Freedom in the Workplace? - Hardcover

Ezorsky, Gertrude

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0801445795 ISBN 13: 9780801445798

Publisher: Cornell University Press, 2007

Synopsis

Are workers in the United States free? Gertrude Ezorsky traces the severe limits placed on their freedom by illegal coercion against organizing unions and by low wage offers―barely enough to feed their families―that workers are pressured to accept. Older, sick workers are forced to stay in exhausting jobs to be eligible for pensions.

Ezorsky shows that the notions of freedom held by most contemporary social scientists and philosophers are far too limited to account for the reality of the workplace, where a lack of freedom abounds. Students preparing to enter the workplace will be informed of that reality by reading this valuable book.

In addition to her philosophical investigations Ezorsky provides valuable information on the specifics of labor relations, including employment at will; the NLRA and NLRB; OSHA; outsourcing; and the distinctions among closed, union, and agency shops. Readers interested in moral philosophy, applied ethics, and labor relations will find Ezorsky's arguments clear, forceful, and compelling.

About this title

From the Back Cover

"Gertrude Ezorsky is a grand veteran philosopher whose commitment to justice and freedom is legendary. Don't miss this book!"--Cornel West, Princeton University

"This book is short but provocative because it defines and redefines the meaning of choice and freedom as those terms apply to our workaday world. It is certain to stimulate a good discussion in the classroom."--Nelson Lichtenstein, Director of the Center for the Study of Work, Labor and Democracy, UC Santa Barbara

"This is a very useful book for a wide range of readers--undergraduates who are taking philosophy courses but who intend to enter the workforce, philosophy students, and lay readers who are interested in ethics in the workplace. Gertrude Ezorsky argues, using many hypothetical examples, that unfreedom is much more prevalent in workplace interactions, particularly in offers of employment, than is usually admitted."--John P. Pittman, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York

"Freedom in the Workplace? is an interesting book about an important topic, written in a clear and lively manner."--Jeffrey Reiman, William Fraser McDowell Professor of Philosophy, American University

"This clearly written and tightly argued text introduces students to moral concepts of freedom, force, and coercion. In addition to offering an original account of these important moral concepts, it teaches students about working conditions for the bottom tier of American workers. Gertrude Ezorsky illustrates her points with real world cases that vividly illustrate the stakes behind our moral concepts. The world of labor relations has long been ignored by philosophers; Ezorsky's wonderful text demonstrates that it offers both a rich field for exploring important moral concepts such as freedom and coercion and an area that deserves greater attention from those interested in advancing justice. Highly recommended for undergraduate philosophy students."--Elizabeth Anderson, John Rawls Collegiate Professor of Philosophy and Women's Studies, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

About the Author

Gertrude Ezorsky is Professor Emerita, City University of New York, Brooklyn College and the Graduate School. She is the author of Racism and Justice: The Case for Affirmative Action, also from Cornell, and the editor of Philosophical Perspectives on Punishment and Moral Rights in the Workplace.

About this edition

• Publisher: Cornell University Press
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0801445795
• ISBN 13: 9780801445798
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 104