Antiwork

I’ll preface this by saying I understand I have a lot of privilege to be able to just leave the US and get financial support from my parents through university. Many people have to put up with this nonsense daily just to afford basic necessities so I’m very grateful and want to be a part of the labour movement as much as possible. I’m a university student in the UK, but I grew up in the US. Throughout high school I worked, and I’m still working part time throughout uni. Last month, when I was back in the US seeing my family over the holidays, I took a few shifts at my high school job for some extra cash whilst my parents were working. The owner of the place has become a family friend, it’s a small business and he’s always treated me fairly. In my maybe thirty total hours…

I started working at 16 at a local grocery store during a worker’s strike. At the time, I was anti-union because of the treatment me and my fellow young employees received by the strikers (being yelled at every day before clocking in, having some employees’ vehicles vandalized, including my own). We were making minimum wage to sweep floors and bag groceries, and I couldn’t understand why these people were so entitled. Was told multiple times by management that top performers would be offered regular jobs when the labor dispute was settled. That was (obviously, in hindsight) a lie. None of us got to stay. Not a one. That’s when I first considered it was all bullshit and maybe the union was right. Subsequent years of working shit jobs and having promotions/raises dangled in front of me only to have them torn away would solidify that sentiment. Then going back to…

Five nights at Freddy’s is a game where despite absolutely atrocious working conditions and constant fear of death we keep counting the minutes till our shift is over and come back the next day to do it all again.

I finally landed a job that paid a somewhat decent wage of $15 an hour after years of trying. My cities lowest apartment cost are $1400 a month for the shittiest apartment imaginable, so I never have any hopes of having my own place. But I finally got a decent job and was very excited about it. No benefits or anything but $15 an hour is nice for me. Yesterday they just announced they will cut pay to $2 an hour for everyone because of “economic downturn”. This is obviously illegal but they must just not give a fuck. This goes in to affect Monday so I will quit tomorrow. I am beyond pissed that I finally had a decent job just to have it ripped away 1 week after I get there.

I don’t have any real ones. The last two jobs I worked at weren’t good and the ones I did have good relations with were too long ago and I don’t speak to those people anymore. I don’t keep relations with people I worked with, especially when time has gone on. I don’t make “friends” with people. I’m friendly WITH them. But outside of work I have my own life, my own friends. Work is not high school to me. And I’m not some big fancy status at work either where I have all these connections and stuff. I work as an admin. I’ve moved to 3 different states in the last couple years. I’m a good worker. But I always need to use my family (with fake names) because of this. And besides I think most references are people who like you. Why would a person you’re on good…

I seriously see no issue in doing this.