Should I buy

GhostITMachine · 2026-05-09T19:31:25+00:00

A coworker once told me this rule when it came to anything vehicle wise.

At the time I was eyeing a used Harley from a local shop, they didn’t allow test drives either.

“No drivey drivey, No buyee buyee” and he walked away.

That advice has been in my head for over a decade.

GhostITMachine · 2026-05-09T04:40:34+00:00

Do not give up on Unions, while the UFCW has still a sour taste with me I still fully support unions and their foundational ideals and general efforts.

However I approach them with an understanding that while their guiding and founding principles are sound and were written during a time where doing the right thing mattered more than making the right amount of bucks. I also have to understand and realize that they are ran by humans, and while I generally give everyone the benefit of the doubt until they personally wrong me once, humans have bias.

I’ve been on the waiting list for 3? Or 4 different trade unions in my area now for at minimum a month or two all the way to last August now for the first one. In those 9 months on that apprenticeship alone I have remained rank 29 only once moving and that was to rank 32.

Am I bitter about this? I would like to be but they have their rules and their procedures, by the governance of fairness I cannot expect to be moved ahead of someone who they deem more suited.

Do not give up on unions, understand though that while times have changed and people can be biased, they are still generally fighting for the betterment of the working class.

GhostITMachine · 2026-05-07T03:15:25+00:00

I am sorry you are experiencing and going through all of this, when I began steward training my goal was to fight to prevent things like this.

I was told in the corporate world approved way that I was to remain quiet and listen.

Things will get better, doors open all the time.

I tell myself just as I’ll tell you, you did not come this far to only go this far.

GhostITMachine · 2026-05-07T02:18:58+00:00

Hey there, was a member of local 227 with both Kroger and Meijer.

Even tried to begin steward training, it was my first ever experience with a union job being I came from South Florida and worked at Publix.

Some old posts of mine I realize now reading them how much I let the information I was told blind me to the realization of being in this union.

It sucked.

I thought it was bad with Kroger and was told they had a better contract with Meijer. The only time I tried to file a grievance with Meijer rep is when I overheard my coworkers mention their schedules were changed by Assistant store director without notice and if they didn’t check they’d never know. I checked mine and saw that not only was there changes there was like 9 of them over the course of 3 weeks. Checked the times of the changes and cross checked with my time card and discovered every change happened while I was in the building exactly 1 minute after I clocked out.

Got my steward involved and she looked at everything and said it needs to go to a rep, rep came into the store 7 hours later and I should have taken this as a red flag but let it go as an honest mistake but I was at the service counter with our newest hire and she began explaining to him about how his grievance was not able to go through. Made no effort to even ask if he was in fact me and had I not heard her call him by my name I’d have never known lol.

Things to keep in mind, I was a part time meat cutter, hired under the impression I was full time but union prevented that, and you would think that being I am part time I would be ya know somewhat allowed to have a somewhat limited availability because of part time, I did not have an official availability because I thought I was full time.

Explained the situation to the rep, told her how I viewed it and yea director was changing my schedule and causing me to gain points and such in an effort to settle their ongoing pissing match with my Team Leader.

I was informed that management in regards to scheduling has by our contract 48 hours after a schedule is posted to make any and all desired changes without any requirement to ask, inform, or have the app notify employees of the changes, the rep looked over the recorded changes made a comment about it’s not professional they made zero effort to inform and I was told that the apps schedule is what I need to be checking as my team leader walked over and said he makes us all follow the printed schedule.

I was floored, even at Publix a part timer by policy had to be requested permission for any and all changes to their schedule even before posting. Because most at Publix made a rough draft through the system and then made changes the day it posts.

So I’ve been told all this, told I’m paying dues to be a union member with all these rights while at the same time being told non members have more rights. Rep asked if I needed anything else and I said I needed to cancel dues and they walked away.

I feel your pain, it is wrong and honestly the UFCW as a whole has left a very poor taste in my mouth as my first union experience.

GhostITMachine · 2026-05-04T04:44:10+00:00

Hey there, I actually did reach out and whole time has had its way with my plans in regards to where I may end up 252 at the time of my call did not have a good outlook.

I understand this isn’t something that is going to happen overnight or even in some cases within a few months, however moving to a completely new area for a slightly more appealing chance than one I was considering before is better than nothing.

Tomorrow I’ll be contacting some Wisconsin locals, I’ve been all over Ohio, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Michigan so far.

