Read the last two chapters of Shulman's The Betrayal of Work
This is our last class together, and the next to last class before I retire. As I said before, thank you for taking this class with me. I’ve enjoyed being with you. For many years now, I've shared the little video with my Core 102 class. Given the content of two of our books, I thought I should share it with you, as well. The Charter for Compassion has a website and a Facebook Page
In Chapter 7, Shulman returns to the stories of the people to whom she introduces us in the first chapter. For example, she writes this about the conditions in the poultry factory where Bob Butler works:
"After repeated complaints, workers still weren’t allowed to leave the line to go to the bathroom. One of the oldest male workers had messed in his pants and “it went all the way into my boots. The most humiliating part was going home to my wife and her friend who happened to be visiting.”
There were only five commodes for more than 600 men. It got so bad that fights broke out in the bathroom. When workers complained about the problem at a meeting, the company responded, “I’m sorry we can’t provide nice plush marble bathrooms for you.” " (A commode is a toilet).
She also writes this:
“They are also mean to the people,” one worker said. “This boy, his aunt died on a Wednesday but he didn’t find out till Thursday. They were burying her on Friday. So he asked the supervisor if he could be off to attend the funeral. The supervisor said, ‘Hell no, you ought to have told us yesterday if you wanted the day off.’ ” Doesn't sound very compassionate, does it?
She also returns to the theme of the effects of technological change, using this example:
"The banking industry is a good example. Improvements in technology made it possible for banks to de-skill and relocate back-office work to centralized customer-service operations in large, off-site locations that provide jobs with low wages and few career opportunities."
How many of you have used the cash machine outside the book store, or put cash on your student ID? There used to be a cash machine in our building just next to Starbucks. There may have been others, or there still may be others. If so, I don't know where.
She also provides information about organizations working to improve conditions. Most of them are still active today, though they may have changed their names a bit. I would like to have you look up some of these. Note that one is a student organization operating on many campuses. I wonder if people would be interested in starting one on this campus.
"Unions, women’s and civil rights groups, immigrant organizations, worker and community advocacy groups such as ACORN and Jobs with Justice, religious groups, students, and caring Americans are working in coalitions to enact living-wage ordinances that require businesses that qualify for public monies to pay a living wage. There are now more than seventy-five living-wage ordinances across the country in cities such as St. Louis, Boston, Los Angeles, Tucson, San Jose, Portland, Milwaukee, Detroit, Minneapolis, and Oakland" (The link is to the organizations website as it is today)
Here are some of the other organizations she mentions:
Working Partnerships USA "Working Partnerships USA is a community organization that drives the movement for a just economy by bringing together public policy innovation and the power of grassroots organizing"
United Students Against Sweatshops This is organization I mentioned above. "United Students Against Sweatshops is a national student labor organization fighting for workers' rights with locals on over 150 campuses." It also has a Facebook page.
Chapter 8 provides a summary and some suggested solutions. I don't think we'll have to spend much time with it.
The picture links to the Charter for Compassion Blogs Page
