Work Reform

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A place to discuss positive changes that can make work more equitable, and to vent about current practices. We are NOT against work; we just want the fruits of our labor to be recognized better.

Our Philosophies:

All workers must be paid a living wage for their labor.
Income inequality is the main cause of lower living standards.
Workers must join together and fight back for what is rightfully theirs.
We must not be divided and conquered. Workers gain the most when they focus on unifying issues.

Our Goals

Higher wages for underpaid workers.
Better worker representation, including but not limited to unions.
Better and fewer working hours.
Stimulating a massive wave of worker organizing in the United States and beyond.
Organizing and supporting political causes and campaigns that put workers first.

founded 2 years ago

MODERATORS

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252

Seattle becomes first in U.S. to protect gig workers from sudden 'deactivation' (kuow.org)

submitted 2 years ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 59 points 2 years ago

The underlying issue is RAMPANT employee misclassification. Most of these people aren’t contractors, they are just illegally misclassified.

[–] floofloof 23 points 2 years ago (1 children)

gig workers are being unfairly terminated, or "deactivated," as the companies call it.

I, for one, loathe our new techbro overlords.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Workers being exploited is nothing new though. Same overlords, different labels.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 years ago (1 children)

But usually there are some laws protecting them, they didn't have any.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 years ago

THESE DAYS there are some laws protecting most workers. Those laws were written in the blood of striking miners.

[+] [email protected] 8 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (6 children)

[deleted]

[–] [email protected] 12 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Washington does not have "right to work" laws.

You are mistaken.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 2 years ago (2 children)

'Right to work' has to do with not being required to be in a Union in order to get a job (ie, you have a right to work at a location whether you're in the union or not).

Right to work is bullshit and definitely helped in gutting the unions, but, I'm not sure how that has to do with anything to do with gig workers at all.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 years ago

It doesn't; this guy is just unaware of what 'right to work' means (admittedly, it's a deliberately obtuse name), and seems to have no willingness to entertain the possibility that he might not know something.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Right to work refers specifically to laws that make mandatory union membership illegal. It has absolutely nothing to do with at-will employment, termination, or anything relevant here.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 years ago (1 children)

The idea of the "right to work" is bizarre to me. I am a USA citizen and it still confuses me. Isn't our right to freedom from oppression, life, liberty, and happiness? I'm not sure how the right to work gets mixed up in there. I should be able to live happily if I work or not. Call me a commie but a strong social program (including free healthcare, free standardized education, and transit) and universal income would solve many of the issues the USA faces today. That all costs money of course but it doesn't take an economist to see how much the USA spends on the military, and we are not even in an active war, so I think the budget could probably be finagled a little. Anyway I forgot what I was talking about, and all I'm saying is if the guy at the Wendy's drive thru is replaced with a tablet for ordering he should still get paid.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Yes, use your piles of cash and unlimited time to get what you're already owed. Perfect system, you're right.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 years ago

My DoorDasher picked up my order the other day and went to a mall parking lot and sat there for an hour until the order was cancelled since DD couldn’t get ahold of them. They presumably ate it. They should be deactivated. Bad workers shouldn’t get extra protections.