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The White Collar Sweatshop
Office Workers Fight Back
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FEELING
TRAPPED AT WORK?
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| TO: |
CALLING
ALL OFFICE WORKERS |
| FROM: |
TIRED
OF FEELING LIKE A SERVANT OR A MACHINE? |
| DATE: |
WORKING
LONG HOURS? FEELING TRAPPED AT WORK |
| RE: |
SUPPORT
OFFICE WORKERS DEMANDING THE END TO WORLD CONFERENCE ON
RELIGION AND PEACE'S ABUSIVE WORKING CONDITIONS! |
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YOUNG
WOMAN WORKER FACES RETALIATION AND UNJUST FIRING AT WORLD
RENOWNED NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION
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| In June
2002, a young woman worker was unjustly fired for speaking out
against the abusive working conditions she endured while working
in the Women's Program at the World Conference on Religion and
Peace (WCRP), an international, non-profit organization located
just a stones throw away from the United Nations. Not only was
Nancy forced to work long hours-at times even required to be
on call for 24 hours-she was denied recognition of the most
basic of rights: the right to eat and take time for meals. While
WCRP claims to be committed to bringing about peace and to end
world conflict, the way they treat their workers-especially
young women workers-is contrary to the organization's so-called
beliefs.
NMASS urged WCRP
to resolve this issue immediately, but WCRP's only response
was to deny any such intimidation and punishment. WCRP has
left us no choice but to publicly demand that they right their
wrongs and immediately:
- Reinstate Nancy
Eng to her position at World Conference on Religion and
Peace and compensate her for wages lost since termination.
- Recognize workers'
rights to eat and take time for meals, request salary increases,
and most of all, recognize the right of workers to organize
to improve conditions at the workplace.
THE SHRINKING BENEFITS
OF THE WHITE-COLLAR WORLD
This is just one
of many examples of how working conditions are deteriorating
for white-collar workers, especially women. These days, paralegals,
editors, assistants, and other white-collar workers are required
to work around the clock without any legal protections. Meanwhile,
our health and our families pay the price. At non-profits,
where the majority of support staff is made up of young women,
the conditions do not fare any better. Instead of creating
workplaces that promote fairness, non-profits have more in
common with corporations than their own mission statements.
No longer should we have to go from one mediocre job to another
looking for a way out. Join us in demanding the passage of
legislation like New York State Assembly Bill #A09270 to prohibit
mandatory overtime so office workers and working people of
all walks of life can say NO to long hours.
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DETERIORATING
WORK CONDITIONS AT THE OFFICE
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MYTH
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FACT
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| Office
jobs are cushy, and offer stable 9 to 5 hours.
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Office workers
are working longer hours than ever before. With employer
cutbacks, more work is being squeezed out of the individual
worker, leading to stress-ridden lives and long-term
health problems.
- According
to a Gallup poll survey, 40% said they felt stress
on a daily basis.
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| Office
jobs are secure. |
Office workers
are constantly at the whims of company downsizing, layoffs
and mergers.
- In 1998
20% of job cuts occurred in the high tech and electronic
industry.
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| Office
jobs offer great benefit packages. |
Health care
coverage and pension plans are shrinking and leaving
more of the costs with the worker.
- By 1995
only one in four workers have health care
- From 1980
to 1997 46-80% required to pay part of costs
- In 1984,
75% of companies offer dental insurance; in 1995,
only 57%
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| Obtaining
a higher education gives you better job opportunities. |
Young graduates
experience the most insecure, unstable office work conditions.
- In 1990
30% of the contingent workers were less than 25 years
old
- Between
1989-1997 entry-level wages declined 6.5% for males
and 7.4 % for females
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| New
technology makes office work easier. |
E-mail, cell
phones, laptops make it possible to bring work home
or on vacation
- 25% are
working harder at home without any work reduction
in the office
- New technology
are being used by employers to monitor and control
workers.
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Write a letter to World Conference on
Religion & Peace (and 'cc' a copy to NMASS, PO Box
130293, New York, NY 10013-0995) -- see a sample letter.
- Download
a petition (in PDF format). Print it, have your friends
and co-workers to sign it, and return it to NMASS!
- Fill out the online Office
Worker Survey, and let us and others know what conditions
are like in YOUR workplace.
- Fight unjust conditions at WCRP and in other offices.
Call or email us to get involved.
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Back to Campaigns |
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mail:
NMASS P.O. Box 130293, New York, NY 10013-0995
office: 30 Third Avenue, Brooklyn (between
Atlantic and State)
tel: 718-625-9091 • fax: 718-625-8950
• email: nmass@yahoo.com
©2001 NMASS All RIghts Reserved
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