Thought about this the other day. How nice it would be if worker safety and rights were protected with the same sort of unbridled ferocity that now protects property and capital. Wage theft should mean jail time. Unpaid overtime should be a felony. Making your employees work in unsafe conditions should mean years behind bars. If you can go to jail for stealing from the cash register you should go to jail for shorting pay checks.
Of course a carceral state is not a solution to anything really but it feels good to fantasize about ya know.
Like, truthfully, I want a system that recognizes workers and the people they serve as equal stakeholders, with capitalist middlemen not even considered. That way there's no one to incarcerate.
That said, I've used fire and health code to stick the state on bad bosses and I'm not ashamed. When the deck is stacked you've got to bite, kick and scream.
Thought about this the other day. How nice it would be if worker safety and rights were protected with the same sort of unbridled ferocity that now protects property and capital. Wage theft should mean jail time. Unpaid overtime should be a felony. Making your employees work in unsafe conditions should mean years behind bars. If you can go to jail for stealing from the cash register you should go to jail for shorting pay checks.
Of course a carceral state is not a solution to anything really but it feels good to fantasize about ya know.
I'm an abolitionist and feel the same way.
Like, truthfully, I want a system that recognizes workers and the people they serve as equal stakeholders, with capitalist middlemen not even considered. That way there's no one to incarcerate.
That said, I've used fire and health code to stick the state on bad bosses and I'm not ashamed. When the deck is stacked you've got to bite, kick and scream.