The Worker Thread

[O Really]

Caterpiller - uncaring management and weak union.
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2022/0 ... h-j15.html

[Vrede too]

... At Revlon a worker fell into a vat of mascara, but unlike the other two instances it wasn't fatal.

And s/he looked fabulous.

More recent non-fatal instance here at M&M
https://www.foodandwine.com/news/mms-ma ... ate-rescue

Is that a problem or a perk?

... More recent steel vat
https://money.yahoo.com/worker-melted-h ... 47962.html

Worker melted in half after falling into vat of molten iron

... “He died instantly, but not all of him went in. Part of his body remained on the deck for the coroner to retrieve.”

He said it must have “been ghastly for those folks that witnessed it and to wait for the coroner with half of their coworker lying on the floor”.

Pretty ghastly reading about it. Do we really need all of the details?

A worker at the factory said in a social media post, according to the website, that he had been employed for 5 days and did not have “sufficient training” to be on the iron floor....

Opps. Lawsuit. That said, how much training does one need to know not to trip and fall into vat of molten iron?

From O Really's link below:

... It’s sad about that guy, Steven Dierkes. It really is. Why wasn’t he harnessed? I mean, I thought they were supposed to wear harnesses? Where was that, keeping him from falling? I don’t get it....

Ah, that might at least partially explain it.

Caterpiller - uncaring management and weak union.
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2022/0 ... h-j15.html

Note: I significantly edited my last post while you were posting, re-posted above since this is a new page.

[O Really]

That's not a job anybody should be doing without knowing what to do and work safely. That molten iron is so hot you can't really stand close to it. If you notice the guy in the pic, he's pouring and is quite a bit away from the bucket. There is a test they have to make where a guy will approach the bucket and stick a long rod down into the vat, and that's a long rod approached from the side and that's the closest anybody gets. It's actually not that easy to fall into the vat. But yeah, he definitely should have been harnessed.

Sadly, just because the company is in OSHA violation when a worker gets hurt still doesn't mean the worker can sue past the limits of workers comp. OSHA can and will fine them, and they could theoretically shut them down for a while, but that's obviously not enough to have prevented them from continuing their violating ways.

BTW, it's a very hard life working in a melt operation, but to see them pour that molten metal live is a spectacular sparkly experience that makes you think you're in a Hell preview or maybe witness to earth creation.

[Whack9]

Housing crisis:



Greenville has limits on short term, Airbnb, rentals unless you get a permit. My neighborhood is included in that. I feel for people that can't afford a place. A home with the same exact floor plan as mine just sold for 100k over what I paid for mine only three years ago. Insanity.

[billy.pilgrim]

https://www.dailydot.com/irl/wendys-fir ... drome/?amp

Okay, I get it, Dennis ain't your sharpest employee, but he's worked for your company for over 20 years and you gotta be dumb as a sack of hammers to think you can fire a 20+ year employee because you say he can't work like a "normal person".

“'My brother Dennis has worked at Wendy’s in Stanley (NC) for over 20 years and I am heart broken to say they have fired him!!!!!!!” the post read. “His dream was to retire from there some day and he was looking forward to a huge retirement party, we may just give him that party and tell him he has retired because he does not understand being fired!!!!! They told me he was unable to perform the duties of a normal persons job!!! I am also looking into a wrongful termination of a special needs employee, wish me luck! I am very disappointed with the management at Wendy’s in Stanley, they have no idea how they hurt my brother!”'

[Vrede too]

Nebraska: Initiative 433 - Increase NE minimum wage to $15 per hour
Projected Winner Yes
Yes 58.7%
No 41.3%

Nevada: Question 2 - Increase NV minimum wage to $12 per hour
Not called yet, but looking good.
Yes 54.1%
No 45.9%
Est. vote in: 78%

[Vrede too]

Mike Pompeo Names 'The Most Dangerous Person In The World' And It's A Surprise
The former secretary of state made quite the reach as he explores his presidential chances.

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday that American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten is “the most dangerous person in the world,” prompting disbelief from the union chief....

“It’s not a close call,” he said. “If you ask, ‘Who’s the most likely to take this republic down?’ It would be the teacher’s unions, and the filth that they’re teaching our kids, and the fact that they don’t know math and reading or writing.”

Weingarten pushed back hard on Twitter. “I know that Mike Pompeo is running for president, and frankly, I don’t know whether to characterize his characterization ... as ridiculous or dangerous,” she wrote.

Weingarten accused Pompeo of defending “the Middle East’s tyrants,” “undermining Ukraine,” and kowtowing to Trump instead of “fighting 4 freedom.”

“So Mike, let me make it easy for you,” Weingarten continued in her Twitter thread. “We fight for freedom, democracy, and an economy that works for all. We fight for what kids & communities need. Strong public schools that are safe and welcoming, where kids learn how to think & work with others. That’s the American Dream!” ...

