The fast food industry should allow workers to form unions. Currently workers work long hours with little pay. In the book Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser, the author talks about how workers are easily replaced and how some companies administered polygraph test on their employees. That is a cruel act on a human life. Some workers are also talked into working overtime without getting paid. Without a union are being overworked which affects their performance . This in turn affects the customer service which affects the company. A union is necessary because it allows workers to negotiate for fair working conditions.
The fast food industry at times take advantage of its employees when it come to overtime. Schlosser talks about how management often talk workers into working overtime with little to no pay. They would use tactics like having a worker feel guilty that they are leaving their team behind with a lot of work if they leave home for the day. The worker is likely to stay without being paid overtime. When i used to work in retail, there were many occasions where my manager asked me to stay longer after my shift was over. He would say that the store was in a complete mess and really needs my help. The only problem was that overtime had to be approved by a higher manager. I would have to work off the clock. I felt guilty about leaving my coworkers behind so I stayed. If we had a union i would have been paid all those overtime hours.
Workers are being easily replaced. Schlosser mentions all of the technological advancements companies make so that anyone one can be hired to work. This gives no value to the employee and they can be fired at any moment. He also mentions how some companies have administered polygraph test to their employees to see how loyal they are to the company. This puts employees in a position to be easily fired. With a union workers can negotiate to remove polygraph test and give more value to the employees to ensure longer employment duration.
In conclusion, a union in the fast food industry is necessary. It is the only tool that workers have to fight for fair treatment at work. Without it workers are subjected to harsh treatment like overtime without pay and constant fear of being fired and replaced. This is why the fast food industry should allow its employees to form unions.
The fast food industry at times take advantage of its employees when it come to overtime. Schlosser talks about how management often talk workers into working overtime with little to no pay. They would use tactics like having a worker feel guilty that they are leaving their team behind with a lot of work if they leave home for the day. The worker is likely to stay without being paid overtime. When i used to work in retail, there were many occasions where my manager asked me to stay longer after my shift was over. He would say that the store was in a complete mess and really needs my help. The only problem was that overtime had to be approved by a higher manager. I would have to work off the clock. I felt guilty about leaving my coworkers behind so I stayed. If we had a union i would have been paid all those overtime hours.
Workers are being easily replaced. Schlosser mentions all of the technological advancements companies make so that anyone one can be hired to work. This gives no value to the employee and they can be fired at any moment. He also mentions how some companies have administered polygraph test to their employees to see how loyal they are to the company. This puts employees in a position to be easily fired. With a union workers can negotiate to remove polygraph test and give more value to the employees to ensure longer employment duration.
In conclusion, a union in the fast food industry is necessary. It is the only tool that workers have to fight for fair treatment at work. Without it workers are subjected to harsh treatment like overtime without pay and constant fear of being fired and replaced. This is why the fast food industry should allow its employees to form unions.
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