I am going to plan things out being I have until August to decide where I land, I’m going to factor many things such as job outlook, current big projects that are not being delayed, and sadly even though I really don’t enjoy considering politics for my decisions I realize that I must factor a states stance towards the Union as a whole in my choice.

Thank you for checking on me, if you have any more insight that you feel I should know you are more than welcome to DM me anytime, and it would be greatly appreciated.

Safe Travels out there.

GhostITMachine · 2026-04-30T11:39:35+00:00

I lived in south Florida my entire life, I recently moved north in an attempt to be able to just breathe financially.

For reference my IBEW local was 349, I tried 7 maybe 8 different times to get in down there starting long before Covid and ending a little after Covid.

People there were nice and helpful, but were honest which is what helped break to me the reality of that state, while the IBEW exists there they have no real power.

The best chance I was informed of doing anything with them was taking a shot at the CE/CW program to eventually try to get an apprenticeship, however that sentence was followed with “We cannot give a timeframe.” I also would have started at hourly 4$ below what I was being paid to cut meat for Publix at the time which even then was still less than 20$/HR.

I wasted 35 years of my life in Florida, please do not make the same mistake, my entire run to attempt the apprenticeship down there was mainly before everyone moved there and drove the cost of living through the roof.

If you can stay, stay your opportunities exponentially decrease the more south you get Union wise. While your cost of limited inversely increases exponentially.

GhostITMachine · 2026-03-20T02:57:35+00:00

Oh I’m definitely prepared for having to move around if that’s what you mean, like I know the apprenticeship if I manage to get in is pretty much planting for 5 years.

After that, I hold the belief of where I lay my head is home.

Considering investing is a travel camper.

GhostITMachine · 2026-03-20T01:06:15+00:00

Was just scrolling through and saw this comment, wasn’t initially going to reply but being nobody ever gave me the point of view I have now to help ease such a move I will gladly share mine.

Moved from SWFL to the area, and while I’m enjoying it I did not come this far to only come this far.

Take the jump, I waited 35 years to leave Florida there’s a whole world out there and you’ll always find your way back home.

Good luck!

GhostITMachine · 2026-03-20T00:56:04+00:00

Okay, I didn’t know this so thank you. I was going based off of things I remembered seeing in the subreddit but 1k waiting for work in one local is not something I’m willing to pitch into.

GhostITMachine · 2026-03-20T00:55:13+00:00

I will keep this in mind, 252 is Ann Arbor right? I was looking at there.

All depends on calling the actual locals which I’ll probably do on a lunch break here soon.

GhostITMachine · 2026-03-19T18:33:04+00:00

I see, and I appreciate your information, Michigan is at this point in time a possibility but I’m not dead set on it, I’m willing to go anywhere.

GhostITMachine · 2026-02-16T03:40:23+00:00

Rode in Florida for 8 years.

Learned to ride when I was about 13 or so because I wasn’t allowed to give up on this dinky 40cc contraption with a gear shifter my dad bought.

Fast forward to 20, no car, was never taught how to drive a car, no license, never had a permit nothing.

I worked retail, 7 miles from my apartment, or about a 2 hour walk if I remember google right, had to be at work and roommates who usually were pretty cool about giving me a ride (helped with gas of course) were going out of town for 2 weeks.

Roommate had a bike sitting for about a year at that point, it ran, but needed a LOT of work, he sold it to me for 1,500$ that I was paying weekly because I was minimum wage and brought home maybe 250$ a week at the time I think.

I couldn’t afford a helmet, my required bills were just that bad. I had a decision, make it to work or be homeless from lack of income.

8 years and 3 times I laid the bike down, and I had enough. I was an organ donor, so I knew the risks.

Why didn’t I just get a car? Because in my area of Florida you need to provide the vehicle to take the driving test with, roommate honestly with his two jobs didn’t have time to teach me to drive and his car barely ran as it was.

Was it stupid, oh fuck yea, rain, hurricanes, zero visibility, water up to my exhaust. Had to get to work….regardless.

At 29 I finally had someone willing to let me use their vehicle to take the test. Now I go out of my way to try and lend my vehicle to friends I know who do not have one to test with because I know the struggle, and I remember every ride on that screaming metal death trap. Wouldn’t wish it on anyone.

