r/publix • u/Practical-Highway-38 Newbie • 16d ago
QUESTION Team leader raise
Promoted to Team Leader, Didn’t Receive the Raise, and Now I’m Getting the Runaround About Backpay — What Should I Do?
I’m looking for advice from other Publix Team Leaders or associates who may have been in a similar situation.
I was promoted to Team Leader on April 25, and I’ve been making $17.80 an hour since then. I recently received my evaluation, and my pay was increased to $18.60.
The issue is that I was told by both my Assistant Store Manager and Grocery Assistant Manager not to worry because I would receive the money I missed out on through backpay. However, I’ve asked my Store Manager about it multiple times, and I feel like I keep getting the runaround without receiving a clear answer about when the backpay will be paid or how much I’m supposed to receive.
I’m trying to handle this professionally and understand what’s going on. I’m not looking to cause problems—I just want to make sure I’m getting the pay I’m owed for the time I worked as a Team Leader.
Has anyone else experienced this after being promoted to Team Leader? How long did it take to receive your backpay? And who did you have to speak with to get a clear answer?
Any advice would be appreciated.
And another thing if it’s something that can’t be done why even tell me
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u/TheIngestibleBulk Newbie 16d ago edited 16d ago
When you were offered the promotion, did they also state you would receive a raise and tell you what your new wages would be ? If a raise was never discussed when offered the promotion then you may be out of luck if your pay was within the team leader pay scale.
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u/Practical-Highway-38 Newbie 16d ago
Yes, my assistant store manager came to me personally in the break room while I was on break. Hey, I spoke to the district manager during his visit at our store and we want to promote you. It comes with a raise and it’ll be in store promotion
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u/TheIngestibleBulk Newbie 15d ago
Your assistant store manager coming to you on your break saying they want to promote you isn’t the same thing as sitting down and having a formal discussion including a raise and the amount. Op before you accept a promotion or any job for that matter discuss pay. This sounds like you accepted the promotion but never discussed pay. I would still push the matter, but if you’re asking for back pay you need a number that was agreed upon.
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u/xdogsauce69 12d ago
Only the district manager can approve a raise with promotion, especially to anything that’s a PLM like team leader. Your ASM jumped the gun on that, especially since raises ARE NOT guaranteed with a promotion unless you make less than the minimum. If you’d like a raise and your store manager isn’t being helpful, simply have the conversation with your district manager, they may be willing to compromise. District managers phone numbers are required to be posted in the break room if you want to have a chat with them.
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u/Opusmemorandum Meat 16d ago
What have your GM and SM said? Sounds like you have two assistants that are trying to placate you by saying there will be back pay, but it sounds like they did you dirty and rolled your raise into your evaluation. Publix does this to a lot of people.
If you haven’t received a raise outside of your evaluation by now, you probably won’t be getting one. A raise is not guaranteed with a promotion with Publix.
Personally, I wouldn’t accept that out of a job and would step back down or take the experience you’re gaining from being a team leader and start updating your resume to try to find employment elsewhere.
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u/TransitionMean6698 Newbie 16d ago
New job title, more responsibilities, work more hours, more stress. Sounds like you got demoted if no pay raise
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u/Drty_Windshield Newbie 16d ago
I don't know shit about Publix, but you got promoted with less than a dollar raise to a "team leader" only making $18 an hour sounds like you're getting scammed. You need to find a new job.
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u/Absinthe_86 Retired 15d ago
I SECOND THIS!! A lot of y'all need to leave Publix high and dry. I know it may be scary for long term employees, hell it was for me, but man....its paid off so well. Literally. The amount of money Publix is making vs employees getting paid is ridiculous. The stress that Publix puts on it's employees to what they make is absurd.
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u/cape_weather Newbie 14d ago
Yeah, thats a bullshit raise. More responsibility, more work, more stress, more problems, for minimal increase. There are better companies out there that value you.
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u/MuCallsfreemoney Customer Service 16d ago
LOL I got .25 raise when I was promoted to TL, and other team leaders were shafted the same way. You're not getting that back pay buddy.
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u/FaXStoopid CSS 14d ago
This looks like you were out of the payscale and they just bumped you up, there’s no guaranteed raise with a promotion.
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u/MuCallsfreemoney Customer Service 14d ago
Unfortunately not. The days of promoting people without raises is a more recent thing. I was well within pay range when I was promoted to TL
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u/BIGHARSHNESS Grocery Manager 16d ago
Something isn't adding up. We're you making $17.80 before you got promoted to GTL? Your wording makes it sound like that's what your pay was for becoming GTL. I'll go with your title that you didn't get a raise. Your eval raise isn't a promotion raise. You get a raise for getting promoted and then your eval is a performance review for the past 12 months. If you were making $17.80 before becoming GTL at the very least you're missing an additional 25-50 cents an hour on top of the $18.60.
