Black Friday and the importance of having a voice on the job

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.iww.org/en/node/5279

Submitted by intexile on Sat, 11/27/2010 - 1:48pm.

The government won’t do it. CEOs won’t do it. Only working people can build a better future

By By Stephanie Basile - New York City Indymedia, November 25, 2010

Every Thanksgiving I remind my friends and family of the deadly war waged against Native Americans in this country. This Thanksgiving, there is another war I’d like to discuss: the war being waged against retail workers.

This year I call on progressives to not only speak up for native people, but to remind our friends and family how important it is that workers have the right to organize for better conditions at work. And there’s no better time to discuss this than Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year.

A CULTURE OF NEGLIGENCE

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently sent letters to 14 major retailers urging them to adopt crowd control measures this Black Friday.

It would almost sound serious if one had no idea how impotent OSHA is and how powerful the big box retailers are. Yes, I’m sure OSHA’s “strongly worded letter” has CEOs shaking in their booties!

In fact, it would be downright comical if it wasn’t for the fact that lives have literally been lost because of retailers’ utter disregard for their employees’ and customers’ safety.

We all remember the tragic story: Two years ago 34-year-old Jdimytai Damour, a temporary Wal-Mart maintenance worker, was trampled to death and four were injured at a Long Island Wal-Mart on Black Friday.

The bloggers and commentators used the event to lament just how crazy our consumer culture has become. While it’s tempting to comment on our frenzied consumer culture, the crowd basically did what any large crowd would do. News reports described a crowd of at least 200 people waiting outside one set of doors for the store’s 5am opening. Predictably, when the store opened, people bum rushed the entrance. And when 200+ eager customers are waiting to enter one set of doors at five o’clock in the morning on Black Friday, it’s going to be difficult, to say the least.

FULL story at link.

[patrice]

1. If there is such a thing as something called a "Right to Life" it applies to workers too and

if a "Right to Life" doesn't apply to EVERYONE, then it's not a "right". It is, instead, a privilege and we need to be asking why some have more privileges than those who do the actual work that makes life possible for all of us.

[truedelphi]

2. Off to th Greatest Page with this, Omaha Steve n/t

[Sherman A1]

3. Thanks for Posting

:toast: