How T-Mobile Scares its Employees with a “Culture of Fear”

[Omaha Steve]

http://workinprogress.firedoglake.com/2009/12/13/how-t-mobile-scares-its-employees-with-a-culture-of-fear/

By: Michael Whitney Sunday December 13, 2009 2:29 pm
t-mobile storeT-Mobile has a nasty habit of intimidating its employees from joining unions, including repeated instances of turning surveillance and security guards on employees and organizers.

A new report from Labor Professor John Logan published by American Rights at Work details multiple violations of the law by T-Mobile, recurring intimidation of employees, and what one employee called a “culture of fear” preventing employees from joining together in a union.



Workers have roundly criticized what one Allentown-based employee called the “culture of fear” that management has created around the issues of unionization and collective bargaining. “We have to be secretive,” he explains, “like spies.” Another employee elaborated on this culture of fear: “We are basically left to fear for our jobs on a daily basis, or just quit…. In the past tried to contact a union and were then fired. this is what will happen to me.”

What makes up the “culture of fear” for T-Mobile corporate management?

Twice in early 2006, management at a call center in Allentown, PA, directed private security guards to intervene when union organizers were distributing fliers outside the main entrance of the workplace. The company-controlled security guards illegally pre-vented employees from accepting the union fliers and illegally recorded the license plate numbers of those employees who did accept them. The impact of these actions was to intimidate union supporters, as was their intent. The coercive surveillance practices of the guards, the NLRB ruled, violated the National Labor Relations Act.

Two years later, the union found that management was still using guards and security cameras to intimidate pro-union employees. Incidents of anti-union intimidation have reportedly created a “culture of fear” at T-Mobile USA retail stores throughout Pennsylvania. The National Labor Relations Board rejected T-Mobile USA’s explanation for memo, finding that, by encouraging employees to report union activity to management, the company had once again violated workers’ rights.

FULL story at link.

[sakabatou]

1. Never will use T-Mobile until a union is set up

[endless october]

2. k/r

[NMDemDist2]

3. damn

i like t-mobile service in my area and around here it's hard to get decent cell service.

sigh.

guess i'm in the market for a new sim card

[Omaha Steve]

4. Kick

[comtec]

5. I dont have a choice as they took over Orange, my former Cell provider

Orange (formerly dutch tone) was GREAT!

T-mobile.. well... this is a family board ;)