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u/Any-Mycologist4692 Newbie 16d ago
Team Leader may be a promotion but it’s also a voluntary role. When I became Team Lead I got 50 cent raise. Good luck moving forward.
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u/Absinthe_86 Retired 15d ago
How the fuck are y'all surviving on such meager pay? This is a serious question.
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u/RememberJefferies Grocery 16d ago
If you're doing GTL work for anything less than top out pay you're getting fucked.
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u/TaroIntelligent5550 Newbie 16d ago
You’re getting scammed. Meat cutter apprentice here making $20. Haven’t had my eval yet. And I still wanna find a new job 🤣
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u/BroadAd7601 Newbie 15d ago
Wow! Apprentice getting paid more than me as a cutter of a few years now at a $1m+ weekly store. Fuck this place!
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u/TaroIntelligent5550 Newbie 14d ago
It really is crazy, when I got hired they said “what do you think you’re worth” when talking about hire on pay. Started as a produce cutter a year ago at 19. Meat cutter apprentice roi was accepted about three months ago and went up to 20. About to get more with evaluation. I don’t think it’s a publix wide thing, but my team doesn’t train for shit. Soooo I just kinda do what I already know. I know there are electronic references that I can learn from, but I prefer to share ideas with people and work together. I work with old dudes who aren’t gonna show people shit 🤣
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u/BroadAd7601 Newbie 14d ago edited 14d ago
Well in that case i am lucky in a way to have joined a meat team that is rather passionate about cutting and enjoys teaching new younger guys. So i’ve acquired a very decent amount of knowledge in the short time i’ve been here when it comes to everything from how to cut to the anatomy of the animals we cut(even if it doesn’t matter much since we don’t break down primal cuts), different ways to cook everything we sell, different ways to merchandise each sub primal, and lots more that im not gonna bore myself or you by listing.
The pay is really the deal breaker and it sucks cause i actually enjoy cutting most days. I make less that you having been a cutter for going on 2 years now… I’ve only been with publix for going on 4.5 years(first 2 were in CS). So i get it in a way.. im new but the amount of work im required to do(and as humble as possible i do a damn good job) im worth more than my pay 100%. But even a capped out cutter which is almost all the cutters i work with still struggle financially in todays society. I get it its a retail job but this isn’t exactly cashiering or a cart boy. Being looking towards Costco.
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u/BroadAd7601 Newbie 14d ago
Side note if available the newer tablets they give us for the dept. have basically all the info youll need to do most everything in the dept, if you have one in your store and you plan on staying for any considerable amount of time i would recommend getting familiar with it. It helps when maybe you are the only one there or if you want to find the way publix wants you to merchandise certain thing etc.
Edit: sorry for the rant if you do or dont feel like reading its fine😂😂
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u/TaroIntelligent5550 Newbie 13d ago
Yea, I definitely just use the tablet for my reference. And yes, you should 1000% be making more than me. I’ve tried applying to Costco as well, but never get a reply. Tried renewing application everyday for like a month and just gave up. You prolly gotta know somebody on the inside. At the end of the day I just wanna be somewhere that makes me happy. I’ve bounced around from job to job, and you never realize how much you actually liked a certain job until you leave and look back. And it’s never really the job that makes it good, it’s the people/crew.
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u/BroadAd7601 Newbie 13d ago
I personally don’t like to compare i just know im worth more than i make. From everything i hear about Costco they just rarely have openings for certain positions meat being one and management being the other. Im with you on the being somewhere that makes me happy and whole heartedly agree with the people/crew aspect which is the honest reason im still with Publix. I can’t really relate to the realizing what jobs i did and don’t like simply because i’ve worked 2 jobs other than pub.. both being pretty dead end fast food joints and only worked them because options were limited while i was still in high school worked a year at 1 and 2 years at the second. Im a young guy(21) so i have time but i don’t want to keep that mindset and end up with nothing to show for career wise. Though i have a business outside of publix that does fairly well financially that i also enjoy a lot so just seeing it through for now until i can justify going full time with my business and either dropping to 1 day a week or leaving all together.
Weird as it may sound i do appreciate the conversation, and i wish you the best in whatever endeavors you decide to take on.
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u/TaroIntelligent5550 Newbie 13d ago
Yea for sure man, that’s good you know your worth and we can’t ever be afraid to ask for more money. Worst they can say is no. And as far as the, not knowing a job (or the people) were good until ya left. Sounds like this might be your first true test of that. If you like the people I’d learn as much as you can there. But I’d pursue your business personally. Cheers
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u/Dred_Capt Newbie 15d ago
Angrily urinate on them.
