Tired of Being Abused Yet?
Let me preface this entry by recommending a book titled "Fast Food Nation", The Dark Side of the All-American Meal, by Eric Schlosser (2002). It was required reading for my Philosophy class and certainly worth the read. It chronicles the rise of fast-food industry for about the past fifty years or so. Moreover, and the reason it was required in Philosophy, it points out some of the areas of concern and abuse of our society by large corporations.
There is an issue that’s coming up more and more frequently. I have to admit that it is really starting to chap my hide. It’s starting to rust my shorts because to me it is another example of Corporate America stepping in to control our lives–even in our leisure hours (when we are actually allowed to have them without being on call by said Corporations).
We are being told what to eat, when to eat, where to eat, who to eat with, what we can say, and who we can say it to, and; who we can sleep with, where we can sleep, and in what position if any. As K@os pointed out this morning, one more Blogger has bitten the dust because he dared to have a blog that somebody didn’t like, or because some competitive fellow employee could use it against him.
If we look at this from the company’s viewpoint for a minute, they are within their legal rights; unless an employee has a contract, they can be terminated for any reason, or for no reason. This is called being employed at will. Keep in mind however, that an employee who is terminated without justification cannot be denied unemployment benefits. There is a misconception that if you are fired or quit you are unable to collect unemployment—not true. If you are fired without just cause (gross misconduct, willful negligence, theft, etc. All of which has to be proven to unemployment.), or forced to quit for due cause (unreasonable or illegal actions by the employer) an employer cannot stop you from collecting benefits (check with your state’s employment division). This does not keep them from bad-mouthing you to other employers however if you have to use them for a reference. That is technically illegal but it’s difficult to prove. Either way they still get to screw you.
One of the reasons companies don’t want employees to join a union is that they cannot keep their employee turnover rate such that the company can continue to pay low wages and few benefits. Unions help to enforce labor laws and fair employment practices. The company itself would have to have a contract with a union that is difficult for them to break, so the company is better off not allowing unions. The result is that most people have to be at will employees at the mercy of the company. Don’t naively think that companies don’t prevent starting unions simply because that would be against the law… it happens nearly every day. A company with enough resources can simply close its doors and re-open next week down the block…refusing to hire previously union oriented people.
A company does not have to have a written policy to fire you. As I’ve mentioned in some of my previous articles, unless you can prove some sort of discrimination in a court of law, you have very little recourse.
Which brings me finally to my point.
Why are we continuing to put up with companies who continue to violate the basic human rights we as Americans are supposed to have, and are constantly fighting other countries for?
The latest statistic I’ve been able to find states that there are currently, according to AP,- - 8,000,000 bloggers on the Internet. Before the last election, campaigners were even trying to use blogging to get across their political views.
The number of Bloggers is incredible. Looking at this strictly from the standpoint of economics, since we are all consumers, the amount of power that bloggers have in the marketplace could be very effective in getting companies to treat their employees and consumers with more respect. We don’t have to write letters, we don’t have to stand in picket lines. All we have to do is just not shop at stores and spend or donate our money with companies who are proven to be violating either our own or someone else’s rights. How long would it take company XYZ to get the point if none of us 8,000,000, or our families, or our friends ate their hamburgers for a week… or bought their newspapers or their advertisers products? Considering even a conservative estimate, that could be about 25 million people sending a message companies would have a hard time ignoring… and all we have to do is simply refuse to do business with questionable companies.
You’ll note I said proven because I believe in an honest company making an honest buck without catching hell from a disgruntled employee who probably should have been fired anyway, or a scam artist who is trying to get something for nothing. I’m talking about companies we all know and hate, but still continue to shop at because it’s convenient, or because they have 50 cents off that day.
If you get the chance to read the book I mentioned above, I would really encourage you to do so. Part of what the author is pointing out is that we are all responsible for the continuation of the current system. Our government either cannot or will not protect us from ourselves and our buying habits. If you want to feed your kids junk food that may be dangerous, and buy from companies who use what amounts to slave labor, your government won’t save you… nor should it. It’s about time we started saving ourselves and standing up for what we know is right by refusing to give any more money to companies who are out to make their money by any means necessary–even at the cost of your children’s health or your own livelyhood.
