4 ms·

If you really don’t know about your rights as an employee, you should be aware that US workers have many rights guaranteed by law. Not as much protection as we

If you really don’t know about your rights as an employee, you should be aware that US workers have many rights guaranteed by law. Not as much protection as west Europeans, maybe! But the other side of the coin is that it’s so much easier to get hired, or start a business in the US. https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/workers https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/workers

whoknew1122 4y ago
The question isn't whether there are rights guaranteed by law. It's whether or not those laws are actually applied. That's why it's national news that Amazon was found to have violated labor laws... in a single warehouse in New York.[1] And that's before we get into intentional understaffing and industry capture of the US Department of Labor. https://www.vice.com/en/article/xgdejj/amazon-repeatedly-violated-union-busting-labor-laws-historic-nlrb-complaint-says https://www.vice.com/en/article/xgdejj/amazon-repeatedly-vio...
- jlund-molfese 4y ago
  Well, now you’re moving the goalposts. I’m not arguing that workers are never mistreated. I would agree, sometimes they are, and that is bad! But it’s overly hyperbolic to say that US employees have no rights at all. They do, just not as many protections as a few other countries. As an hourly, non-exempt employee, I had a legal right to overtime, paid breaks, and unpaid leave and other things. DOL signs were posted at the workplace, as is required, to inform workers about their rights. My employer (Best Buy) followed the law and I appreciated those legal protections, which the employer otherwise probably wouldn’t have given me. This is an anecdote, but is an example of a worker (me) having rights. To be clear, that’s the specific argument I’m making. American workers have some rights, regardless of whether they’re perfect, or perfectly upheld. That’s obvious, isn’t it?

whoknew1122 4y ago

The question isn't whether there are rights guaranteed by law. It's whether or not those laws are actually applied. That's why it's national news that Amazon was found to have violated labor laws... in a single warehouse in New York.[1] And that's before we get into intentional understaffing and industry capture of the US Department of Labor. https://www.vice.com/en/article/xgdejj/amazon-repeatedly-violated-union-busting-labor-laws-historic-nlrb-complaint-says https://www.vice.com/en/article/xgdejj/amazon-repeatedly-vio...

jlund-molfese 4y ago
Well, now you’re moving the goalposts. I’m not arguing that workers are never mistreated. I would agree, sometimes they are, and that is bad! But it’s overly hyperbolic to say that US employees have no rights at all. They do, just not as many protections as a few other countries. As an hourly, non-exempt employee, I had a legal right to overtime, paid breaks, and unpaid leave and other things. DOL signs were posted at the workplace, as is required, to inform workers about their rights. My employer (Best Buy) followed the law and I appreciated those legal protections, which the employer otherwise probably wouldn’t have given me. This is an anecdote, but is an example of a worker (me) having rights. To be clear, that’s the specific argument I’m making. American workers have some rights, regardless of whether they’re perfect, or perfectly upheld. That’s obvious, isn’t it?