5 ms·
I'm inclined to say that you're better off finding ways to organize outside of the context of work. Big corporations aren't going to change until there's an org
by qntty 6y ago
I'm inclined to say that you're better off finding ways to organize outside of the context of work. Big corporations aren't going to change until there's an organized worker's movement in the US that can pressure the government to pass laws. Pressuring a single corporation to (appear to) change their policies is a losing game. You don't have to be as ambitious as trying to affect national politics, but maybe get involved in political activism in your city.
- kitotik 6y agoAgree that organization is probably the biggest impact. Perhaps start by anonymously raising awareness and rallying fellow Amazon employees via public blogs, social etc.
- tehjoker 6y agoTalking with people 1:1 in areas safe from management overhearing is much more effective than online awareness raising. For the most part, politics happens in person. You don't sign up to fight for someone based on a flyer. Try to get offsite if you can.
- kitotik 6y agoTotally fair point, but I assumed this would break the constraint of remaining anonymous, and a meeting with the wrong person could start some unwanted chatter or even a report up the chain. Plus, in person organizing is a lot trickier during a pandemic!
- jakelazaroff 6y agoI disagree with this. Your 9–5 spent powering the machine that mistreats these workers probably vastly outweighs whatever wins you're able to eke out on nights and weekends. See also "Ethics can't be a side hustle" [0] [0] https://deardesignstudent.com/ethics-cant-be-a-side-hustle-b9e78c090aee https://deardesignstudent.com/ethics-cant-be-a-side-hustle-b...
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- qntty 6y agoI suspect that if 1,000,000 people across the country decided tomorrow to refuse to work for an unethical company, the benefit would be pretty marginal. They would just find someone else. But if 1,000,000 people got involved in political activism, even if only on nights and weekends, I think that it could really change the country. When you're refusing to work for an unethical company, you're playing a very different game than when you get involved in political activism. You need a very high percentage (>10% of an industry?) of people to commit to refusing to work for an unethical company for it to make a difference. On the other hand, a very small number of people engaging in political activism can change the consciousness of the entire country very quickly. Think of the way that a few people hanging out in Zuccotti Park changed the way that we talk about wealth in America. Nobody knew what the "99%" was before that.