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Antiwork

tips on forcing small businesses to face consequences for mistreating employees?

specifically i am looking to report a business for denying disability accommodations, as well as trying to prevent employees from discussing wages. from october 2021-march 2022 i worked at a local quilting store (country stitches in east lansing, mi; there is another location in jackson, mi). during my time there i was routinely denied accommodations for my chronic pain, as well as regularly being put in danger of full blown anaphylaxis (the store sold crushed walnut shells in ziploc bags, intended to be used as filling for pin cushions, and i have an airborne nut allergy; i brought this up shortly after i started working there, but the owner failed to even double bag these items until february, all the while being angry with me for being unable to get an epi pen due to my lack of healthcare at the time). when i finally had enough and put in…


specifically i am looking to report a business for denying disability accommodations, as well as trying to prevent employees from discussing wages.

from october 2021-march 2022 i worked at a local quilting store (country stitches in east lansing, mi; there is another location in jackson, mi). during my time there i was routinely denied accommodations for my chronic pain, as well as regularly being put in danger of full blown anaphylaxis (the store sold crushed walnut shells in ziploc bags, intended to be used as filling for pin cushions, and i have an airborne nut allergy; i brought this up shortly after i started working there, but the owner failed to even double bag these items until february, all the while being angry with me for being unable to get an epi pen due to my lack of healthcare at the time).

when i finally had enough and put in my 2 weeks notice (yes, i know i shouldve just walked out), the owner immediately contacted a coworker of mine and offered them a 10% raise on the condition that they would not tell any other employees. that coworker told me immediately, and never went back for another shift.

the entire time i worked there, i was told there was no use in trying to report the business for it because it was so small. the store was divided in half between the quilt shop and the machine shop, which had different managers. in the quilt shop (where i worked) there were never more than 7 employees at any given time, and by the time i left there were only 3 quilt shop employees left. machine shop had 4 employees, service department had 2, and back office had 6 (both owners, accountant, secretary, two people in receiving). so 15-20 employees at the east lansing location, and even less employees at the jackson location (which essentially only sold sewing machines).

i know i may be too late to do anything, but if anyone knows of my options i think they would be on this sub.

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