A Jimmy John's employment agreement provided to The Huffington Post includes a "non-competition" clause that's surprising in its breadth. Noncompete agreements are typically reserved for managers or employees who could clearly exploit a business's inside information by jumping to a competitor. But at Jimmy John's, the agreement apparently applies to low-wage sandwich makers and delivery drivers, too. By signing the covenant, the worker agrees not to work at one of the sandwich chain's competitors for a period of two years following employment at Jimmy John's. But the company's definition of a "competitor" goes far beyond the Subways and Potbellys of the world. It encompasses any business that's near a Jimmy John's location and that derives a mere 10 percent of its revenue from sandwiches.
By signing the covenant, the worker agrees not to work at one of the sandwich chain's competitors for a period of two years following employment at Jimmy John's. But the company's definition of a "competitor" goes far beyond the Subways and Potbellys of the world. It encompasses any business that's near a Jimmy John's location and that derives a mere 10 percent of its revenue from sandwiches.
It found safety hazards in all of them, although Brad Loewen, the Accord’s chief safety inspector, said that “was to be expected.” He added, “The Accord team is now working intensively with factory owners, brands, and labour colleagues to ensure the safety findings are corrected.” The inspections identified more than 80,000 safety issues, ranging from the need to reduce weight loads to a failure to install fire doors and alarms, the failure to have protected fire exits, and the need to strengthen building columns. Worse, in 17 inspections the structural integrity of the buildings was found to be below an acceptable level, leading the Accord to recommend a temporary evacuation. In another 110, it found that immediate actions were needed to bring the factories up to acceptable safety levels before workers could continue to work inside. All the other factories have been allowed to carry out production while the safety issues are resolved.
Worse, in 17 inspections the structural integrity of the buildings was found to be below an acceptable level, leading the Accord to recommend a temporary evacuation. In another 110, it found that immediate actions were needed to bring the factories up to acceptable safety levels before workers could continue to work inside. All the other factories have been allowed to carry out production while the safety issues are resolved.
Freelance employees like me get no health care or pension benefits. If production takes the day off for a holiday, workers don’t get paid. There are no sick days or personal days. If start times get pushed back, so does your salary. I have had start dates pushed back for weeks while I waited without getting paid for the time I expected to begin work. Lower-level workers are often unpaid interns, despite federal court rulings against the practice. And as networks try to squeeze more profits, budgets have shrunk over the years, with more responsibility placed on fewer employees to work longer hours at stagnant or even lower wages. In a sense, I’m lucky to be in post-production: Field shoots can be downright brutal, working long days (I’ve heard up to 20 hours) under hazardous conditions. Crew members have told grim stories of toiling through hurricanes, production assistants paid $600 per week suffering from heat exhaustion, and myriad other safety threats.
In a sense, I’m lucky to be in post-production: Field shoots can be downright brutal, working long days (I’ve heard up to 20 hours) under hazardous conditions. Crew members have told grim stories of toiling through hurricanes, production assistants paid $600 per week suffering from heat exhaustion, and myriad other safety threats.