Where Every Scroll is a New Adventure
Labor Rights - Blog Posts
Eat the rich. 💫💫💫
Let's fuckin gooooooo
MAJOR UPDATE ON THE WGA STRIKE
GAMES MADE BY PEOPLE WHO ARE PAID MORE TO WORK LESS
so. an update on the ups strike.
the union members have yet to vote on the *tentative agreement* remember the propaganda we've all been talking abt?? anything you see about this deal from capitalist press cheerleading the TA between now and the union voting on it is just that. propaganda. dont get it twisted.
I'm gonna eat the FUCKING. WALLS. these bitches can't SCHEDULE me a clopen, AFTER TELLING ME I CAN'T SWITCH SHIFTS WITH SOMEONE BECAUSE THEN I'D BE CLOPENING. I COULD'VE SWORN WE HAD LANGUAGE AGAINST THAT IN OUR CONTRACT, BUT NOOOO, SO I CAN'T EVEN GRIEVE IT AND INSTEAD I'M EATING THE DRYWALL.
Someone needs to fuck my eye socket with a knife, I'm so done.
(For context I work a Five AM and then they want me to come in for a Two AM, which may not seem that bad except have we considered circadian rhythm)
I like when people say things like “respect blue collar workers!” and then the same people turn around and completely dismiss the years of training it takes to be able to do that type of work safely and effectively.
“Telling people not to do their own electrical work because it’s dangerous is classist bc not everyone can afford an electrician” “I can’t believe that plumber charged me so much money for less than an hour of work, what a scam!” “In the post-capitalist utopia everyone will just take turns doing all types of blue-collar work, instead of years-long apprenticeships we’ll just give them a course in high school or something” “Building and safety codes are just pointless bureaucracy meant to stop the average citizen from being able to build their own structures” “I would love to be a farmer and just hang out tending to plants all day”
These are all things I have seen on this website by self-proclaimed worker’s rights advocates and I hope I don’t have to explain how incredibly insulting and dismissive it is when it’s not outright dangerous. There’s a LOT that needs to be fixed about our current labor system but “pretending like training and safety protocols aren’t important” and “pretending that those jobs are actually really easy and any layperson can do them” are uh. Not good solutions.
My least favorite things about anti- UBI discourse is always the techbros whining that "nobody is going to work anymore! People will just watch Netflix all day!" and I have 2 responses:
1) Who the fuck cares. Who the fuck cares what people do with their time! That's kind of the fucking point!
2) People aren't going to stop laboring. Housework (look, it's right there in the word!) will still need to be done. So will maintenance on our homes and personal spaces. Children will still need carers, as will the elderly and disabled. There are millions of examples of ~work~ that we do all the time, uncompensated, that won't suddenly stop because we aren't forced to sell our labor to provide corporation's profits.
I'm not surprised that what is traditionally women's work is invisible to these dipshits, but it never fails to anger me.
Anyway. Join the IWW.
An incomplete list of things that employers commonly threaten that are 100% illegal in the United States
"We'll fire you if you tell others how much you're making" The National Labor Relations Act of 1935 specifically protects employees who discuss their own wages with each other (you can't reveal someone else's wages if you were given that information in the course of work, but you can always discuss your own or any that were revealed to you outside of work duties)
"If we can't fire you for [discussing wages/seeking reasonable accommodation/filing a discrimination complaint/etc], we'll just fire you for something else the next day." This is called pretextual termination, and it offers your employer almost no protection; if you are terminated shortly after taking a protected action such as wage discussion, complaints to regulatory agencies, or seeking a reasonable accommodation, you can force the burden onto your employer to prove that the termination wasn't retaliatory.
"Disparaging the company on social media is grounds for termination" Your right to discuss workplace conditions, compensation, and collective action carries over to online spaces, even public ones. If your employer says you aren't allowed to disparage the company online or discuss it at all, their social media policy is illegal. However, they can forbid releasing information that they're obligated to keep confidential such as personnel records, business plans, and customer information, so exercise care.
"If you unionize, we'll just shut this branch down and lay everyone off" Threatening to take action against a group that unionizes is illegal, full stop. If a company were to actually shut down a branch for unionizing, they would be fined very heavily by the NLRB and be opening themselves up to a class-action lawsuit by the former employees.
"We can have any rule we want, it's only illegal if we actually enforce it" Any workplace policy or rule that has a "chilling effect" on employees' willingness to exercise their rights is illegal, even if the employer never follows through on any of their threats.
"If you [protected action], we'll make sure you never work in this industry/city/etc again." Blacklisting of any kind is illegal in half the states in the US, and deliberately sabotaging someone's job search in retaliation for a protected action is illegal everywhere in the US.
