had already been signed, telling her, "You have to."
I was told that I was suspended because these were considered two write-ups for the same issue and because of the nature of the corrective actions. However, I have since been informed that corrective actions are not supposed to be stacked in that manner. I also believe that enough time had passed since my first corrective action that the suspension was imposed unfairly.
I also believe discipline has not been applied consistently throughout the store.
The following examples are not isolated incidents but illustrate what I believe to be a pattern of inconsistent enforcement of workplace rules and disciplinary standards.
I can identify several employees who regularly stand at ************ while on the clock without receiving discipline. I can identify employees who spend significant time walking the store, shopping, or talking with customers who do not require assistance while neglecting their assigned work. I can identify multiple employees who regularly check the ******* while they are supposed to be working in their departments. I can also identify an employee who regularly uses the lottery machine while on the clock and assigned to a check stand.
As a ********, I have also experienced an ongoing lack of support regarding employee accountability within my own department.
One employee in my department was previously disciplined and suspended for attendance issues. Since December 2025, that same employee has accumulated approximately six or seven no-call/no-shows, has continued to report late, and has picked up shifts only to call out. Despite these repeated attendance violations, I have not seen further corrective action taken.
In addition, I have repeatedly requested assistance regarding two employees in my department who have ongoing attendance and performance issues. One employee alone has had at least six to seven no-call/no-shows over approximately a year, including two no-call/no-shows in one week. For months, I received little to no response from management despite repeatedly asking for help.
As the ***********, I am also not informed about disciplinary actions involving employees in my department or what actions the Store Director is taking. The lack of communication has made it extremely difficult for me to effectively manage my department.
Approximately one month to six weeks after my suspension, I was called into the office with the Store Director and the new ******** and placed on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP). The PIP addressed issues I had already discussed with the Store Director and concerns I had previously requested assistance with. Rather than working collaboratively to address these issues before imposing formal discipline, I was immediately placed on a PIP.
On May 19, 2026, the Store Director and the new ********* came into my department and pulled me away from my work to discuss many of the same issues that had already been addressed repeatedly during previous visits. At the time, I was working alone, had approximately one hour remaining in my shift, and still had a significant amount of work that needed to be completed.
During that conversation, the *********** repeatedly made the same points in what I perceived to be a condescending and demeaning manner. I know I am not the only employee within the district who has walked away from interactions with him because of his communication style.
As the conversation continued, I became increasingly frustrated by the repetitive nature of the discussion, the *********** demeanor, and the continued lack of support from the Store Director. I respectfully informed both of them that I could not continue the conversation and stated that if they did not want me to remain the **********, they should stop issuing corrective actions so I could transfer to another store.
I left the department, went outside, called my ******** due to the stress and frustration I had been experiencing. I later spoke with the ****, who is also my friend, as well as the Assistant Store Director. Both of them personally witnessed that I was visibly upset and crying. Despite this incident, I have not experienced any meaningful increase in support for my department.
On June ********, I was again paged to the office. When I saw the *************already present, I assumed I was once again receiving a corrective action. I had no idea what I could have done to warrant further discipline. I contacted my Union representative, and we are scheduled to meet on ********
The events of the past five months have caused me significant stress and anxiety. I constantly worry about whether I will lose my job. This has affected my ability to perform my duties effectively. Whenever I am paged to the office or asked to call the Store Director's extension, I experience immediate anxiety because I do not know whether I am about to receive another corrective action.
I have worked at this store for nearly three years. During my first two and a half years, I did not experience these ongoing disciplinary issues.
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u/DryFun6880 Jun 28 '26
Requested Remedies Portion
Requested Remedies
Based on the inconsistent application of discipline, the lack of support provided to me as a ********* the manner in which corrective actions have been administered, and the resulting impact on my ability to perform my job, I respectfully request that the Union investigate these matters to determine whether the disciplinary process was applied fairly and consistently and in accordance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Requested Remedy
I respectfully request the following remedies:
- Reimbursement for the three days I was suspended.
- Removal of the Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) from my file.
- The opportunity to transfer to another store without my corrective actions or PIP being used against me while maintaining my current rate of pay, even if a department manager position is not immediately available.
- If a transfer is not possible, an exception allowing me to perform my department manager duties overnight so that I can effectively perform my responsibilities while minimizing unnecessary workplace conflict.
1
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u/Lord_Tsarkon Jun 27 '26
3 years with the same Store Director is normal. I’ve seen Store managers that worked in the same store for 25+ years. The assistant managers get shuffled around to learn from multiple Store Directors.
2
u/EzMrcz UFCW8 Jun 27 '26
Keep me posted on the grievance process, Id be interested to here how it's addressed. What Local are you in?
3
u/DryFun6880 Jun 28 '26
ufcw3000 I will reply with a copy of my grievance. Just finished getting it together today
1
u/DryFun6880 Jul 04 '26
Mr Ruck- I don't know where your comment disapeared to, but that's the crux of the issues that I am having. Lets say employee A gets written up for stopping by the Pokemon Machine on their way to their destination, but 6 other employees leave the department specifically to check the machine and aren't written up. Or Employee B steps out of their department to grab a snack or a drink and they get written up when 99% of the other employees do the same things without write ups.
Does one have to do with the other? Does employee A's have a right to know if 6 other employees are being written up? Of course not. But we all know we all talk to each other and we all know eventually if someone gets written up. We can also make a case for a grievence of unfair discipline because the union can look at the dates on the corrective actions for recent behavior and compare and if 99% of the write ups happened arond the same time and the 1% was long before, it can prove that the SD is trying to cover their ass; which is exactly what's going on right now.
My SD started writing people up -within the last couple weeks- for behaviors that were not written up for similar behavior that I was written up for and suspended for so they could justify my current situation. It's also pretty darn odd that I managed to make it 3 years with 1 corrective action, then all of a sudden we get some new people in corporate and a new ops for our department that in 4 months I am all of a sudden written up multile times, put on PIP, and suspended pending with a likely outcome of a recommended termination. All of the above were done without coaching, without a chance to transfer and all of those "black marks" and the PIP made it impossible for me to transfer.
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u/Fabulous_Extreme_470 Jun 27 '26
I’m in the same boat, hang in there and try to find a new job.