Issues I'd like to see addressed more

[Pushed To The Left]

There are some issues that I think are important, yet don't seem to get addressed by politicians nearly enough. They are:

At-will employment. I believe that this practice should be banned, preferably a federal ban. Nobody should be able to affect somebody's life that way by firing them without a good reason. That is way too much power to give to anybody. Employers need to be held accountable just like anybody else. There should be some tough rules and standards for employers when it comes to reasons for firing.

The right to vote and other rights shouldn't be taken away by anybody, government or private. I was reading an article about voter registration, and an 18-year-old woman's excuse for not registering was that her mother probably wouldn't "let" her vote. Now, I don't give a damn who pays the bills, who is supporting who, EVERYBODY who is eligible has a right to VOTE!! No property owner should have that kind of blackmail power. No employer should have that kind of power. "Go and live someplace else!" "Just get another job!" the free marketers will say. If that were so easy, then nobody would fear getting fired or evicted. It's funny that so many people who get upset about government taking away rights don't get as upset about the private sector taking away rights. Anybody who has that kind of power can take rights away, like a criminal with a gun to your head.

Ending all types of discrimination. Instead of just having a few protected groups, why not just end discrimination for everybody? Every time a new group comes along, there's this big debate on whether they should be protected. The most recent example is where people say racial discrimination is wrong, but anti-gay discrimination is fine because they "chose it". There should be no debate. If somebody is being discriminated against, whether it be their race, sex, orientation, religion, height, weight, handicap, etc. IT IS WRONG unless it directly effects job performance. All people deserve to be treated fairly, and I'm tired of people making exceptions. You're pro-discrimination or you're anti-discrimination. That's it.

There are probably many others, but these are a few..

[telamachus]

1. Number one and number two

are regular talking points in my life!

I pretty much agree with you but I also would consider these to be my most radical and controversial issues.

[wurzel]

2. We need labor laws here like they have in Europe.

Our labor "rights" were a matter of Union "contract'. And it worked. But labor "rights" were never incorporated into law, while "Corporate" rights were. Now we have no unions. And we have no contracts. We have no rights. In Europe union gained "labor" rights never relied on "contract". The unions had them put into law. Big Difference.

[thinkingwoman]

3. are you an employer?

I cannot support #1 because I am an employer and I know how important it is to be able to fire an employee that is damaging your business.

It is not always possible or practical to build up the case required in non-at-will states. Why should an employee who badmouths me to clients and steals money stay on my payroll for one more second just because I can't prove it the first day I know about it?

Nobody owes anyone a job.

[Pushed To The Left]

4. The employee you describe

sounds like a bad employee who is not doing a good job. I would have no problem with somebody being legitimately fired for bad job performance. It may be a little more difficult to fire somebody like this without at-will employment, and I can understand how it could be frustrating, but I think the benefits of banning at-will employment far outweigh the disadvantages. I would rather have an employer have to prove their case regarding a bad employee than have an employee lose their job because of who they choose to date, what they do on the weekend, etc. The bottom line is that the employer has a huge advantage in power in this situation, and will still have the edge in power even without at-will employment.

[thinkingwoman]

5. you didn't answer my question

are you an employer? Have you ever been?

I had the exact same views as you before I became an employer. Now I see the other side.

Having to keep paying someone who is damaging your business while you build a provable case against them could cost you thousands of dollars, maybe your entire business, and you may STILL get sued after you fire the employee for just cause.

Employees can sue for wrongful termination in at-will states too. It's not the free ride for employers that you and others describe. The real world just doesn't work that way.

P.S. I have never met anyone fired for who they date. I expect the ACLU would love to have them as a client.

[Pushed To The Left]

6. No, not an employer

However, I'd like to think that I would still hold the same views even if I was. I don't think most of us here on DU are politicians, but that doesn't mean we can't have very strong opinions on what politicians do. I can see how dealing with a bad employee could be very frustrating, but there has to be a better way to combat this than at-will employment.

What I was referring to regarding who people date was "interoffice dating policies", where employees are forbidden to date eachother outside the office. In my opinion, what an employee does off the clock is his or her business. I don't know if anybody has ever been fired for this, but hopefully the ACLU would take their case. I'm really starting to like the ACLU!

[REP]

7. I'm Not Sure I Understand

This hypothetical employee who might be badmouthing you to clients and stealing - it's not proveable, right? So, firing this employee might be firing an innocent person, right? The employer has more power in this relationship, so I really don't see the problem with making sure the allegations are true before terminating this person. Yup, it *could* cost the employer something to prove their suspicions; and firing the employee without proof could cost the employee their housing, insurance, and maybe even their life (if they have a chronic medical coniditon). The employee has a LOT more to lose.