Low Pay at Weight Watchers Stirs Protest as Stars Rake It In

[TomClash]

Source: The New York Times

Tammy Williams became a Weight Watchers leader in Texas five years ago after losing 97 pounds in the program. The supplies that she handles fill a bedroom in her home, and she holds four meetings a week advising more than a hundred customers about the diet regimen.

The problem, Ms. Williams said, is that she works so many hours and is paid so little. “They know my love for the program, but I can’t say we’re treated right,” she said. “We are professionals, we have to dress nice, but we are paid less than kids who work at McDonald’s.”

As the highly competitive weight-loss industry continues to suffer from the sluggish economy — Weight Watchers reported a 15.6 percent decline in earnings last year — hundreds of its rank-and-file workers are waging an open rebellion that management is scrambling to address.

This frustration reflects a growing discontent among low-wage workers, as seen in the recent protests at dozens of Walmarts, at high-end retailers in Chicago and at fast-food restaurants in New York. Low-wage workers have become more assertive out of dismay that while corporate profits have rebounded to record levels since the recession, wages have floundered.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/26/business/devoted-to-weight-watchers-but-workers-rebel-against-low-wages.html?hp&_r=0

[MotherPetrie]

1. K&R

[xxqqqzme]

2. thanks for article

n/t

[Blue Idaho]

3. Weight Watchers helped me lose 60 pounds but...

The current corporate mindset is toxic. The big bosses are greedy and show little if any respect for the local leaders or those who attend W.W. They demand rigid adherence to corporate rules and regulations with an eye on squeezing every penny out of "the business." I'm sure this is not what founder Jean Nidetch had in mind.

[leftieNanner]

4. $3.00 Per Hour

is what I made as a Weight Watchers leader back in 2009. I worked for about three months and it didn't make any sense. I loved what I was doing and really connected with the members, but it was not worth the time and effort - not to mention the fact that you drive to the different locations on your own dime. I found out later that another member who applied to become a leader was not hired because she was too inquisitive about the pay. All they would say is "it's a results based compensation package". Loved the program. Couldn't live on the wages.

[Dawson Leery]

5. k/r

[southernyankeebelle]

6. I remember going to WWs when they first started. It cost only $2.00 (I think) to go to the

meetings and they didn't even have the food you can buy today. It was a simple program and you missed a class then you had to pay for the class you missed. It was a good simple program back then. I lost 100 pounds. But today I can't afford to go because the cost. So now I try to remember how the program went and try to stick to it.

[stanwyck]

7. I am a WW member - our leaders are all semi-retired

the ladies (and they are all ladies) who lead the meetings at the WW center I attend are all women in their 60s who are retired from their primary profession - and are now working for WW. And, yes, they do travel distances to the meetings -- for the ones they're scheduled to lead - and covering for other leaders who are on vacation/sick, etc. Often, the meetings are in the evening. They are all very professional, very empathetic, and WW is lucky to have them. It dismays me to read that they are not adequately paid for the good work they're doing.

[eilen]

8. I wonder how much Jessica Simpson and JHud are paid. nt/