Anti-worker

An 'anti-worker' stance, attitude, or policy is characterized by opposition to the rights, interests, and well-being of employees. It typically involves actions or ideologies that prioritize profits, management control, and shareholder value over fair wages, safe working conditions, worker representation, and job security. This perspective often seeks to limit worker power, suppress unionization efforts, and reduce labor costs, sometimes through practices like wage stagnation, benefit cuts, outsourcing, and resistance to regulations designed to protect employees. This can manifest at the individual level of management or be embodied in corporate structures or political agendas.

Anti-worker meaning with examples

• The company's new CEO was widely seen as anti-worker after implementing policies that slashed employee benefits and forced mandatory overtime without adequate compensation. This led to a significant decline in morale and a rise in employee turnover, illustrating the detrimental effects of such a stance on workplace dynamics and productivity. Employees felt undervalued and exploited.
• The politician's consistent opposition to raising the minimum wage, strengthening unions, and providing paid family leave marked them as anti-worker in the eyes of labor advocates. Their voting record consistently favored corporate interests over the economic security and well-being of the working class, prompting widespread criticism from worker unions. This behavior was viewed as putting corporate profits ahead of worker needs.
• The corporation’s decision to outsource its manufacturing operations to a country with lower labor costs and weaker worker protections was a clear indication of their anti-worker priorities. This action resulted in mass layoffs and job losses within the domestic workforce, demonstrating a disregard for the livelihoods of their employees and their families. The move was seen as prioritizing profits over people.
• The proposed legislation to weaken collective bargaining rights and limit workers' ability to strike was immediately recognized by labor unions as a blatantly anti-worker maneuver. Such bills aim to diminish the power of organized labor, thereby reducing workers' leverage in negotiations for better wages, benefits, and safer working environments. Unions campaigned heavily against the proposal.