4 ms·

I've definitely caught inappropriate communications behind my back, to the point that I've had to pursue litigation and have collected a couple of (small) torti

I've definitely caught inappropriate communications behind my back, to the point that I've had to pursue litigation and have collected a couple of (small) tortious interference settlements. This is much much bigger issue to any employer than any union-forming issue. An employee who sues is a giant nightmare. (Which I will say right now can be unfair, because it's hard for an outsider to distinguish between the bogus lawsuit and the legit lawsuit, and there are plenty of both in the workplace.) Lawsuits are just about as bad as comments about how you would declare war on your employer if they cross a line you have set. I've seen you make that comment at least twice. A union agitator would need to get a critical mass of coworkers to go along with him to cause real trouble. A guy who sues or self-describes as declaring war can cause real trouble all by himself. EDIT: I have some specific posts I could refer to, but I don't think linking to them follow the "Please add comments that make things better" rule. I'm not 100% positive that this comment so far follows the rule, so I'm quitting before I get too far behind.

nfoz 13y ago
An employee willing to sue when the employer steps out of line, seems like exactly the sort of thing that should be protected. Employers should not be allowed to do wrong things. Employers should especially not be allowed to penalize, nor work together to be aware of or penalize, employees that "tend to sue".
- danielweber 13y ago
  You could make inquiry about lawsuits illegal. I have heard of companies that explicitly ask if you have ever sued a former employer, which crosses a line for me, because it's sometimes necessary to sue to secure your rights. However, even without deliberately asking, a company could learn, and it's not hard to imagine why an employer would be very wary of hiring someone who has sued a former employer. Being sued is an extremely stressful thing and lots of people go to great, even possibly irrational, lengths to avoid it. Ask how you would feel working for a company that had sued former employees. There are no good answers.

nfoz 13y ago

An employee willing to sue when the employer steps out of line, seems like exactly the sort of thing that should be protected. Employers should not be allowed to do wrong things. Employers should especially not be allowed to penalize, nor work together to be aware of or penalize, employees that "tend to sue".

danielweber 13y ago
You could make inquiry about lawsuits illegal. I have heard of companies that explicitly ask if you have ever sued a former employer, which crosses a line for me, because it's sometimes necessary to sue to secure your rights. However, even without deliberately asking, a company could learn, and it's not hard to imagine why an employer would be very wary of hiring someone who has sued a former employer. Being sued is an extremely stressful thing and lots of people go to great, even possibly irrational, lengths to avoid it. Ask how you would feel working for a company that had sued former employees. There are no good answers.