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Comment by codesnik | Hacker News Reader

and if employer wants everyone in the factory for 14 hours 7 days a week, well...

there's got to be a reasonable point on the spectrum between "child labor is legal" and "government mandates color of post-it notes in offices"

if a company decides they function best with all their employees in the same physical space, and hires with that condition as an explicit criteria for working there, do you really think that's a violation of human rights?

A reasonable point on the spectrum between "child labor is legal" and "government mandates color of post-it notes in offices" is "People should be allowed to work from home for a job that can be done from home"

I wouldn't see the issue here if the employer was willing to "pay handsomely" to have their employees work those hours. Some white collar workers work those hours every week - if not longer - and are paid well for it.

Funny how "paying handsomely" turns into a race to the bottom.

It is, indeed, fascinating how little respect workers have for each other. Any little concession they can offer an employer to screw over the guy beside them, they will take it.

Unionization helps develop somewhat of a brotherhood to keep the nastiness at bay, but even then the members generally want to keep it an exclusive club, not something for all workers to join. As a result even union members still see external pressure from the workers outside of the union still trying to them screw over.

>Unionization helps develop somewhat of a brotherhood to keep the nastiness at bay,

No, being comprised of humans, it absolutely doesn’t.

The only person paying handsomely (hastening their illness and death) is the one working 7 days a week for 14 hours.

Actually I'd prefer OSHA set some sane limits on hours worked instead of assuming an Invisible Hand will stop employers from working laborers to death.

Commuting to work 5 days a week is not a health hazard. Most people did it before the pandemic.

And many died in car crashes and other accidents on their commute

https://bigthink.com/surprising-science/reasons-to-take-the-...

Driving is the most dangerous activity that the average person engages in. Just because it’s common doesn’t mean it’s safe.

No, eating is.

Nobody will sign up for that job.

That’s an incredibly privileged point of view, with all due respect.

I worked in a plastic factory in a small rural town that always struggled to find workers. People will refuse work and prefer poverty for a lot less than 14-7 working conditions. Lacking air conditioning is enough.

With all due respect, so is equivocating having to sit in the car for an hour with the desperation of choosing between starving and a long work week

Not sure where I even remotely did that? The comment above was my only contribution to this thread. It’s an isolated reply to the comment I replied to

You didnt. I was making an additional contribution which related to yours and the parent post.

Both are extremely privileged and ignorant positions.

That nobody would work 70 hour weeks, and that going into an office is a comparable struggle.

There are plenty of people who find themselves in desperate enough situations to be taken advantage of in such a way. It is for that reason that things like social welfare and employment regulation exist today.

And 14 year olds would never work in mines.

Well... then they can pay for it.

They do pay for it in Bangladesh or other countries.

Says the 35h/w white collar rich guy.

"Stereotyping: It's OK When We Do it!"

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