Feb 27, 2012
Life as a warehouse wage slave
When applying to become a shipping warehouse employee, Mac McClelland was concerned her background as a journalist might be an issue. Instead they only cared that she'd never been in prison and that she'd be on time.
There is no room for inefficiencies. The gal conducting our training reminds us again that we cannot miss any days our first week. There are NO exceptions to this policy. She says to take Brian, for example, who's here with us in training today. Brian already went through this training, but then during his first week his lady had a baby, so he missed a day and he had to be fired. Having to start the application process over could cost a brand-new dad like Brian a couple of weeks' worth of work and pay. Okay? Everybody turn around and look at Brian. Welcome back, Brian. Don't end up like Brian.
I read this piece yesterday and found it helped me better understand the consequences of online shopping. Reading through the comments I noted a discussion re: How do we know what conditions are like at [company x] when deciding where (IF?!) to shop online?
An interesting question. There are labels for all kinds of things (“fair trade,” etc.), but nothing for “certified decent working conditions.”