I've heard you can pay for legal advice with Chuck-E-Cheese tokens.
Paul Hogan in the Carl Weathers role?
BAN-HAMMERED!!
Okay, stay with me here. What if this time we put the vaccine in the ivermectin?
Now imagine if you could use FIVE digits for something as important as a bank account.
CAAAAARRRRRR!!!!!!
The place I work has had an amazing 5~10 years. Constantly surpassing prior revenue "far and beyond what we expected". And yet, annual raises are capped at 3%. No matter how well the company is doing, nobody gets a raise higher than 3%. 7% inflation? Fuck you, here's 3%. Management wildly speculates about the coming year, and misses targets? Fuck you, here's 1.5%. Sure, the company grew wildly last year, but not as wildly as they predicted, and they just can't afford raises this year.
Coupled with all this growth meant a hiring spree. As the company grew, it seemed like there were always new faces walking around.
Then, the rug pull. Their #1 customer (about 50% of the business) announced they wouldn't buy anything in 2024. Management found out in September. Before announcing anything, management forces everyone to sign a non-compete agreement. Nobody is allowed to go to work for a competitor, supplier, partner, customer, or start a new business in the same sector for 2 years after leaving the company. The agreement is filled with scary clauses such as forcing the ex-employee to pay all of the company's legal fees in the event of a disagreement.
Once everyone signs (a few people left instead of signing), they announce the loss, and say that a lot of people will lose their job in 6 weeks. December 23rd. Christmas. This is painted as the CEO being generous in letting everyone know ahead of time, so they can make arrangements. Actually, it's their legal obligation (look up the WARN act).
Remember that surge in hiring? Some of those people had only been with the company a few months. Some of them came from our competitors. Suddenly, they're out of a job, plus they just signed an agreement that's going to probably force them to move to get another one.
Yes, I know, non-competes are generally unenforceable, but that's not the purpose. Because they're not enforceable, they're written to scare employees into not testing the company's resolve if they ever leave or are fired. Someone suddenly out of work usually won't take on that risk.
So yes, I'm a little radical now. I don't hide it, I'm the "office socialist". And I found out I'm not alone.
Just like the '70s, Detroit wants to build enormous energy-dense cars, while automakers from another Asian country come in and sell what the market demands.
Expect US automakers to blame unions when they face another round of bankruptcies and begin demanding government bailouts.
I see this law covers drugs and surgeries. Does "gender-affirming care" include therapy?
I'm sure ocean windfarms are somehow to blame.
POTATOS! Boil 'em, mash 'em, put 'em in a stew!
^brought^ ^to^ ^you^ ^by^ ^the^ ^Dunland^ ^Potato^ ^Council^
I've already had this argument with people I work with. It doesn't matter if a non-compete is enforceable or not. They're meant to demoralize and demotivate employees so they stay with the company at low pay. Someone that has just lost their job isn't going to risk a potentially life-destroying lawsuit.
I know they would sue, because the process is the goal, and they have deeper pockets than I do.