Thursday, January 14, 2010

Looking for a good labor Lawyer....

....are a number of employees of the Kahleefornia DMV, who are evidently being forced to work for free one day a week, management thinking apparently that because there aren't many jobs there, people will put up with it. (of course, the idea that people might not work very hard for free isn't occurring to them for some reason....)

Hint to any DMV executive who might be reading this humble site; a major lawsuit is about the best thing that can happen when you pull an insanely stupid stunt like this. Hopefully DMV employees find an "underground railroad" out of one of our nation's most idiotic, unethical employers.

7 comments:

pentamom said...

It's not slavery if they're allowed to quit. It's just unjust. It would no doubt be a violation of labor laws if it were a private employer, but governments get special treatment with stuff like that.

Bike Bubba said...

They can quit, but good luck finding a job.....while perhaps not technically slavery in the strictly legal sense, in this economy it's the next best thing, no?

Definitely unjust, though, and I'm pretty sure that if private employers tried this stunt, senior managers would end up in prison for it....

pentamom said...

Yes, but quitting a job because you don't like some aspect of it always entails an economic risk, but that doesn't make it slavery. Associating undesirable but voluntary working conditions with slavery merely because your other options are limited (as opposed to literally non-existent) is a Marxist trick of language. Don't fall for it!

The thing that distinguishes slavery is that the servitude -- all of it, not just the parts, timing, or amount you don't like -- is involuntary.

The situation is totally ridiculous and abusive, but it has nothing to do with the 13th Amendment.

K-Rod said...

Sounds more like a pay cut to me.

I haven't gotten a raise in over a year, is that "unjust"? Nah, but it isn't very "fair" and when you count inflation it actually is a pay cut. If I want to continue in this job do I really have a choice in the matter?

I really have a hard time feeling sorry for government "employees".

Bike Bubba said...

Agreed that gov't workers ought in general to be getting pay cuts, but I'd simply suggest that management (including the clowns in Sacramento) needs to be honest about it. No bait & switch routines of "extra day off!" followed by "Ha! No day off, but the 20% pay cut sticks!".

Unless, of course, they really want people to come to work really grouchy and bent on revenge.

Gino said...

i took an indirect paycut through taxation to pay the DMV to work inefficiently.

they were given the oppertunity to help make the system more efficient, but their union balked at the idea of fewer workers to collect dues from.

screw 'em.
i'm glad, cause they been screwing CA for years.

pentamom said...

I guess those who say it's effectively just a pay cut have a point here.

Way to edit the original post to make me look like a ninny, Bert. (j/k)