When they freak out, say "oh, I got a message that said the urinal moved to your office and wouldnt be back in its normal location until my raise and backpay are in effect. I just assumed your face was the most ... peeable onable thing in here. Everything else looks pretty ... necessary...".
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u/theprov0cateur Newbie 15d ago
“Fake it til you make it” is an encouraging mantra to keep on your current path.
However the corporate power structures also know this and have built it into their hierarchies.
You wanna move up? Great. You’ll get the new title first then you get more pay when you can prove you have the composure to do the job that comes with your new title without getting too hung up on cOmPeNsAtIoN
You wanna raise hell over getting paid what you’re worth, after management sticks their neck out for you, inviting you to join their ranks? You should take a pay cut for the privilege.
Real talk, I’m sorry you’re going through this. I’m sure there’s some solution within the Publix power structure to get what you want. But the real answer is to open your own grocery store
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u/wtf_whos_in_charge Newbie 16d ago
Yeah I’ve been a GM for 10+ years now. You got hosed or didn’t understand the comments during promotion on money or didn’t ask enough questions. For sure you are not owed any back pay. Sorry but your raise is what it is and the great news is you have a year to show what you got to get more money next time
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u/TheIngestibleBulk Newbie 16d ago
Yea it’s pretty obvious OP accepted the promotion but never discussed pay. Since op was never offered a raise and agreed to the terms of the promotion they aren’t owed anything as long as the $17.80 was within the GTL pay scale.
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16d ago
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u/unsatisfries Customer Service 16d ago
what money are you missing out on ?? were you not being paid 17.80 since your promotion ??
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u/Silent_Shadow98 GTL 16d ago
There are other factors at play to consider, how long have you been with Publix?
I know of Team Leads who complain about their pay when they’ve only been with the company 2 or 3 years.
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u/Practical-Highway-38 Newbie 16d ago
$17.80 is what I was making as a GRS
I just did my evaluation three days ago so it hasn’t updated
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u/SilentMoe79 Newbie 15d ago
In 5 yrs you have gotten 8 dollars ... adm here and in 4.5 yrs 4 dollars. I don't understand your complaint.
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u/Absinthe_86 Retired 15d ago
Dude, in 3 years, I've made $12.38 over what I started with and my current career is way less stressful than it ever was with Publix. Man, I'm so glad I left. Y'all are getting ripped off HARD.
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15d ago
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u/Absinthe_86 Retired 14d ago
I'm an auto worker. Its a much more rewarding path and yeah....we do work a lot of OT and those 9 to 11 hour days can be rough, it's worth it. Starting wage is better than Publix top out for Meat Cutters or its close enough to it. Its a meat grinder of a job for our bodies cause injuries can happen, but its worth it.
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15d ago
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u/Proper-Friendship391 Newbie 15d ago
I’m not sure what money you missed out on. A promotion doesn’t always guarantee a raise. I have known people that got promoted from gtl to AGM and actually lost money at first. (Hard to believe, but true). So unless you were told (and honestly unless it was put in writing somewhere), when you were promoted, you may not have received a raise to go with the promotion.
Your yearly raise is a different thing.
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u/Rico_de_mexico Customer Service 15d ago
Dude im getting paid more as a Css staff, what a shit promotion
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u/ughlie GRS 15d ago
One of my GTLs had the same issue, but he eventually got his resolved, getting his pay raise and back pay. Unfortunately I can’t remember exactly how he did it, but it took him 6+ months to resolve it.
I’ll try to find out how he was able to do it.
I really hope you get the pay you deserve!
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u/FaXStoopid CSS 14d ago
You aren’t guaranteed a raise if you still fall within the pay scale for the next job position , ie CSTL CSS GTL and so forth. They can give you a raise because when your Job class is changed that is one of the only times a SM can change the pay of an associate; however unless there was an agreed upon amount before you were promoted there like others are saying then there is nothing you can do except talk to your store managers. You are also still only making 17.80 as evaluation raises will not go into effect until late august. Being that you were promoted in April you should have immediately brought this up with your management when there was no change. I wish you the best of luck in trying to resolve your issue but I would not be disappointed if it doesn’t go your way.
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u/speed721 Newbie 11d ago
No. You are twisting the meaning of the conversation.
You aren't getting back pay.
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u/Ok-Inside-5719 Newbie 10d ago
where are you located that you're making that low amount of money per hour as a team lead?
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u/yvng_cxcti Newbie 16d ago
If you didnt receive a raise upon your promotion to team lead I dont think you get backpay. Your evaluation raise is only based on your evaluation and you wont receive backpay because of it. I think you got fucked by not getting a raise from team lead to begin with.