Worker Rights

Applying to a law firm just today and recalling my experiences at BellSouth/att has impelled me to create this list. The prime motivating factor is corporate greed and diminishing worker rights. We need to strike nationally, perhaps internationally, in order to reestablish worker rights. We cannot allow this 'false flag' operation by corporations to demoralize us nor diminish worker rights any further. We must take a stand and insist on these worker rights or the economy totally stops. Do not let the threat of losing your job or how 'bad the economy is' let you imagine for one instant this is not a mind game being played on us by major corporations and greedy stakeholders. If we don't perform a world-wide strike insisting on permanent worker rights, expect a 1984 scenario for the indefinite future.

1. we have the right not to be spied on with cameras or moles

2. we have the right not to be micro-managed

3. we have the right not to be constantly monitored

4. we have the right not to be constantly pushed to go faster

5. we have the right not to be interrogated about our productivity

6. we have the right to not have to account for every minute of our time

7. we have the right to work without supervision once we are fully trained

8. we have the right to access mentoring from coworkers

9. we have the right to full company paid health insurance and sick leave

10. we have the right to reasonable and fair breaks throughout our shifts

11. we have the right to paid maternity leave for our children: both parents

12. we have the right to paid family emergency leave for reasonable events

13. we have the right to a harassment free workplace

14. we have the right to company paid education off-shift

15. we have the right to take the time required to perform a quality job

16. we have the right to access a neutral company counselor at any time

17. we have the right to complain about anything work related without fear of retribution

18. we have a right to be promptly trained on new procedures or equipment

19. we have a right to invest any portion of our pay, matched by the company, into the company

20. we have the right to be trusted and respected to do our best at work on shift

Now of course those rights do not come free: we, as workers, must be accountable for our time at work. I'll give you a perfect example of how NOT to be .. His name was Charlie and he read the newspaper for half the day in a smaller office. Essentially, he took advantage of the situation but made us all look like we could not be trusted: one bad egg making the whole dozen look bad. This kind of person needs to be publicly drawn and quartered. Okay, maybe just tarred and feathered. My point is we need to fire those people who take advantage of all those worker rights above without trying their best. Perhaps a 'three strikes your out' misbehavior scheme. Whatever works. So you can clearly see I'm not against major corporations or efficiency. The current atmosphere in 'classic' corporations is untenable: give us your soul while at the same time be terrified of losing your job. This way of working can never be successful over the long term.

Workers all over the world: strike for worker rights now.