FAQ: What a Strike Could Mean for You and Your Paycheck

Questions to ask the union if they choose disruption.

Will I be paid?

If you strike, you will not be paid by the company, since you will not be working any hours at your store. You also will not be receiving pension contributions that are tied to hours worked. Your health care benefits could end at some point, and that depends on when the strike occurs and how long it lasts. If that happens, you and your family will be eligible to pay for insurance through COBRA.

It is up to the union if they will provide strike benefits and how much.

Ask the union these questions and remember to get their answers in writing:

• If there is a strike and I honor it, will I be paid?
• What are the requirements to get paid?
• How will I receive my pay?
• When will I be paid? Will I be paid weekly, bi-weekly, monthly?
• Will the union take out federal taxes?

What happens to my benefits if I decide to strike?

• Associates participating in a strike would not receive employer contributions to their pension or health care benefits that are tied to hours worked.
• Associates participating in a strike may jeopardize future coverage based on eligibility rules like hours requirements. For example, if an associate chooses to strike and isn’t working, there would be no hours recorded for the time they are on strike and their future eligibility for health care benefits could be at risk.

Will union leadership continue to receive full pay?

• Ask the union: will your pay and benefits continue as I go out on strike, risking my pay and benefits?