"Step out of line and you can kiss your retirement fund/last paycheck goodbye." Your employer can never refuse to give you your paycheck, even if you've been fired. Nor can they keep money that you invested in a retirement savings account, and they can only claw back the money they invested in the retirement account under very specific circumstances.
"We'll deny that you ever worked here" not actually possible unless they haven't been paying their share of employment taxes or forwarding your withheld tax to the government (in which case they're guilty of far more serious crimes, and you might stand to gain something by turning them in to the IRS.) The records of your employment exist in state and federal tax data, and short of a heist that would put Oceans 11 to shame, there's nothing they can do about that.
Silicosis is not only an old problem, but a well documented one in America specifically. Wikipedia describes The Hawks Nest Tunnel Disaster as “considered to be one of the worst industrial disasters in American history.” Hopefully this LA Times piece revitalizes awareness.
@osha-unofficial
We've apparently invented an artificial stone that, when cut, functions as a kind of Super Asbestos.
So, you know, watch out for that.
Wildcat Wearing Keffiyeh
This one was inspired directly by my Palestinian friend, he's a labor activist and he has done some incredible work in various unions (and non-union movements) over the years. He's nice enough to have put some serious time into labor organizing for free for employees of organizations he doesn't even work for just because he hates seeing people being treated unfairly. When I tell you he is the nicest person I have EVER met I really mean it. I actually met him through his labor activism.
As usual ALL PROCEEDS from these will go to this wonderful man to help him afford to bring his girlfriend over to America and to help his other loved ones around the Levant who are being hurt directly and/or financially by the attacks on Gaza, the increasing Israeli raids in the West Bank and the collateral damage in surrounding countries. The cat is found here and here (on shirts, stickers, notebooks, etc). All designs found HERE (click on each to see more product options).
For those not familiar, this is the black cat/wildcat/sabo-tabby, an old union symbol likely designed by IWW member Ralph Chaplin. It is associated with sabotage, wildcat (unprotected) strikes and other radical labor actions.
By the way, did you know that Israeli trade unions have historically fought against the Arab workforce?
Reducing consumption over all is an obvious first step in supporting solidarity for women on a global scale. However, we can also take this a few steps further:
1. Cutting fast fashion out of your life entirely, major brand offenders are Shien, Forever 21, house brands for department stores (A New Day or Wild Fable at Target as an example), Instagram Pop Up Brands, Fashionnova, etc.
2. Where you do consume, look for certifications in regards to the labor and materials utilized Fair Trade, OkoTex, Rainforest Alliance Certified, Fair Wear Foundation, etc. Good on You is an app that simplifies a lot of the process though they automatically rate brands that utilize animal products as all equally bad in spite of varied practices on animal products (as someone who wears leather (bought and self processed) & fur (self processed) I find this a flaw with the app's ranking system) they have ratings for environmental impact, labor, animal products that makes shopping a bit easier.
3. When you do consume, aim for locally-owned and women-owned brands. Avoid allowing male owned and dominated corporate conglomerates to be the end point of women's dollars.
4. Look for quality products that will last longer than just a season, and try to avoid falling for trends that rise and fall, this is easier to do if you have a personal sense of style rather than one that is constantly fluctuating and changing with trends. I personally tend to stick with a more mature version of the "preppy" look somewhere between what would be considered Classic Americana and English Countrywear.
5. Avoid synthetic materials: most synthetics are petroleum based and shed microplastics affecting both your health and the health of our planet. If you do go for a synthetic or synthetic blend, try to aim for recycled synthetics. This has gotten increasingly difficult to do, but is still fairly easy to check for, just look at the labels and laundering instructions.
One facet of female solidarity that needs more discussion is anti consumerism and anti consumption. Our current western mindset is one of obtaining as much as possible, both as a show of wealth and for personal comfort. However, much of what we buy (for example, fast fashion) is produced in a non-transparent supply chain that frequently relies on female and Global South labor to make goods cheap and easily affordable, and thus more tempting for the consumer. These low wages that are paid to workers result in economic desperation and trap women in poorly paid, often abusive positions. Additionally, women and children are the most at risk from the negative effects of climate change, which is exacerbated by industrialization and over production.
By consuming less we reduce support for these predatory supply chains and their deleterious effects on the environment. Ideally if we buy goods, they are from female owned businesses whenever possible. Personally I also avoid spending money on items that enforce the beauty standard (this includes makeup, uncomfortable or impractical clothes or shoes, and cosmetic procedures). Essentially, what ways could you support female solidarity through consumption habits?
