Frito Lays "Suicide Shifts" Spark Worker Strikes

"Slavery was never abolished, it was only expanded to include every race." - Charles Bukowski

I am anti-union, but I support workers rights. Although I have many reasons why I despise unions, this video shows why the Frito-Lay union is worthless. Frito-Lay workers are forced into 84 hour workweeks. So much for the union looking out for their workers.

Jimmy Dore is a progressive, but I think most people on GLP who watch the video will be horrified to see that this type of slavery (for lack of a better word) exists in the US. And as Jimmy points out, not one progressive politician is standing up for the injustices at this plant.

Clearly, you've never worked a $100K/yr job before. I got news for you, people who make 6-figure salaries typically work their ASSES off. That's life.

I'm not brainwashed, I just question the version of events as presented. The claims that are posted here have already proven to be untrue.

In communist societies if you do not work at the assigned job (no choice, you're assigned a position and you WILL do it) you will be shipped to the Gulag where you will be starved and worked to death. Absolutely NOTHING like that going on at Frito-Lay.

These employees are free to quit at any time and for any reason or no reason at all. They can just walk out the door, get in the car, and leave. The employer still has to pay them for the hours they worked. Does this actually sound anything like Soviet Russia or Cuba? You've got to be kidding, right?

I've travelled around the world installing and servicing high speed automated assembly lines. I've worked as a Controls Engineer. I'll let you guess what my Salaries were years and years ago and they still pay the same.

Clearly, you've never worked a $100K/yr job before. I got news for you, people who make 6-figure salaries typically work their ASSES off. That's life.

I'm not brainwashed, I just question the version of events as presented. The claims that are posted here have already proven to be untrue.

In communist societies if you do not work at the assigned job (no choice, you're assigned a position and you WILL do it) you will be shipped to the Gulag where you will be starved and worked to death. Absolutely NOTHING like that going on at Frito-Lay.

These employees are free to quit at any time and for any reason or no reason at all. They can just walk out the door, get in the car, and leave. The employer still has to pay them for the hours they worked. Does this actually sound anything like Soviet Russia or Cuba? You've got to be kidding, right?

Thats horrible, all you shills n trolls are bs.

Not even close. Anyone from a Communist nation can tell you that. At minimum, Communists/Socialists have NO "millionaires."

Social services != socialism/communism. Nobody is guaranteed an equal payout from publicly funded social services.

Nobody top-posts here, BTW.

Lack of salary increases has affected nearly every industry across the board and I'm not saying that's right, either. However, the topic of "workers rights"... these people are free to leave the jobsite at any time. Comparing this to Socialist/Communist societies is kinda a joke. I've known a few people from the former USSR and a couple of Cubans. These people don't have a choice about where they work or when they work or how much. The government schedules them and they must produce or be punished. They work for very low pay - like $50/mth in Cuba.

I just think you can't really... with a straight face... tell me that $50/mth forced labor in a Cuban factory is anything like $100K/yr making potato chips with the option to leave whenever you like.

I'm not really claiming that Frito-Lay is the pinnacle or workers rights or fantastic working conditions. However, Frito-Lay does not execute its employees if they refuse to show up for work.

I'm not really defending Pepsi I just think the story presented is questionable.

If they abuse all their workers, why do they have any?

If they abuse all their workers, why have there been no strikes?

If they abuse all their workers, why have there been no complaints to the Department of Labor?

This isn't like China or India or Malaysia where the factory owners can literally whip people and chain them to machines and prevent them from leaving the building where they have to put suicide nets below the windows to keep people from offing themselves producing your new iPhone or iPad.

I've known lots of people who make 100K or more per year and the conditions of their work is nothing like working in a factory seven days a week so you can stop with the bullshit right there.

There is no "Soviet Russia" or gulags you moron. I doubt hardly in Cuba works (they have no economy) and the only ones forced to work in China are the Uighers. The rest willingly pursue work where they can get it and they do for the same reasons as anyone else - they have to support themselves however they can.

I've done shifts like that as needed. I worked 6+ months of 12-15 hour days 7 days a week. It sucked for my social life but was great for my bank account. It also probably helped me advance since I was always willing to work the extra hours.

Nobody is forcing them to work the OT. They can quit and find a new job, plus muh private companies can do whatever they want.

Frito Lay is under no obligation to provide them with a cushy 9-5 forty hour work week

Clearly, you've never worked a $100K/yr job before. I got news for you, people who make 6-figure salaries typically work their ASSES off. That's life.

I'm not brainwashed, I just question the version of events as presented. The claims that are posted here have already proven to be untrue.

In communist societies if you do not work at the assigned job (no choice, you're assigned a position and you WILL do it) you will be shipped to the Gulag where you will be starved and worked to death. Absolutely NOTHING like that going on at Frito-Lay.

These employees are free to quit at any time and for any reason or no reason at all. They can just walk out the door, get in the car, and leave. The employer still has to pay them for the hours they worked. Does this actually sound anything like Soviet Russia or Cuba? You've got to be kidding, right?

Wrong again. All of the communist and socialist societies have very wealthy elites. ALL OF THEM.

Social services/welfare supplements the cost of workers for global corporations.

The point is that a company won't double the line workers so that they all have 40 hour a week jobs at a potato chip factory. Instead they knowingly understaff it and then tell workers mid shift that they have to work an extra 4-8 hours or come in early for the next shift becasue it is cheaper for them to pay overtime at 150% of wages than it is to double the work force to stop overtime. This is economic exploitation and no company should be permitted to operate this way.

The point is that a company won't double the line workers so that they all have 40 hour a week jobs at a potato chip factory. Instead they knowingly understaff it and then tell workers mid shift that they have to work an extra 4-8 hours or come in early for the next shift becasue it is cheaper for them to pay overtime at 150% of wages than it is to double the work force to stop overtime. This is economic exploitation and no company should be permitted to operate this way.

There's just never enough potato chips for 'muricans.

The point is that a company won't double the line workers so that they all have 40 hour a week jobs at a potato chip factory. Instead they knowingly understaff it and then tell workers mid shift that they have to work an extra 4-8 hours or come in early for the next shift becasue it is cheaper for them to pay overtime at 150% of wages than it is to double the work force to stop overtime. This is economic exploitation and no company should be permitted to operate this way.

Modern slavery is the severe exploitation of other people for personal or commercial gain. 84 hour work weeks are inhumane. If you have your own business, you are doing it for your own benefit. If you demand an employee work 12 to 18 hour days and do not give them days off for months, that is exploitation and the definition of modern slavery.

The physical effects from these hours include heart disease, increased cortisol production, nerve damage and depression. the quality of life suffers.

I don't mean to diminish slavery becasue it exists today, in cobalt mines, cacao farms and human trafficking networks. If you want to play with semantics, fine, but Frito=Lay is grossly exploiting their workers because they put profits over the workers who make their products.

But its not bad enough for the people to actually leave. There has to be a reason for that. Nobody at Frito-Lay is holding a gun to their head by the chip belt and screaming at them to pick. They have the option to move or find another job or to open a case with DOL or to talk to the news or try to negotiate with management or organize a new union that will stand up for them.

You can do none of those things in Socialist/Communist factories.