[Vrede too]

Back in the day, it wasn't common, but also not unheard of for a worker to fall into a bucket of molten steel. And then there was the guy who fell into the chocolate vat at Hershey. At Revlon a worker fell into a vat of mascara, but unlike the other two instances it wasn't fatal.

More recent non-fatal instance here at M&M
https://www.foodandwine.com/news/mms-ma ... ate-rescue

More recent steel vat
https://money.yahoo.com/worker-melted-h ... 47962.html

Caterpillar - uncaring management and weak union.
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2022/0 ... h-j15.html

That's not a job anybody should be doing without knowing what to do and work safely. That molten iron is so hot you can't really stand close to it. If you notice the guy in the pic, he's pouring and is quite a bit away from the bucket. There is a test they have to make where a guy will approach the bucket and stick a long rod down into the vat, and that's a long rod approached from the side and that's the closest anybody gets. It's actually not that easy to fall into the vat. But yeah, he definitely should have been harnessed.

Sadly, just because the company is in OSHA violation when a worker gets hurt still doesn't mean the worker can sue past the limits of workers comp. OSHA can and will fine them, and they could theoretically shut them down for a while, but that's obviously not enough to have prevented them from continuing their violating ways.

BTW, it's a very hard life working in a melt operation, but to see them pour that molten metal live is a spectacular sparkly experience that makes you think you're in a Hell preview or maybe witness to earth creation.

Now:

Caterpillar worker’s grisly foundry death blamed on training and work conditions

[Vrede too]

One more reason to hate Jeff Bezos:

UPDATE 1-Washington DC sues Amazon over withheld delivery driver tips

... Washington Attorney General Karl Racine said the company "tricked consumers into thinking they were increasing drivers' compensation when Amazon was actually diverting tips to reduce its own labor costs and increase profits" through its Amazon Flex service.

... The FTC alleged the company kept drivers' tips over a 2-1/2 year period and stopped the practice after learning of the FTC investigation in 2019, the FTC said in 2021.

The lawsuit, filed in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia, seeks civil penalties for every violation and a court order to bar Amazon from re-engaging in the practice.

Last year under a settlement with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, Amazon paid $61.7 million to more than 140,000 drivers.

Amazon has "thus far escaped appropriate accountability, including any civil penalties, for consumer harm," Racine said in a statement.

"When a company is caught stealing from its workers, it is not enough for the company to repay the amount stolen. Stealing from workers is theft, and significant penalties are necessary to strongly disincentivize this unlawful conduct." ...

GoDCGo.

Full disclosure: I avoid Amazon as much as possible, including streaming, but there are times when it's the only alternative or searching out alternatives is too much hassle.

[O Really]

I may be starting to lose sympathy for those who whine about being abused by the bad ol' corporations.

https://usafacts.org/data/topics/econom ... embership/

[Vrede too]

I may be starting to lose sympathy for those who whine about being abused by the bad ol' corporations.

https://usafacts.org/data/topics/econom ... embership/

What is it at your link that reduces your sympathy?

[GoCubsGo]

I may be starting to lose sympathy for those who whine about being abused by the bad ol' corporations.

https://usafacts.org/data/topics/econom ... embership/

What is it at your link that reduces your sympathy?

The downward trend in union participation, basically screwing themselves and then bitching about it.

[O Really]

I may be starting to lose sympathy for those who whine about being abused by the bad ol' corporations.

https://usafacts.org/data/topics/econom ... embership/

What is it at your link that reduces your sympathy?

The sharp decline in union membership didn't happen only because of corporate resistance, nor only because of governments favouring the corporations. You can point out various things that make the labor environment what it is, but bottom line fewer workers see unionization as a way to better their working lives. So sure, some think unions are old-school and obsolete, but what other real choices to employees have? They can (a) trust their employers to treat them fairly and relate to the corporation as an "individual"; or (b) go somewhere else, which might not actually be better.

Most individuals, excluding the unicorn-like true superstar indispensable guy have zero power against their employers. And even if you're the unicorn, your employer is trying to think up some way to make you less indispensable. So what do employees get from a union? The only thing a union can truly guarantee is that employees will get a grievance procedure that assures the employer will address and respond to complaints. That's big. But unions also improve long term job security and generally pay and benefits. But maybe you think your employer truly has your interest at heart. It sets up some type of complaint procedure that isn't mandatory on their part, but maybe you think it's OK - that they do "listen." And you get paid pretty well and have "competitive" benefits. That's all well and good when times are fat, but let business dip a bit and people are tossed out the door willy-nilly with no particular process or consideration of employees. If business does dip, a union won't be able to totally protect everyone's job, but will be able to enforce an orderly, predictable reduction, with return-to-work rights. And that's big.

So if employees don't think the difficulties of organizing are worth the price/effort, and yet unionization is the only viable alternative to gaining some power in their organization, I might not be as receptive to complaints about how badly they're treated. If they're not willing to organize, maybe their life isn't so bad after all. Their choice; suck it up.

And thank people like these for what they do have.







