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[-] Pacattack57@lemmy.world 29 points 1 day ago

By law employers are required to allow their workers an opportunity to vote. The problem is other stuff like taking their kids to school and having to go to work right after and by the time you make it to the poll through rush hour traffic, the line is out the door and they shut it down and don’t let you vote even though you waited for an hour.

[-] Branch_Ranch@lemmy.world 3 points 8 hours ago

I'm so glad my state has mail-in voting. Sorry buddy.

[-] tquid@sh.itjust.works 26 points 1 day ago

My roommate asked for time off to vote; her employer literally laughed at her. Now, there is legal recourse there, and she would have likely won and even gotten awarded a money judgment.

But she needed that job without interruption. This was in Canada, by the way.

[-] Mongostein@lemmy.ca 12 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

This is why you don’t ask.

Also, you don’t really need a whole day. I’m also Canadian. Employers are required to allow you time to do it, not an entire day.

I would phrase the question like this: “I need to take time to go vote. Would you prefer I take the morning or afternoon off?”

If they so no to both, you say “you know it’s illegal not to allow me time off to vote, right?”

I’ve changed careers since the last election, but as a driver I’d just say “I’m going to swing by the polling place in my way to or back from wherever” and it was never a problem.

[-] bitchkat@lemmy.world 1 points 9 hours ago

A job I had for a couple of years had really annoying emails sent based on badging in/out. When I'd come back from voting I'd get one for some out of office violation and would just reply to HR with a link to the MN statute requiring paid time off for voting:

https://www.sos.state.mn.us/elections-voting/election-day-voting/time-off-work-to-vote/

[-] VinesNFluff@pawb.social 15 points 1 day ago

It really depends on how much you need that job to like

Not be homeless

And how hard it was to get the job in the first place.

You can make your legal rights count if you have options.

If you don't, you let your boss walk all over you and thank them for it.

[-] Mongostein@lemmy.ca 8 points 1 day ago

I mean you do have options. We have the labour board here in Canada.

You don’t tell your employer you’re talking to them. You let them contact the employer. They can’t fire you while an investigation is ongoing.

[-] HK65@sopuli.xyz 13 points 21 hours ago

So the bare minimum that even my little Eastern European hellhole could do was that a polling place closing means that those in line can still vote.

A poll worker gets in line exactly at closing time, and those in front get to vote however long that takes. It's not hard to organize.

[-] Aceticon@lemmy.world 4 points 10 hours ago

Yeah, it's exactly the same in the very opposite end of Europe (and about as poor) - Portugal - which I know becaused I maned the polling places a couple of times and read the rule book.

[-] HK65@sopuli.xyz 1 points 4 hours ago

Thanks for your service, unironically

[-] ayyy@sh.itjust.works 13 points 1 day ago

The law also doesn’t require employers to pay for that time, so many can’t afford to take the time off even if their employer is chill about it.

[-] Pacattack57@lemmy.world 7 points 23 hours ago

Oh no it’s never paid, but they have to allow them time to vote. Usually that means wake up at 6am to get to the polls by 7

[-] ayyy@sh.itjust.works -1 points 23 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago)

it’s never paid

As a salaried worker your pay will not change just because you took time off to vote. So it is de facto requires to pay for the time, but only for those who already have the privilege of a salaried position.

Edit to make my point even more clear: the current law is structural discrimination against poor people.

[-] Pacattack57@lemmy.world 1 points 22 hours ago

You are arguing semantics on whether it’s paid or not. No one cares. The point is, paid or not, your job has to give you time to vote, usually at the employees expense.

[-] ayyy@sh.itjust.works 1 points 22 hours ago* (last edited 22 hours ago)

Thanks for your reply! I am not arguing semantics at all. I am pointing out an inherent disadvantage faced by lower paid workers in an unfair system. Which is the entire point of this discussion. The fact that you don’t care about a few hours of paid time perfectly demonstrates that the privileged benefactors of the current system don’t even realize that others are being actively oppressed through technicalities of the law.

[-] VinesNFluff@pawb.social 13 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

The thing is

"The law says it has to happen" doesn't mean it happens.

And the weaker labour protections are in your country, the more bosses can walk all over their employees.

In the US, with their so-called "at-will" employment system, you can be fired at any time for any reason, and if you need the job to like, live, you won't even bring up your legal rights.

Mind you even on countries where polling happens exclusively on Sunday (like mine!) there are other subtle ways The Poors ^tm^ are kept from enfranchisement. "Voting happens on a work day" is just one of the ways it happens in one of our world's oligarchies.

[-] MutilationWave@lemmy.world 4 points 23 hours ago

If you're in food service, election day is likely an all hands on deck situation. Incredibly shitty. And here in the US a ton of people work weekends. I didn't get a job that had weekends off until my mid 30s.

this post was submitted on 30 Oct 2024
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