What do you guys think of "white strikes"?

[firefox_fan]

In which workers follow all the rules to the letter, thereby slowing everything down almost to a halt? Has it been used in the US at all? It seems like a good way of protesting, and of showing that something is fundamentally wrong with the way the system is set up.

http://www.nasaships.com/news040123_strike.html

[Reterr]

1. Interesting..I have never heard about this before/nt

[firefox_fan]

3. I remember it from Italy, when I was a kid...

They used to call it "sciopero bianco"... Somehow, it seemed like a clever tool... Man, if I followed all the rules by the book, NOTHING would get done...

[Solo_in_MD]

10. In the Education biz its called work to rule

and it has moderate effectiveness

[donco6]

2. It has been used.

Continental Airlines pilots used it about 10 years ago. They followed all regs on taxiing speed, which slowed down takeoffs and landings and really fouled up the schedules.

[firefox_fan]

4. Interesting... It's almost as if the system

requires employees to break the rules to function... And if crap happens who gets blamed? Paradoxically, those who don't follow the rules to get work done..

[donco6]

6. There's actually a term for it in business management -

though I forget what it is! It's that compensating workers do when they see a rule that will cut efficiency or productivity, and they figure out creative ways around it. But when someone gets nailed, they all instinctively begin following the rule TO THE LETTER, just to show management what happens when the rule is enforced.

The case with Continental was a little different, in that they were using it as a tool to get management to bargain, without actually going on strike or calling for a sickout. What could management do to them? They were following the rules, after all . . .

[Selatius]

8. And that's why it's considered a step above simply working slow

Firing workers for following the rules? I hear trial lawyers coming over that hill.

[Selatius]

This is doable. The IWW pulled similar tactics in the early 20th century.

Back then, they could count on 100,000 workers as their members, and if they decided to work slow, it hurt the bosses. Although, I don't believe they utilized white striking tactics, but I can't imagine the effect would be any different than simply working slow. Working slow and citing regulations as an excuse is a refined version of the old but tried and tested tactic.

[MonkeyFunk]

5. Heheh.... I did that once..

didn't know there was a name for it.

Centuries ago, when I was 16 and working at McDonalds, we got a new manager who was being a real prick about the rules.

So I followed EVERY rule, to a T. If food was in the bin 2 seconds longer than it was supposed to be, into the trash it went.

Go got the clue and eased up.

[lonestarnot]

7. A slow down is well time tested.

[Cleita]

9. I could because traditional strikes are an economical hardship

to the workers. Even if unions give the striking workers some money to get them through it, the loss in wages doesn't make up for it. The type of strike you describe, gives the workers their wages yet accomplishes what a strike does. I think it's far more effective. I think though that management could really go out of their way though to make working conditions hell legally like maybe turning off heat or air conditioning and claiming oops! the electricity is off.

[ComerPerro]

11. I've done that before on my own because I was pissed off, didn't know it was a striking tactic.

Love the idea.

[Cirque du So-What]

12. Back in my days as a union member

contract negotiations were in the crapper and it became obvious that the union membership was going on strike. I advocated ratification of the contract - warts and all - and then following the letter of the law for the duration of the contract. I called it 'striking from within.'

In retrospect I still believe my suggestion would have worked out better than what occurred: a three-month strike and a return to work under a contract even more crappy than the one that the membership rejected in the first place.

[Kiouni]

13. There was a funny Scrubs episode

where the nurses in the hospital did that to get more help. But remembering that show forced out all the useful information in my brain. Sorry.

[XemaSab]

14. All I know is that on oil projects

it's possible to do your job *so* safely that no actual work gets done. :P

[HardRocker05]

15. what's the point? all these 'rules' were supposedly enacted to protect the workers. you won't find

the anti-labor ownership bunch pressing for enforcement or enactment of rules. using the rules to slow things down would only make labor and labor-laws seem like the problem. btw, unions are already highly f-ed up, and non-organized workers would probably never try such a thing.