Life in the workplace: humiliation and abuse

Angelica who is an author on this blog sent this to me as she is sick and asked me to post it.

Richard

All the talk we hear about freedom and how this is the greatest country in the world makes me sick.  I work in a non-union workplace like most workers do, a small office.  This morning one of the owners of the company I work for comes up to me and asks me:

"Are you sick?" and he is looking at me as if I am about to infect him with AIDS.

"Yes" , I replied. ( I have been sick as a dog for 4 days now and have been coming to work like this.)

He then says "Why haven't you gone to the doctor?  This is why everyone around here is getting sick!"

"Because my employer does not give me any sick days and does not offer any health insurance." I tell him abruptly.

He quickly scurried away after this. What a fucking piece of shit, if you'll pardon my French but I feel justified.

My cough got so bad I just had to go to urgent care which is going to cost me in the land of the free. It turns out I have a bronchial infection and they gave me an inhaler and steroids.  I am so mad, I can't stop thinking about how humiliated and angry my boss made me feel after this morning's incident.  I was consumed with anger on the one hand but I also felt so powerless/  I just wanted to walk right out of that damned office but how could I? How would I survive without this job.  I am an adult, a grown up but if it wasn't for my folks I couldn't have afforded the visit much less the medication. I get no sick leave or any paid days off.

What happened to me today happens to workers day in day out in this country. Life at work cannot be separated from our personal lives, the relationships with our partners and children and friends are also damaged by the stress we undergo at work and in society in general.