As workers' rights erode, unions are fighting back

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

By Rick Bender

Special to The Times

Have you heard this one? The federal government says your boss can tell you not to talk with your coworkers when you're off duty. Can you imagine not being able to say "hi" to your coworkers at the local coffee shop or department store? The idea of a backyard barbecue for friends and coworkers just got a lot more complicated.

In a Big Brother ruling that is a slap in the face to American workers, the National Labor Relations Board issued its decision this summer that a boss can direct employees not to "fraternize on duty or off duty." The decision was issued June 7 in the case of Guardsmark, a private security firm.

It's a sad fact that the Constitution's Bill of Rights governing our civic life has never been applied inside the workplace. In other words, your freedoms of speech and association have been suspended at the employer's door. Organized labor has always questioned this lack of freedom for American workers, but so far, the federal government has kept the workplace "off limits" for free speech and free association.

Now, the federal government apparently wants to make American workers' rights of free association and free speech "off limits" off the job, too.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2002443663_bender18.html



:argh:

[woodsprite]

1. OMG, I hope my boss doesn't hear of this...

He just told my one office mate who she's allowed to speak to and who she's not allowed to speak to. He's an idiot control freak and he's afraid she's gonna spill the beans of some of the wrong-doings that plague his past and present. She took it as a joke. If he sees this, he'll try to be an a$$hole and hold her to it.

[JDPriestly]

2. The slavemasters did not do this to their slaves.

At least not to this extent. The NLRB's taking this stance as a government entity is a violation of our right to free association. This would prevent employees from forming unions, discussing evidence of crimes committed by their employers and unfair labor practices. This is worse than fascist.

[namvet73]

3. Sorry to say this, but....

people have to stand up to these creeps. Even at the risk of making less money and giving up some luxuries.

I had one boss who harassed me because I had to do jury duty. He also was the first boss to call me at home to try to make me drive in icy weather. I finally, walked into his office called him an asshole and told him off. I didn't suffer any more than my office mate who never said anything.

I had another boss who said "we work through lunch". From the first day on at lunchtime, I got up and said, "see you in an hour after lunch."

Another boss who harassed everyone so much that he made some people cry. When I got my bad review I quit the next day. After that 3 other people quit. That's out of 16 people. They lost their only two programmers, a good manager whom they begged to stay and one of two test people. They are out of business.

At another job people were staying till 9PM. Working? No, just face time. I left regularly at 5:30. After my boss bragged to three of us about how the director works 70 hours a week, I said angrily "does he have a family" the other two wimps tried to "shush" me. After the meeting I told her I quit.

Back in 1975 when workers were stronger, I was at work one day when it started to blizzard. All of us left at noon to get home safely without being buried. The director issued some stupid memo at 3PM permitting people to leave. Too late. We left. A couple days later management herded us together and bawled us all out for leaving. We collectively told them that we were going to leave when the weather was like that whether they liked it or not. They turned around and left the "fish bowl" (cubicle area) and didn't say another word.

I had lots of great bosses also that respected people's rights. Most of them were reasonable. I don't expect bosses to be perfect, they're human, too. But, the ones who have tried to abuse I have left them.

At my last job, I had a pretty good boss, but we were all often caught in these ridiculous schedules. I supported my boss, but after most of us were laid off (Tyco), not only were most jobs being off-shored, I decided not to ever go back to software development because the culture sucks. They don't care about the product or the customer, just the shareholder. I work on my own now.

Pardon me, but F#$K-EM! I didn't serve my country for four friggen years so I could be enslaved corporate tyrants.

Sooner or later people are going to get fed up, organize and the tyrants will reap the whirlwinds. It's happened before. If things don't improve, they will explode and the idiots in Washington will be too stupid to understand why there are so many problems.

The filthy rich will get their share of grief, too.

[Rich Hunt]

4. jeezus

Thanks for calling our attention to this.

This is downright fascist.

[namvet73]

5. One thing I regret..(Re: Post #3)

Regarding the boss I had who was trying to interfere with my Grand Jury duty: He was asking questions about the case and was trying to insist that I get off. (I did not answer any of his questions.)

I regret that I did not report his tampering with a juror and get him thrown in jail.

This same boss was stopped by a cop for speeding. He said to the cop: "You can't give me a ticket. I'm a supervisor. (Of AT&T!)" He actually thought his middle management position exempted him from the law.

The trouble with hands-off policies for corporations is, hey, guess what? Corporations are run by humans! Not all humans are good. They need to be regulated by the law just like everyone else. Otherwise, some of them will hurt people. It's as simple as that.

Oh, I forgot, this pro-life administration doesn't give a flying F** on a rolling donut about average people..... unless they are unborn.

[ixion]

6. uh, okay, I'm not sure how that is going to be allowed to stand, given

that it seems entirely unconstitutional.

Oh, that's right. We're a technocracy now, sorry. I'll go check myself in to a re-education camp immediately. :grr: