Rights in the Workplace

While the "Occupy" movements have been dying down, that does not mean that the idea is going as well. However, the right for employees of a business to join together against their employers has slightly hit a speed bump, especially with the recent signings by millions of employees in order to keep their jobs. The conditions of keeping their jobs meant that any disputes that they had with their employers must be taken to arbitration rather than court. This makes it much harder for employees to join together in order to fight for what they think is right, and that doesn't seem fair. If a boss is mistreating many of his employees, they should have the right to join together and fight against him, not single-handedly file complaints and take him to court one by one; if this happens, odds are the boss wins. However, the National Labor Relations Board has shown that all arbitrary agreements do not have the power to trump a persons or groups right to join together to make group claims. Finally, a victory for the little people.

With this article being such a serious and questioning issue, the most fit way to present it was with a strong logos and ethos appeal. The authors logos appeared in many places, by stating certain court precedents and the backgrounds of many labor board members, which help to illustrate the seriousness of the matter while also giving hints as to how the debate might end. Also, the ethos used by the author is meant to question the readers, almost asking them if the agree with such conditions based on their own work experiences and the treatment that they receive. In the end, it was a very debated article and I feel as if it should work out in the employees favor in the long run.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/15/opinion/sunday/rights-in-the-workplace.html?ref=editorials