Psyche, Science, and Society

Time to boycott McDonalds!

Time to boycott McDonalds!

McDonald’s: No workers comp for employee shot protecting patron

By Muriel Kane

Fast food giant McDonald’s has denied workers compensation benefits to a minimum wage employee who was shot when he ejected a customer who had been beating a woman inside the restaurant.

A representative of the administrator for McDonald’s workers compensation plan explained that “we have denied this claim in its entirety as it is our opinion that Mr. Haskett’s injuries did not arise out of or within the course and scope of his employment.”

Nigel Haskett, then aged 21, was working at a McDonald’s in Little Rock, Arkansas last summer when he saw a patron, later identified as Perry Kennon, smacking a woman in the face. A surveillance video of the incident, which had been posted to YouTube, was taken down after McDonald’s charged copyright infringement, but according to written descriptions of the video, Haskett tackled Kennon, threw him out, and then stood by the door to prevent him from reentering.

(Update: The video is now available in a news report from KARK4 in Little Rock, which is not subject to copyright claims and which can be seen above.)

Kennon went to his car, returned with a gun, and shot Haskett multiple times. Haskett staggered back into the restaurant and collapsed.

Kennon, who has a long criminal record, was arrested a few days later and charged with first-degree battery. The judge at his arraignment praised Haskett as a hero.

Haskett has since undergone three abdominal surgeries and has incurred over $300,000 in medical bills. McDonald’s has declined to comment on their reasons for refusing his claim, because the case is still pending before the Workers Compensation Commission, but according to Haskett’s lawyer, Philip M. Wilson:

“McDonald’s position now is that during thirty-minute orientation Mr. Haskett and the other individuals going through the orientation were supposedly told that in the event of a robbery or anything like a robbery . . . not to be a hero and simply call 911. Mr. Haskett denies that anything like that was even mentioned during orientation or at any time during his employment with McDonald’s.”

McDonald’s may be on shaky legal ground in their attempt to deny benefits. As explained by the blog “Joe’s Union Review,” courts have repeatedly ruled that injuries incurred in the course of “good samaritan” acts while on the job are entitled to compensation, especially if they result in good will towards the employer.

“McDonald’s is really living up to it’s reputation as an evil empire,” another blog comments. “They’re no longer merely all about moving in on the little guy, or clogging your arteries with fry grease, or making kids big chunkers, but are also now turning on their employees.”

February 22nd, 2009

Chigo workers victory from sit-in

An important victory in the Chicago workers sit-in:

Chicago workers end sit-in at closed factory

By Michael Tarm

CHICAGO (AP) — With cheers and chants that echoed President-elect Barack Obama’s campaign of change, jubilant workers agreed to a $1.75 million settlement that ends their six-day occupation of a shuttered Chicago factory that became a symbol of the plight of labor nationwide.

Republic Windows & Doors, union leaders and Bank of America reached the deal Wednesday evening. Each former Republic employee will get eight weeks’ salary, all accrued vacation pay and two months’ paid health care, said U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, who helped broker the deal. He said it works out to about $7,000 apiece.

“We lost the jobs but we got something,” said Lalo Munoz, who worked at the plant for 24 years.

About 200 of 240 laid-off workers began their sit-in last week after Republic gave them just three days’ notice the plant was closing. The workers had argued that Republic violated federal law because employees were not given 60 days’ notice. They vowed to stay until they received assurances they would get severance and accrued vacation pay.

Workers carrying sleeping bags left the factory late Wednesday amid cheers of “Yes We Can,” a slogan that became part of Obama’s campaign.

Gutierrez, an Illinois Democrat, said $1.75 million will go into an escrow account for the workers, $1.35 million of which came from Bank of America in the form of a loan to Republic.

“Although we are a lender with no obligation to pay Republic’s employees or make additional loans to Republic, we agreed to extend an additional loan to be used exclusively to pay its employees,” David Rudis, the bank’s Illinois president, said in a statement.

New York-based JPMorgan Chase & Co. pledged $400,000 to use strictly for the protesting employees, Gutierrez said.

The workers are “very, very satisfied” with the agreement, said Mark Meinster of the United Electrical Workers union, which represents the employees.