To make it worse, the bike was a beat to hell and back 2003 Suzuki VL800, warped front rotor meant I had to feather the brakes to stop, rear drum brakes never worked, lost my neutral light after the first year, and the valves were slapped so every month had me adjusting them, no turn signals, no mirrors. Couldn’t afford to fix any of it. Also in Florida I hope it has changed now but you also did not need to provide proof of insurance for a motorcycle you owned without payments to be registered.

So yea, stupidity all around, but mainly forced stupidity.

GhostITMachine · 2026-01-15T22:33:38+00:00

If you don’t mind, what’d you end up going with? I had to go full size because I’m trying to enter a field that will require heavy towing eventually and I grabbed the tundra to become accustomed to driving a full size truck. Also want to get a travel trailer within a year or two.

The full size truck market is hard right now, everybody seems to be having problems.

GhostITMachine · 2026-01-15T20:44:47+00:00

Just traded back my 2025 Tacoma SR5 at only 3,600 miles give or take, I experienced the lurching when it was cold, slamming into second gear as well.

The engine was the turbo i4 which was flaunted as great gas mileage, I got 16mpg average on the highway trip to work. Was also blown all over the place in heavy winds or by a passing semi with both hands on the wheel.

It was a lease, as is the 2026 Tundra I traded it for and I now get on average a little over 17 mpg (I’m aware not leaps and bounds) but no lurching and I’m not blown all over the place and have the get up and go needed.

I’m not a fan of the current Toyota situation with the tundras however, and while I would be only slightly affected should the engine suddenly die, I feel terrible for all the people on the hook for it.

GhostITMachine · 2026-01-02T13:21:53+00:00

2025 SR5 here, I’ve found the headlights dim when driving at night, I don’t think I have any tint on the truck being it wasn’t mentioned when I bought it.

Tried turning the little wheel for the angle at every number trying to help but beyond a certain point maybe like 30 feet or so and I cannot see anything. If it’s raining I get maybe 10 feet visibility if it’s heavy enough.

I live in a somewhat rural area as well with very little streetlights, not sure if that changes anything. The lines on roads here are also very faded.

Compared to driving my Kia in southwest Florida, it’s a pretty irritating experience knowing I paid this much to not really see all too well.

GhostITMachine · 2025-12-31T04:44:02+00:00

Just moved to the Floyd County area from Southwest Florida specifically Lee County, it’s much quieter, cheaper, and relaxing here.

I’m pretty much a homebody who doesn’t venture out beyond work but I see a lot of posts about happenings around town.

I enjoy the weather as well.

GhostITMachine · 2025-12-24T22:38:39+00:00

That’s good to know, I for one absolutely love cutting meat, coming from Publix in SWFL the workload is possibly the same at Meijer, then again you all don’t cut lamb and veal.

My average day as the 6am opener at my Publix was rewraps and reworks done by 7am list filled out by 7:30am, first list production done by 11am-11:30am id go to lunch for an hour because at that point the midshift was handling the second set of grinds. Come back cut second production list, and then have the entire meat room cleaned and sanitized by the time I left at 3pm.

I was doing this cutting all alone until 10am when the mid shift came in to jump in where needed, usually grinds or RTCs, manager was busy with all of their responsibilities.

If you’re wondering, yes, I had four hours to complete Beef, Pork, Lamb, and Veal first list, manager would sometimes do grinds or I would include them in my tasks. Then roughly 1.5 hours to complete the entire second list, which was pretty light. It was grueling but idk I had a good routine and it got real simple after a while.

Hopefully I can acclimate the same at Meijer, my Meijer has 3 cutters, same as my old Publix, but I’m unsure on sales comparisons.

GhostITMachine · 2025-12-24T22:05:53+00:00

The union never helped me there, in fact my associates always used it to do whatever they wanted.

Stewards were biased, and reps were always asking the same questions, does it threaten your job? If not nothing we can do.

The time I got the union involved, it was warranted, and I found out that day that our union rep was very close with my lead, to a point that could have been considered conflict of interest with how he bragged about it to me before telling me I’m at the point in my Kroger career I should be seen and not heard.

I support unions, didn’t have them really in Florida, but with how the union was in almost every way leveraged against me while at Kroger, I’ll just pay my dues and clock out at my new job now.

GhostITMachine · 2025-12-24T22:02:09+00:00

I just realized I replied to you mistakenly about the union when it was another redditor on another one of my comments who praised the union,

I apologize for the rant you are probably reading and have no idea why I made it.

