RE: https://thecanadian.social/@MostlyHarmless/116285239183264441
49 states have 'at will employment' meaning unless you have a union, which is ~not~ 90% of us, we can be fired just for saying we're sick. (yeah, it's wrongful firing - sure sue them. Tell me how rent gets paid while paying for a lawyer?)
The struggle isn't even to explain sick leave is a terrible racket, half (at least) of the US labor force doesn't even have sick leave or use it if we do!
The US (gov & corps) have never - in 250 years - given a flying fuck about labor rights or human rights unless it's been forced by a small minority on the majority. Even the Civil Rights Movement, Suffrage and our tepid union movements have only happened because of a threat of looming violence against the status quo and the then people in power wanted to maintain that status.
The real US patriotism is throwing bricks at bosses and political fucks until they are forced to be better.
I rant often and my fingers don't always obey... [glares at them] so I'm fine with correcting. I actually do appreciate you pointing it out, made sure it was correct info.
@Kalshann Two... years?
Two... YEARS?
TWO YEARS?
I have been sick and working (in America) for four fucking years, and there's a decent chance if I had a few months off I could find a proper treatment and get better.
TWO YEARS!
I knew we were bad off, but holy fucking shit.
@Azuaron
It's fucking insane.
And it's not just the bosses either - the health care "system" is so broke, it's taken my gf a whole year to get her insurance to let her see a gp, much less deal with her problems.
I'm sorry about your trouble though. It's absolutely horrifying and depressing.
@courtcan @Azuaron
I do wonder what the percentage of debt people have is medical and what percentage of the US has medical debt...
like, it's traded, bundled and moved around for pennies on the dollar, but we can't just pay a hundreth of it all to actually resolve the debt. (because that wouldn't be capitalism's true form!)
I'm sorry, mostly that our society is broken; but I am sad, angry, and frustrated for how it hits you and others like this.
@Kalshann @courtcan Quick numbers:
https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/brief/the-burden-of-medical-debt-in-the-united-states/
Despite over 90% of the United States population having some form of health insurance, medical debt remains a persistent problem. This analysis shows that 20 million people (nearly 1 in 12 adults) owe medical debt.
@Kalshann What's interesting is that when companies trust their employees not to just work there for long enough to bunk off for two years and still get paid...they don't.
Not working in a precarious, high-pressure environment makes your staff happier, more productive, and less eager to scam you into paying them for doing nothing. People, in general, want to work.
We've seen the same with the four-day week. Productivity goes up not down! The American business model has everything backwards.
@ApostateEnglishman
Yeah, there's a reason I reference the US version of capitalism as a cult. It's inane and obsessed with worst practices.
UBI, work-from-home, 36 hr weeks, health care for prevention, we ~know~ how to make the world better, and proven it'd be great for everyone and make the bosses more money - and fucking yet... [rolls eyes]
The wealthy in the US want slavery - in one form or another. I've never found anything to refute that in what they do.
Insanity is heavily rewarded in this world.
@Kalshann just fyi:
- the current Dutch government wants to reduce that to 1y
- people regularly go to work with covid/flu and infect others even though they could just stay home when sick
- if you become disabled as an adult and don't have employment at the time (e.g. you're in college like I was when I got long covid, or self-employed) you're fucked because there's no way to get disability benefits when you don't have a job
@obfusk
Oh, I'm not really trying to idealize Dutch or European practices - every nation and corporate structure has something going on that's wrong. I just know that most US workers don't even know there are better options.
A lot of the socialist side of things end up with problems about where cut offs are or where they should be; how things get implements and who's getting pushed out in the cold. This sounds like it's par for the course, honestly.
One of the things that makes me angry (lets call that rage) is that in the 60's where the Dutch are is where we were trying to get. Then the GOP and god stepped in with both feet and stopped it. First Nixon then Reagan and now Fuc$.
@A_Minion
Yeah, but that's the thing - we're better only because someone decided to force the issue. We've have too many ghosts of rich white men telling us what the status quo should be for 200 years.
As for 'cheating to win' I'd say all of them do that. Voter suppression is 100% legal, but only because the nice white population is ok with marginalizing everyone else.
@torf
telepresence and work-from-home systems are a benefit too, even if they are more of a burden than something like "I trust the adults I employ" that the sick days sort of represent.
Here in the US we had a huge surge in home office work during covid then everyone with property or a title went absolutely insane screaming about how it was an evil and socialist idea. Now it's rare except in the well paying sorts of jobs (where you have leverage for terms, or a union).
Lawyer said I had a case against dirtbag company with 5 names in their regional legal representation.
I said I had no money and my name looks silly alone on paper.
No money, no case. That old chestnut.
So, yeah, then forget trying to hold the doctor accountable for what he did with the screw he panic-extracted after letting me walk on it for a month. Feels every-day worse than it did 4 years ago.👍
Anyway. I'm totally really super over it all, clearly. 😄 Go buy my stuff.
> sure sue them.
I wonder what percentage of employers now require ruddy #BindingArbitration clauses in their contracts now.
I used to do everything to avoid those.
Now they're basically completely unavoidable.
@rl_dane
Oh yeah, that's right - even if you are wronged, you can't sue them, you had to make it illegal for you to sue them when they hired you!
This fucking open air prison called a nation.
I mean even the flipping U.K. has made those illegal. 🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️
A_Minion
Kalshann
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Azuaron
Court Cantrell does not comply
Yoritomo
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Fay 🏳️🌈
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contrasocial
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Hot Dog Water
R.L. Dane 
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