Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Call Center Workers Walk Off Job in Protest Rather Than Read McCain Script Attacking Obama

A STORY FROM TMP ELECTION CENTER
Some three dozen workers at a telemarketing call center in Indiana walked off the job rather than read an incendiary Senator McCain campaign script attacking Senator Barack Obama, according to two workers at the center and one of their parents.

Nina Williams, a stay-at-home mom in Lake County, Indiana, tells us that her daughter recently called her from her job at the center, upset that she had been asked to read a script attacking Senator Obama for being "dangerously weak on crime," "coddling criminals," and for voting against "protecting children from danger." Williams' daughter told her that up to 40 of her co-workers had refused to read the script, and had left the call center after supervisors told them that they would have to either read the call or leave. The call center is Americall, located in Hobart, Indiana. "They walked out," Williams says of her daughter and her co-workers, adding that they weren't fired but willingly sacrificed pay rather than read the lines. "They were told [by supervisors], `If you all leave, you're not gonna get paid for the rest of the day." The daughter, who wanted her name withheld fearing retribution from her employer, confirmed the story. "It was like at least 40 people," the daughter said. "People thought the script was nasty and they didn't wanna read it."

A second worker at the call center confirmed the episode, saying that "at least 30" workers had walked out after refusing to read the script. "We were asked to read something saying [Obama and Democrats] were against protecting children from danger," this worker said. "I wouldn't do it. A lot of people left. They thought it was disgusting." This worker, too, confirmed sacrificing pay to walk out, saying her supervisor told her: "If you don't wanna phone it you can just go home for the day."

The script coincided with a robo-slime call running in other states, but because robocalling is illegal in Indiana it was being read by call center workers.

So what I am wondering is that if this is true, why isn’t the main street media carrying this story?

Maybe someone should tell Senator McCain to look at these people and see what it means to have standards and be honorable. He could learn a lot from them. And tell him that talk is cheap. Actions speak louder than words.

These people put their jobs on the line. These are true American heroes.

1 comment:

5STRONG said...

Once again, not even media coverage on an issue like this...sweep it under the rug!!!!