“Hopefully this is an example for workers across the country that when things like this happen, you can step up, you can speak out, and you can win,” he said.

Lawmakers earlier criticized Bank of America for cutting off funds to the plant after it exhausted its credit line even though the Charlotte, N.C.-based bank itself received $25 billion from the government’s financial bailout package. The bank was given that money so it could provide credit to companies like Republic that employ workers, Meinster said.

“We’re hopeful the banks got that message,” he said. “My sense is it’s going to take a lot more.”

Around 100 supporters of the workers gathered Wednesday in downtown Chicago where negotiators were meeting, some beating drums and others chanting: “They got bailed out. We got sold out.”

“This money is not, under any circumstance, to be used for corporate bonuses, luxury cars or any other perk for the owners of the plant,” Gutierrez said in a statement.

Republic officials did not return messages Wednesday from The Associated Press. Messages left seeking further details from JPMorgan Chase were also not returned.

Rudis said Republic is “unable to operate profitably.” Over the past two years, the factory lost $10 million while borrowing the maximum amount possible under its agreement with Bank of America, the company said.

Associated Press writer Rupa Shenoy and videographer Raza Siddiqui contributed to this report.

December 11th, 2008

General strike in Greece

Greece was paralyzed by a general strike Wednesday as anger over the shooting death of a student coalesced with concerns about the faltering economy. As the economic crisis spreads, stories such as this one of mass resistance will become more common:

Greece hit by 5th day of violence, general strike

By Michele Kambas and Renee Maltezou, Reuters

ATHENS (Reuters) – Riot police clashed with demonstrators for a fifth day and a general strike paralyzed Greece on Wednesday, piling pressure on the beleaguered conservative government.

Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis announced financial support for businesses damaged in the riots and main opposition leader George Papandreou appealed for an end to the violence that has gripped more than 10 Greek cities.

“Government murderers!” demonstrators shouted, furious at the shooting of a teenager by police on Saturday. The killing ignited unrest fueled by simmering public anger at political scandals, rising unemployment and poverty.

Karamanlis, clinging to a thin majority, pledged to safeguard people from violence, but did not say how. Government sources denied rumors emergency measures were being considered. No more protests are planned this week but tension remains high.

Youths lobbed firebombs at police, who returned volleys of tear gas outside Athens polytechnic university, hours after clashes outside parliament following a union rally against economic and social policy.

“Participation in the strike is total, the country has come to a standstill,” said Stathis Anestis, spokesman for the GSEE union federation which called the 24-hour stoppage.

Foreign and domestic flights were grounded, banks and schools were shut, and hospitals ran on emergency services as hundreds of thousands of Greeks walked off the job.

Unions say privatizations, tax rises and pension reform have worsened conditions, especially for the one-fifth of Greeks who live below the poverty line, just as the global downturn is hurting the 240 billion-euro economy.

“There is demand for change: social, economic and political change,” said Odysseas Korakidis, 25, who does two jobs. “It’s not unusual here to hold down two jobs to get just 800 or 1,000 euros a month. In other countries, that’s inconceivable!”

COUNTING THE COST

The Greek Commerce Confederation said damage to businesses in Athens alone was about 200 million euros ($259 million).

“In Athens, we had 565 shops suffering serious damage or being completely destroyed,” said Vassilis Krokidis, vice president of the federation.

In a televised message, Karamanlis, who swept to power amid the euphoria of the 2004 Athens Olympics, announced subsidies, loans and tax relief measures for those affected.

“The government is determined not only to make citizens feel safe but to support businesses which suffered damage,” he said.

In four years of conservative rule, a series of scandals, devastating forest fires, and unsuccessful economic measures have erased the optimistic mood of 2004.

The opposition socialist party, which has overtaken the ruling conservatives in opinion polls, has called for elections.

“I appeal to all to show responsibility, restraint and to end the violence that our country is experiencing these days,” Papandreou told a conference.

One policeman has been charged with murder over the shooting of Alexandros Grigoropoulos, 15.

He testified on Wednesday before a prosecutor that he had fired in the air.

“The investigation shows it was a ricochet … in the end, this was an accident,” his lawyer Alexis Kougias told Reuters. The ballistics report has not yet been officially published.