(Or what GoCubsGo said so concisely)

[Vrede too]

I was a happy member of SEIU in CA. Then I lived in 2 states that are "right to be screwed" as a result of corporate pressure on RW legislatures. Joining a union was not an option and professional orgs are different. Now, I suppose I could have dedicated my career to workplace organizing, but 3 main things kept me from doing so.

First was the low odds of success given the mandatory freeloaders in "right to be screwed" states making unions economically unsustainable.

Then, I was already working to elect better reps, not specifically to change "right to be screwed" law, but for the most part they would have done so if I'd been successful enough. I wasn't.

Finally, I was already a lifelong activist. Early on I made the choice to not also became an activist at work. IMO both would have suffered.

So, your point is well taken, but I can't entirely blame workers for their lot. They've been beaten down by powerful forces. Maybe they're no more evil than the robber barons, but they are less self-defeating and more subtle and strategic. Do most workers really have a choice?

[O Really]

Everybody has a choice. I can certainly see accepting certain less desirable conditions in order to maintain a generally satisfactory job or to assure a reasonable level of stability for the family, and I'm not faulting anyone who makes that choice. And certainly many if not most employers do a better job of labor/employee relations than decades ago. And of course even in non "right to work" states non members benefit from unions' work. It's sad to see that after all the sacrifice the Kentucky UMW members made in the past, that there are no union mines left in the state now and even in the mines that are still truly rotten.

All I'm saying (and ostensibly GoCubsGo) is that if one chooses to accept the status quo and not pay the price of change, then don't bitch about being a victim.

[Vrede too]

...

Beware, Whack9:

Woman ordered to repay employer after software shows ‘time theft’
Company tells Canadian tribunal it installed software on Karlee Besse’s laptop after finding files over budget and behind schedule

A Canadian woman has been ordered by a civil tribunal to compensate her former employer for “time theft” after she was caught misrepresenting hours worked by controversial tracking software.

Karlee Besse, who worked remotely as an accountant in British Columbia, initially claimed she was fired from her job without cause last year and sought C$5,000 ($3,729; £3,066) in compensation – both in unpaid wages and severance.

But the company, Reach CPA, told the tribunal Beese had logged more than 50 hours that “did not appear to have spent on work-related tasks”.

Reach said it installed employee-tracking software called TimeCampon Besse’s work laptop after it found her assigned files were over budget and behind schedule, a strategy companies are increasingly taking in the era of remote work.

The software tracks how long a document is open, how the employee uses the document and logs the time as work.

Weeks later, the company said an analysis “identified irregularities between her timesheets and the software usage logs”....

Opps.

If you ever need it you can list me as a "client" or "consultant".

[Whack9]

...

Beware, Whack9:

Woman ordered to repay employer after software shows ‘time theft’
Company tells Canadian tribunal it installed software on Karlee Besse’s laptop after finding files over budget and behind schedule

A Canadian woman has been ordered by a civil tribunal to compensate her former employer for “time theft” after she was caught misrepresenting hours worked by controversial tracking software.

Karlee Besse, who worked remotely as an accountant in British Columbia, initially claimed she was fired from her job without cause last year and sought C$5,000 ($3,729; £3,066) in compensation – both in unpaid wages and severance.

But the company, Reach CPA, told the tribunal Beese had logged more than 50 hours that “did not appear to have spent on work-related tasks”.

Reach said it installed employee-tracking software called TimeCampon Besse’s work laptop after it found her assigned files were over budget and behind schedule, a strategy companies are increasingly taking in the era of remote work.

The software tracks how long a document is open, how the employee uses the document and logs the time as work.

Weeks later, the company said an analysis “identified irregularities between her timesheets and the software usage logs”....

Opps.

If you ever need it you can list me as a "client" or "consultant".

I am salaried. The way I see it, they've stolen my time when I've exceeded 40 hours.

[O Really]

I am salaried. The way I see it, they've stolen my time when I've exceeded 40 hours.

And you may be right. Tech people aren't necessarily eligible to be exempt from overtime even if they're very valuable/skilled and get paid a lot. If you usually work 40ish hours, it's probably OK to let it go. If you regularly work lots of overtime hours, and particularly if you can have your pay reduced for absences, it's probably worth looking into.

[Vrede too]

I am salaried. The way I see it, they've stolen my time when I've exceeded 40 hours.

Still, in theory they could use tracking software to determine that you are working an insufficient number of hours to meet their expectations for a salaried employee.

[Whack9]

I am salaried. The way I see it, they've stolen my time when I've exceeded 40 hours.

Still, in theory they could use tracking software to determine that you are working an insufficient number of hours to meet their expectations for a salaried employee.

This is very true. I've kind of wondered this myself. I know my boss doesn't care what you do so long as you get the work done. He's a very reasonable and fair guy. But I could see some micro-manager types getting mad if you're not meeting some arbitrary metric.

Funny thing is since we've switched to full time remote I feel like I get more done. When we were all in the office many people would often take breaks to socialize or go for walks around the building.