I’m going to leave you with a famous quote from WWII:
In Germany they came first for the Communists and I didn’t speak up
because I wasn’t a Communist.Then they came for the Jews and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew.
Then they came for the trade unionists and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Catholics and I didn’t speak up because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me–and by that time no one was left to speak up.
Martin Niemöller 1892-1984.
If we don’t stand up for ourselves and each other… one day the rights our ancestors fought for may just go away altogether.
Soo… are you tired of being abused yet, or has it started to feel good by now?
You make a very good point DB. All one has to do is run through their own house, their own wardrobe and then look in the mirror to see who’s responsible. We have grown complacent as Americans, and have long shuffled the blame off onto others; the government, the CEO’s, etc. The true power and responsiblity lies in us. In life, you can only be a victim to the degree you allow yourself to be one…
They can bad-mouth us to other companies with whom we are tyring to gain employment (I fact I am very familiar with), yet if you bad-mouth* your former employer, the law suits start flyin’.
That’s fair. Gotta love this country. At least we’re not Canada.
* speak the truth about
That’s exactly it Kim, we need to take responsibility for fixing what’s wrong ourselves… because if not us, then who?
Thank you for spending a few moments of your Mommy’s day with me… Happy Mothers Day
DB
I know what you mean, I’m pretty certain my old company bad-mouths me but since I don’t have a “smoking gun” and money for lawyers… they get away with it.
Actually, Canada has better laws against workplace bullying than we do. There is a law pending in Hawai`i, but it won’t go before the Legislature until sometime next year… I won’t hold my breath.
DB
That may be true about Canada, but I can’t respect countries that are someone elses prison bitch.
And that is why I was proud to be a union leader, DB. Corporations exist to take advantage of the workers so they can screw the consumer better. I’m not a commie. I live happier in this capitalistic state than I would in Sweden or someplace. But America is a study in excesses, isn’t it?
In a Capitalistic society Bud, corporations exist to make money…and more money… greed is an asset in Capitalism, or the “Ultimate Good (for them)”. Unfortunately, screwing the employees and consumers are a “byproduct” of the main goal. There are laws in place to prevent both byproducts, however the laws are useless unless enforced.
I want to point out also, that I’m not criticizing Democracy here… nor advocating any other form of government. I’m just saying that we need to get off our asses and stop expecting somebody else to put a stop to the abuses that are going on. “We The People…” means all of us, not just those poor inneffective bastards we elect to do the work for us.
We finally stopped the (legal)imports of Tiger skins and Elephant ivory by putting enough pressure on. Why can’t we force companies to avoid the same or worse attrocities… like feeding our children spoiled meat, or having an employee turnover every 90 days and forcing good hard working people out of jobs?
DB
Well said DB! You lead the way, K?
Who shall we boycott first?
I don’t know if it’s fair that I make that decision 3T.
My choices would be those big department stores and the big fast food chains who pay their workers shit (and feed us shit literally) and no benefits because they get can away with it. But that’s just me. I’d like to hear from others as well.
If it ever happens, their first come-back will be “Well, we can improve these things, but prices will have to go up..” I say Priss needs to throw down the bullshit flag on that one. I’d tell em to make due with one less fast food joint per corner and one less new department store this year.
I really am serious, and I will not and do not shop or eat at them now or in the future until they start treating their employees and customers like human beings.
DB
I’m scared at the thought that my blog could one day be considered “important” or “powerful”.
Then again…isn’t that really how it is all to work out?
Your blog is powerful and important now Andy. You reach several hundred people per day with your blog probably.
My point really wasn’t the power we have as bloggers as much as in our numbers as consumers… as an example of what we could all do with that many people if we could get together and really try and change things for the better.
Thanks for reading the whole thing Andy, I know it must have been painful, lol
DB
Nah. You’re writing is pretty good so it wasn’t THAT painful. LOL!
SWEET typo in my last comment! LMAO!
We keep electing the wrong damn people, DB. So I guess most people don’t agree that there’s anything wrong or that they can change something without gouging their own special interest.