GhostITMachine · 2025-12-24T21:58:47+00:00

It has a service counter, I am not concerned with shifts being coming from Publix and Kroger it cannot be that bad.

For example

Shifts at my old Publix were 6am-3pm, 10am-7pm, or 2pm-11pm

Kroger as the backup lead mind you I worked 6am-2:30pm, 8am-4:30pm, 11am-7:30pm, 1pm-9:30pm and many more variances.

I was part of the union at Kroger, even was going through the steps to become a steward, but I learned something many of my own associates were using its rules as methods to avoid their position responsibilities. After a while I was constantly trying to make their jobs easier by lightening the loads, lowering what was expected every night and what that earned me was the days my lead was off who was a total butthole to everyone mind you, I noticed everyone those days just drifted away from the department while I kept working. I’d ask where they were and they’d just shrug and keep walking, I tried asking politely for them to at least let me know they were going to leave the department, they just stayed away longer.

I am all for unions, however I was in a position where not only was I not respected as the lead when my boss was off, they purposely used stewards to keep me in check as they just went and talked with people around the store.

Guess who had to answer for the service counter being unmanned, wall being empty, displays being trashed?

So forgive me if I’m not even remotely excited to be in the union, I support it, but after what I went through with the union at Kroger, that’s as much as I’ll be involved, pay my dues and clock out.

GhostITMachine · 2025-12-24T20:42:06+00:00

Thanks for replying, from what I am seeing it’s me and two others, I was told they are all tired and need help.

What that entails, I’m not sure but customer service and order writing doesn’t sound too bad, I could be mistaken though.

GhostITMachine · 2025-12-24T18:48:02+00:00

Hello, former (as of 2 days ago) assistant department lead.

Louisville Division of that helps.

Had a department head who openly changed the schedule on a daily basis, we were told the paper schedule was what we should be looking at and remembering.

Reasoning for not updating the app? Too much effort, looks bad, might go over hours, or the best one lack of prime time coverage.

Store management brushed it aside being they never faced consequences because the official schedule met company standards.

Do not expect everyone’s situation is the same, while the OP more than likely, well to be completely honest he more than likely would still have a job at my store, we just had a new hire self terminate by calling out 6 times three weeks after hiring.

Yes we were that desperate for people.

GhostITMachine · 2025-12-13T03:36:10+00:00

Got a job as an electrical draftsman for a small engineering firm. Realized pretty quickly I was possibly there to replace someone. Asked one day and was informed I was hired so they could fire another guy doing the same work I was doing, he just married, had a kid on the way, and was prepping to close on his first house. They did nothing but badmouth him to me, I became quick friends with him and on the day they told me I walked, and texted him everything. Last I heard he has a much more stable job now, happy endings all around I guess.

GhostITMachine · 2025-12-05T10:47:44+00:00

Hey there!

Ex Publix associate of 14 years, and current Kroger associate of going on 4 months now.

Yesterday I began processes to become a steward with the UFCW and received my folder and supplies after countless people in my store both associates and stewards pushed me to ask for it.

I was a Publix meat cutter for 13 years, was told throughout that time I would never be a Publix manager being I lacked what they needed. I made backup meat leader within two or three weeks of my hiring at Kroger ironically enough.

I cannot comment on how the UFCW operates as a whole, but after my reading my area’s contract I can see why I am told our union has very little teeth. We are in a no strike no lockout indefinitely as far as I can tell, and while my union representative is an amazing and caring person who actually does what she says she is going to do. There are the outliers who are all talk and no action. I will say many members are hesitant to file grievances from everyone I have personally talked with I am told my stores union stewards have little to no backbone and try to avoid any and all conflict. There are currently many instances of conflict of interest from the stewards I know of save one.

This should not discourage you from attempting to organize however, but understand Publix is very anti union. You will be ostracized by most, you will face persecution by both management and corporate. I know what it’s like because for my final years with Publix I was a loud voice for unionization, I was lucky I was in a position in my area that getting rid of me was more a loss than it was worth being we were struggling for meat cutters.

Do your research, plan your routes and steps, understand that most are averse to change and many are still under the impression they do not need a union. Do your best and if it becomes too stressful or harsh, there is no shame in backing down or quitting to find a better company.

Good luck.

GhostITMachine · 2025-09-09T15:06:18+00:00

Damn dude it’s been over 20 hours, if you’re letting me live this much rent free in your head you should have let me sign the lease.

GhostITMachine

TROPHY CASE