Customer Reviews

Can They Do That?: Retaking Our Fundamental Rights in the Workplace

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"Most people think they have legal rights [in the workplace] that, in fact, are completely nonexistent." This quote from page 217 pretty much sums up why you need to read this book.
While rank and file employees need to know just how powerless they truly are, this should be mandatory reading for anyone interested in labor issues. To give just one example of the great breadth of the information contained here, the history of the concept of "at will" employment is enough to make you cringe. You may think this is some historic concept that came down to us from some anlgo historical precedent... but you would be wrong and amazed by the reality. Maltby does an excellent job of explaining the legal issues in layman's terms and also shows the real and specific impact of the legal situation with true-life examples that are at turns horrifying, enlightening and some that are almost ludicrous if not for the seriousness of the outcomes. Maltby also does an admirable job of explaining issues from both the employee's point of view and the employer's. Though as Director of the National Workrights Institute and a former ACLU attorney his sympathies are clear. But if you ever worked for someone else or ever plan to, you need to read this book. If you are horrified enough to want to take action he tells you how to do that too.

When letters to the editor, signs on the lawn, bumper stickers, or your blog can get you fired/...democracy suffers when people can't express their thoughts out of fear of retaliation, too say the least of the whistleblowers that were fired for saving lives or attempting to.
There are now millions of people around the world viewing innocent Americans taking off their clothes in locker rooms or going to the bathroom. Privacy has been digitized in the work place, stores, and places you would't want to know about.
The Supreme Court found out that court adminstrators were secretly monitoring the computers of EVERYONE in the federal court system, including themselves, the supremes, and even when they traveled w/their laptops, and even though it was entirely legal by their very own rulings. Of course they put an immediate stop on the the supremes music that was being played. A case of supreme denial in the classic case of: do as I say, not as I do.
If you are logged onto your company computer from your home, your computer is now part of their network and will be searched just like all the others.
These and many other news flashes are just the tip of the iceberg in this superb analysis of the workplace, encompassing an ever widening infuence & confluence of interests and parameters. Even in the hot lingerie business where a company began selling bras with tiny hidden GPS transmitters, probably for men looking for which direction their relationship was going.
Retinal scanning can now reveal whether a person has diabetes, is pregnant, has high blood pressure, arteriosclerosis, AIDs, etc.
Identity thieves can now capture biometric identification. They can transmit digital representations electronically to anyone anywhere to allow remote authorization or turn it into a replica, like a digital fingerprint, they can use at your ATM or elsewhere. Thay can access it through your workplace or anywhere it is on the internet, even the sequencing of your DNA. Yes, your family jewels are not as safe as you assume, as everytime you use a hairbrush, a tissue, or toothbrush you leave behind a few of your tell-tale cells. Analyzing this abandoned DNA has become a growth rich industry.
Employers are beginning to install silicon chips into employees bodies as an identification system. Consent or lose your job.

Your in for an awakening treat as you tread through these pages as I have. You'll emerge with an education to these "interesting times" in the work place and ...beyond.
It is very informative, important, and entertaining.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED !!!!!!!

We spend so many hours of our life as employees. This is the first book I've read that has written about complicated issues in such a way that any employee could understand. It contains an abundance of helpful information for employees regarding their legal rights, from the future of genetic testing and how it might affect hiring decisions to the down and dirty on privacy expectations in the workplace. Can employers really put video cameras in bathrooms? A must read for any employee.

When I first picked up this book, I thought that all I'd find was a decent read. After all, from the moment I stepped into high school, I had the concept of workplace corruption drilled into my head. This book, however, has ended up teaching me things that I would've never even thought of, what my teachers have either failed to or have just forgotten to tell me. Of course, we all know the basics. Sexual harassment, bribes, sucking up to the boss in order to get a promotion or a pay raise, so on and so on. However, this book goes into even more detail, and touches upon several subjects that are seemingly glossed in your average lecture. Mr. Maltby pulls up a remarkable amount of information, touching upon things that would normally get brushed under the rug. His colorful writing style, mixed together with how he actually pulls up several real-life examples in each of his chapters, helps pull the reader into the book and offers a frightening glimpse of just how deep this corruption can go.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book, for those who both curious on the subject of corruption in the workplace and even for those who believe that they know everything there is to know about the concept. Mr. Maltby does a commendable job at bringing forth issues that wouldn't have gotten much attention otherwise, and in turns helps the reader open up their eyes and in turn brings up the possibility of a brighter future in the workplace.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is in the working field. You will learn alot, especially when you think that the company you work for can't do certain things. After reading a couple of pages, it makes you wonder how crazy things really, really are. Take it serious and learn from it. Also continue to read similar books like this one.

All nonfiction reviews come from individuals who have all levels of knowledge (or lack thereof) about the subject matter in books we buy. So for me.....I had high hopes of learning something new that would truly help me in my predicament....a teacher forced to voluntarily retire because of what my union and I agreed was absolutely age discrimination. I was hoping to find out the unknown world of how to get a pro bono attorney (I've decided they only exist for criminals and in film). I was hoping to learn that "no, they can't do that, but when they do here's what YOU can do." Didn't find that out either. I misinterpreted the title as one that implied help to the worker bullied by their bosses, but no, I learned nothing new.

The author may be an expert in his field, yet he writes with the arrogance of the attorneys I called.

I thought this book is really great and really informative about all the things an employer may do to an employee. What I found interesting and a little shocking was when the employer had cameras in the bathroom. This entire book informs people about abuse an employer may do and how they violate the privacy of others. Overall, this was a great book to read and very informative.

Though there are some scary examples of how few rights American workers have in the workplace, I found little information that I didn't already know. A simple internet search would provide much of the same information and save you the cost of the book.