By the BIG dept. Stores are we talking the “BiG Stores” that are every 5 miles apart?
And of course the fast food places suck! That’ll be easy to eliminate. And I HATE “BiG Stores”. One will hurt a tad, but I could do w/o it!
Have I left any others out?
Oh one other thing, we can’t get into any kind of legal trouble writing stuff like this can we? The ACTUAL names of the Corps…
You really should read Nickel and Dimed when you get a chance! She goes into great detail about Corps that treat their Employees like shit! Oh and “MM”!!??? That group is SCARY! For the customers as well as the employed…Ok I’m rambling again. Anyway, this book goes into detail, as she goes under cover, working, and trying to live on JUST what “Big Store” pays. She works for “MM”. And she wouldn’t name the chain, but gave pretty blatant hints, the “food” franchises as well. Easy quick read! And very eye opening. I think I’ll hunt down The Fast Foood Nation book too!
Amen DB. Again, another amazing post!
I was fired as well, partially due to my blog as I found out through the courts later. They pinned me with “falsification of company documents” when I refused to do just that with government WIC checks. When I reported the incident to security, I became the “whistle” blower. About the same time, somebody found my blog, where I’d blogged about that incident revolving around government fraud and my refusal to participate and that is when they decided I needed to go. Yes, I used the company’s name in that post. (It has since been removed due to legal issues surrounding all of this right now.) I DID belong to a Union. However, the Unions are only good if they ARE NOT in the back pocket of the COMPANIES. This UNION (UFCW) happens to reside in their back pocket. Statements are on record of this.
Unwittingly, I have started a long legal battle between my old employers and the courts. The government is going after them for fraud. We are going after them and the union for all sorts of things.
The blog issues I’ve no leg to stand on, but that is the least of my concerns.
This company stripped me of my good name, my income, my benefits (all of them) because I had the nerve to speak up.
I’m lucky. My boss reads my blog. He knows I badmouth the company and customers. But since I don’t mention any names, he’s cool with it.
Although, he did tell me (jokinly) that he would fire him if I started talking about him (which I never have….yet…).
Bud - We can keep electing people from now until DoomsDay and nothing is going to change unless we take some action ourselves. What a politician says before election and what they do after election are frequently two different things. It isn’t always their fault, sometimes there is only so much they can do… they have to rob Peter to pay Paul. We, on the other hand don’t have to worry about that. We can just refuse to play their game by not spending money with companies who violate human rights.
3T - If you have a specific news article about a chain store or fast food joint, then you can use the name. So far I have just generalized because I don’t want anyone to get into legal issues. Everyone pretty much knows who they are. I edited your post just in case. We can’t just slam places without proof, but if we do have specific instances it’s up to them to prove that it’s untrue.
Jade - There are laws that are supposed to protect “whistle blowers” but obviously they aren’t very good. I had the same problem.
Priss - The thing is, that most people don’t mention their companies or their bosses by name in their blogs. That’s probably a wise course. It’s also wise not to share your blog with people at work if you’re going to rant about you boss and/or company. They may not have legal action, but they don’t really need an excuse to fire you either.
Yea well, what good are the laws then? I have wondered alot over the past few years what good are any laws? Seems to me if you’ve enough money, you can do whatever you want anyways….
A very good post DB. This goes to show you that the Constitution don’t mean diddly sqwat. I was lucky for all those years that I worked and never got fired. Kaos & Priss can vouch for me telling all my bosses of straight to thier face and even telling them that I would kick thier F ing asses. And they never done anything because they knew I was right. And maybe because this is Hawaii. I’m not saying that you’re safe at your job because you live in Hawaii. But if I was right about something, I let them know. You wanna fire me, go right ahead cause this ain’t the only circus in town is what I used to tell them.
But all the bosses I had respected me for it, and they knew I knew my job better than they did, heheh.
Oh, yeah and if they had blogging back then, I would have posted it for everyone to read and give thier comments too.
And this is why we don’t let you on the computer, Ma.
