A disgruntled worker explains what was behind his theatrical resignation. From HuffPo:
Like almost anyone who's ever held down a job, Joey DeFrancesco harbored dreams of one day quitting work in spectacular fashion.
The way 23-year-old DeFrancesco tells it, he worked a job he didn’t care for at a hotel in Providence, R.I., for more than three years. He often thought about leaving. In his own workplace fantasy, DeFrancesco would march right up to his boss with a letter of resignation. Upon handing it over, a brass band would explode into boisterous song. Then DeFrancesco would march out of the hotel in triumph, waving to his admirers.
The difference between DeFrancesco and the rest of us is that he actually carried out his fantasy.
Oh, yes he did. Here's the video:
This is from Joey's explanation of why he quit, from the YouTube page where the video is posted:
I worked in this hotel for 3.5 years. I worked while going to school full time to pay my tuition and living expenses. This was not a job I had for two weeks before quitting in a hissy-fit.
The working conditions in the hotel are horrendous. In the kitchen, workers are regularly forced to work 10, 11, 14, 16 hour shifts that begin at 5:30AM and last well into the night. Housekeepers are reprimanded if they fail to clean 16 rooms or more in a 9 hour shift. Anyone who speaks up—especially anyone who is openly pro-union—is disciplined or fired. Managers, like Jared, scream down employees daily.
I worked extremely hard to change the conditions in the hotel. My co-workers and I regularly organized ourselves to push back against management and demand respect. I was also one of many workers who led the fight to organize a formal union at the hotel. For legal reasons I must mention that this specific action was an individual decision and had nothing to do with the union.
The hotel has yet to recognize our union, and they continue a vicious union-busting campaign. They punish and fire pro-union workers, spread lies in captive-audience meetings, and generally attempt to scare the workers out of joining the union. Still, through just being organized and threatening to form a union, we've won countless victories, including raises, new uniforms, lower housekeeper room quotas, etc.
The hotel would never be able to get away with 16 hour shifts in a good economy. With so many out of work, the hotel is holding workers hostage in exchange for their jobs. If that sounds familiar, it's because I've written about it before. Joey is one of the lucky ones - he found another job. Thousands of other workers are stuck in miserable jobs because they don't dare to quit, and those companies take full advantage of the fear American workers have of joblessness.
Most of us have probably fantasized about quitting a job with this kind of fanfare. This would be another cheap viral video trick, were it not for Joey's clear explanation of WHY he quit.
His new boss must have a good sense of humor.
cross-posted at MainSt/workingamerica.org
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