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There's no question that bosses reign supreme in the workplace. They have the power to hire us, fire us, promote us, and demote us. They can pay us a reasonable wage or leave us scrambling for Ramen packets. They can spy on us at work through e-mail, the phone, and through drug tests. And for all that, rather than promising security like the companies our granddads worked for, they shove contracts in our faces to remind us that we're hired "at will" and can be fired for no reason at all and without compensation.
There are 130 million workers and potential voters in the U.S. But our issues are largely ignored by elected officials. Cliff Palfsky, an employment attorney in California and a founder of the National Employment Lawyers Association, says "There was a time when the Democrats were strong on labor issues. But what we have now is really a function of the legislatures being beholden to the business community. When they get the courage to talk about pro-labor issues, they resound with the public. But there are too few politicians willing to turn off the money faucet." Clinton is a good example, says Palfsky. "He gets it. But he comes from a what's - good - for - business - is - good - for - society point of view." Rather than fighting for a repeal of the "at will doctrine," for example, "He said himself that job security is up to the individual. It's up to us to develop skills that we can take from job to job."
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