The problem Jade, is that the court systems tend to favor the employers… if they fire you you have to prove that they weren’t justified. In other words… you are guilty until proven innocent. It’s just your word against a company with the resources to fight you. It’s also difficult to find an employee who will stand up for you because they will get the same treatment… if it even gets to that point, because it doesn’t seem that local human rights government organizations are really much interested in any real investigations.
Back in the day Tutu, I have done that very same thing
With the job situation the way it is now tho, it’s an employers market. Employees have to put up with crap because jobs are getting more and more scarce. Employers are taking advantage of that. I don’t know how many times I heard other employees say “Sure things are bad… but I’m just lucky to have a job.”
DB
I never felt that way…”lucky to have my job”. No offense, but I did know my job and the boss’ jobs better than they did. I think that’s part of the reason they wanted me out. I, too, would tell them when I was right where they could go. I was tough and strong and smart. I think I scared them. The “good ol’ boys” rules are rampant, especially here in cowtown. Women? We are to be ditzy, bent over, and takin’ it hard whenever the man so chooses. It’s not just the corporations DB, it’s every where. My exhusband , for example, is getting away with murder in teh courts and my children and I are left reeling. Why? Because in their eyes my perserverance is strictly mouthy bitch who has forgotten her place.
and another thing.
Tell me that I’ve not lost my mind, or tell me that i have. Either way I HAVE to know. Are there red lazer beams that come from the center of your sunglasses when this page refreshes!? or do I just really need nicotine?
That’s a favorite tactic Jade… when you can’t find fault with an employees work, then they suddenly have developed an “attitude.” The fact that a previously excellant employee, who gets great evaluation reviews, “suddenly” developes an attitude doesn’t seem to set off any alarms with the court.
No, you are not losing your mind, there are red flashes in my sunglasses, lol Have been there for a while and you’re the first that’s noticed
DB
You are right about this (big surprise). I dont’ understand how blogs dont’ fall under Free Speech. And how that Dooce lady wasn’t able to sue the shit out of her former employer for such a thing.
Hehehhee, Nice post
keep on posting
The thing is Becky, when you work for someone else you do have free speech. The problem is that they can fire you for expressing your opinion about them… or for no reason at all. It’s a fine line, and nearly impossible to prove. Like with Jade… they can fire you, ruin your reputation, and quite literally keep you from working to support yourself for quite a long time. Right now we have little recourse against it individually.
We have given companies this power through allowing it to happen time and again and still continuing to support companies who do this. We allow it to happen by our inaction. While some of us sit in our airconditioned offices, our children and grand-children still work in sweatshops making minimum wage, or on assembly lines where they develop carpal tunnel and lose fingers… Why? Just so we don’t have to travel another mile to the new mall the extra profit makes for some company?
LOL… thank you Jenny… whoever you are
DB
Maybe they all noticed the red flashies but were too afraid that it was all in their mind to say it outloud for fear of being found out……hmmm…
LOL… maybe that just goes to show you how observant people are too
DB
Huh? Observant? What?
This is a great post.
The power companies hold over their employees is frightening, especially when the day they become held publically accountable for their actions is probably a long way away. I’d love to see a big company in court for something like this.
Monopolies are always a problem, especially when they are supported by government. Government hesitates to put a stop to their corruption and abuse, or in some cases even ignores it.
Thanks Wired… good to see you
DB
I can’t agree more. This isn’t Capitalism. This is Neo-Nazism in my opinion or an example of Capitalism gone BAD.
Every once in a while I run into people that are jealous of the nice cars, the nice home, and all the wordly possesions of the middle class working man or woman. It’s frustrating for me to hear because what some don’t realize is that these “well to do” folks work hard for their prize possesions. Capitalism is you get what your worth or what you work for. Capitalism is spending your money at free will and enjoying it.
Now, when those CEOs are screwing the little man or getting MORE than they’re worth, that is not fair and it needs to be stopped. The bullying as well.
I’m hoping someday this will come to an end.
The problem is, TB, that our government either can’t or won’t put a stop to it. Every time we shop at a place we know is abusing their workers and taking advantage of the system… we’re encouraging them to continue… by enabling their greed.