The American workplace - one of the most repressive in the developed world

i remember an anecdote told by a world-class guy about his experience with the japanese national director of quality... he asked my friend what was the difference between the united states and japan... he knew immediately it was a loaded question, so he played along and said, "why, no, tell me..." the japanese smiled and this is what he said...

"japan has the most regimented, repressive society of anywhere in the world, and the united states has the freest, most tolerant society in the world... in japan, the workplace is the freest, most open, most employee-friendly in the world, but in the united states, the workplace is the most repressive, most rigid, least employee-friendly imaginable... why IS that...?"

yeah, why IS that...?

barbara ehrenreich writing in alternet...

With the Employee Free Choice Act heading toward a Senate vote, conservative columnist George F. Will has suddenly developed a tender concern for workers' rights. The act "strips all workers of privacy," he fumed in the Washington Post last week, and will repeal "a right -to secret ballots -- long considered fundamental to a democratic culture ..." As Will sees it, the unions are backing the act out of sheer desperation: Since they can't seem to win a fair fight for workers' allegiance, they want government to take away the workers' rights and help herd them into union membership.

OK, now let's leave Will-land and enter an actual American workplace. Are you punched in? Good. The first thing to notice is that you've checked your basic civil rights at the door. Freedom of speech? Forget about it: Some employers bar speech of any kind with your fellow employees. I saw this firsthand at a chain restaurant and a Wal-Mart store. Wanna work? Zip your lips.

How about those privacy rights that Will so concerned about? Nada -- they don't exist outside of Will-land either. You probably had to pee in a cup to get your job in the first place, which constitutes a very intimate chemical invasion of privacy. In most states, your purse or backpack can be searched by the employer at any time; your emails and web activity can be monitored.

Right of assembly? Sorry, you don't have that either. In my experience, most managers see a group of three or more employees talking together as an insurrection in the making. Shut up and get back to work!

barbara ehrenreich, imho, hits the nail precisely on the head...

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