Witnesses told TV stations after the shooting that the policeman had aimed at the boy and fired.

Rioting over the boy’s death began in Athens on Saturday and quickly spread across the European Union nation of 11 million people. Greeks also protested in Paris, Berlin, London, The Hague and in Cyprus. The unrest is the worst in Greece since the aftermath of military rule in 1974.

Wednesday’s strike by GSEE and its public sector counterpart ADEDY, which include half of Greece’s 5-million-strong work force, was the latest in a series of labor protests by unions.

Many shops in central Athens stayed shut, boarding up their windows to prevent further damage. Bus stops and litter bins were blackened by fire, public telephone booths smashed and some buildings gutted by blazes.

Greece has a tradition of violence at student rallies and firebomb attacks by anarchist groups.

December 10th, 2008

Workers sit-in in Chicago

In this time of economic crisi, what is most needed is a mass movement of workers fighting for their interests. Otherwise those interests will be at best an afterthought as hundreds of billions are given to keep the corporations that caused the crisis afloat. It was the mass workers movement in the 1930’s that kept millions of workers from the worst fate and that forced the government to take pro-worker measures.To rely on the powerful for help is to be defeated at the start.

A small sign of the emergence of such a movement is occurring in Chicago where workers have occupied the factory where they were just laid off:

1 comment December 8th, 2008

Huge strikes shuts ports in war protest

I was busy on Thursday and succeeding days. But I want to at least acknowledge the momentous event that occurred on May Day. The West Coast longshoremen shut down all West Coast ports in protest of the Vietnam Iraq war. If you haven’t already, go Watch, listen to, or read the Democracy Now! interview with union official Jack Heyman. We can only hope that this strike is portent both of a revitalized labor movement and of increasing engagement of labor in attempts to end this war. After all, the vast resources spent on this war are depleting the resources available for all the other vital needs in this country. And it is workers who do most of the fighting. Further, the threat of internal resistance to the war is one of the best brakes the populace can put upon the war-makers planning the next war.

May 5th, 2008

Natalie Merchant: Which Side Are You On?

[h/t Crooks And Liars]

March 8th, 2008

The Story of Stuff

The story of Stuff explains how the system of Extraction — Production — Distribution — Consumption — Disposal works to destroy our world and make our lives miserable as we pursue more and more stuff. Here’s the film’s description:

What is the Story of Stuff?

From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It’ll teach you something, it’ll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.

Watch it in a big format on the film’s website. Or watch smaller the embedded version here:

December 10th, 2007

A World Without Writers?

What would the movies be like without writers?

[h/t Escahaton.]

1 comment November 18th, 2007

Swearing good for work morale

Swearing seems to be popular. Steven Pinker has written a book partially devoted to the topic; he was interviewed on NPR today about it. Today, AFP describes a new study claiming  that swearing at work is good for morale:

Regular swearing at work can help boost team spirit among staff, allowing them to express better their feelings as well as develop social relationships, according to a study by researchers.

Yehuda Baruch, a professor of management at the University of East Anglia, and graduate Stuart Jenkins studied the use of profanity in the workplace and assessed its implications for managers.

They assessed that swearing would become more common as traditional taboos are broken down, but the key appeared to be knowing when such language was appropriate and when to turn to blind eye.

The pair said swearing in front of senior staff or customers should be seriously discouraged or banned, but in other circumstances it helped foster solidarity among employees and express frustration, stress or other feelings.

“Employees use swearing on a continuous basis, but not necessarily in a negative, abusive manner,” said Baruch, who works in the university’s business school in Norwich.

Banning swear words and reprimanding staff might represent strong leadership, but could remove key links between staff and impact on morale and motivation, he said.

“We hope that this study will serve not only to acknowledge the part that swearing plays in our work and our lives, but also to indicate that leaders sometimes need to ‘think differently’ and be open to intriguing ideas.

“Managers need to understand how their staff feel about swearing. The challenge is to master the ‘art’ of knowing when to turn a blind eye to communication that does not meet their own standards.”

The study, “Swearing at work and permissive leadership culture: when anti-social becomes social and incivility is acceptable”, is published in the latest issue of the Leadership and Organisational Development Journal.

I’ll have to remember to swear more often….

October 17th, 2007