The Workers Who Bring You Black Friday
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The Workers Who Bring You Black Friday
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Re: The Workers Who Bring You Black Friday
#2This is easier to read: http://www.thenation.com/article/177377/holiday-crush?page=f...
Re: The Workers Who Bring You Black Friday
#3This is easier to read: http://www.thenation.com/article/177377/holiday-crush?page=f...
oh most definitely - thanks!
Re: The Workers Who Bring You Black Friday
#4> After waiting twenty minutes, we are ushered into a room upstairs. A woman from the agency hands each of us a time sheet. For the sign-in, she tells us to write 8:30. “I know you were told to be here at 8:15,” she says, anticipating a protest that never comes, “but that was just to make sure you got here early.” And, like that, fifteen minutes are lopped from our paycheck. It’s a small but important lesson in what it means to be a “flexible” worker.
> But there are significant challenges to organizing the industry. “Because of the temp nature of work, it’s very easy for a worker who speaks out to be retaliated against,” says Palma. “They might not be called back to work the following day, or have their hours decreased.” That’s exactly what happened to Rodriguez, according to the WWU. After he spoke to the media and participated in strikes over unsafe workplace conditions—leading Cal/OSHA to fine the warehouse nearly $30,000—he was fired earlier this year. Federal charges have been filed against the company, alleging retaliation, and an investigation is under way.
I'm not a fan of labor unions, but I'm not sure what else can be done about this sort of thing. Litigation can only tackle small parts of the problem, and class action settlements leave the lawyers as the only winners. Fines are never high enough to disincentivize the activity. There's a high chance of not getting caught, and even when you do get caught the fine is barely higher than the cost of complying in the first place. Maybe a punishment of public floggings for executives at companies who violate labor laws?[1]
[1] There's a lot of Singapore worship among certain circles, so they shouldn't mind adopting some of their customs: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_in_Singapore.
Re: The Workers Who Bring You Black Friday
#5> After waiting twenty minutes, we are ushered into a room upstairs. A woman from the agency hands each of us a time sheet. For the sign-in, she tells us to write 8:30. “I know you were told to be here at 8:15,” she says, anticipating a protest that never comes, “but that was just to make sure you got here early.” And, like that, fifteen minutes are lopped from our paycheck. It’s a small but important lesson in what…
Unfortunately, the power is in the hands of the temp workers.... if they all stick together. If they all collectively demanded better working conditions and better pay, they could succeed. After all, the work won't get done if they don't do it. Management certainly isn't going to dirty their hands in this kind of job.
And after all what we see, it really is have-nots (proletariat) versus the haves(capitalists/managers).
Re: The Workers Who Bring You Black Friday
#6> After waiting twenty minutes, we are ushered into a room upstairs. A woman from the agency hands each of us a time sheet. For the sign-in, she tells us to write 8:30. “I know you were told to be here at 8:15,” she says, anticipating a protest that never comes, “but that was just to make sure you got here early.” And, like that, fifteen minutes are lopped from our paycheck. It’s a small but important lesson in what…
Labour unions are a lot like everything else that works in our society. (Hold your vituperation!)
Labour unions, like democracy and capitalism, are the worst things we've ever tried, except for everything else that failed. We simply don't have a better way to appoint leaders except democracy. It's obviously broken in many ways, but the alternatives are worse. Economically, capitalism is deeply broken, but everything else we've tried is worse.
And labour unions as we see them today are just plain wrong.But less wrong than unfettered capitalism. You either need labour unions or you need overregulation, with inspectors everywhere in a business.
Just My Two Cents, of course.
Re: The Workers Who Bring You Black Friday
#7> After waiting twenty minutes, we are ushered into a room upstairs. A woman from the agency hands each of us a time sheet. For the sign-in, she tells us to write 8:30. “I know you were told to be here at 8:15,” she says, anticipating a protest that never comes, “but that was just to make sure you got here early.” And, like that, fifteen minutes are lopped from our paycheck. It’s a small but important lesson in what…
Unfortunately, the power is in the hands of the temp workers.... if they all stick together. If they all collectively demanded better working conditions and better pay, they could succeed. After all, the work won't get done if they don't do it. Management certainly isn't going to dirty their hands in this kind of job. And after all what we see, it really is have-nots (proletariat) versus the haves(capitalists/manager…
Or be replaced by robots. All I could think of reading that is why they haven't figured out how to fold and tape a cardboard box with a robot yet.
They should get on that, and then those people won't have to be subjected to those conditions anymore.
Re: The Workers Who Bring You Black Friday
#8Earlier quoted context omitted.
Unfortunately, the power is in the hands of the temp workers.... if they all stick together. If they all collectively demanded better working conditions and better pay, they could succeed. After all, the work won't get done if they don't do it. Management certainly isn't going to dirty their hands in this kind of job. And after all what we see, it really is have-nots (proletariat) versus the haves(capitalists/manager…
Or be replaced by robots. All I could think of reading that is why they haven't figured out how to fold and tape a cardboard box with a robot yet. They should get on that, and then those people won't have to be subjected to those conditions anymore.
And then those people won't have jobs anymore.
Re: The Workers Who Bring You Black Friday
#9Earlier quoted context omitted.
Or be replaced by robots. All I could think of reading that is why they haven't figured out how to fold and tape a cardboard box with a robot yet. They should get on that, and then those people won't have to be subjected to those conditions anymore.
And then those people won't have jobs anymore.
Unemployed, but more importantly, unexploited.