Business

Glenn Beck & Company Have a Good Laugh Over Investigative Report on — Gasp! — Non-Ergonomic Warehouses

In a lengthy exposé titled “I Was a Warehouse Wage Slave,” Mac McClelland, a so-called “human rights reporter” with Mother Jones, reveals that she went undercover to investigate one of the many warehouses used by the rapidly growing and profitable e-commerce industry.

You know what she discovered?

Much to the amusement of Glenn Beck and and his co-hosts, Pat Gray and Stu Burguiere, McClelland discovered that it’s, like, really hard to work at some of these shipping centers. The hours are long, the work is difficult, the breaks are short, and it’s an overall unpleasant experience.

“[It was] immense … cold, cavernous. Silent, despite thousands of people quietly doing their jobs, or standing along the conveyors quietly packing or box-taping, nothing noisy but the occasional whir of a passing forklift,” McClelland writes.

“[W]e pickers speed walk an average of 12 miles a day on cold concrete and the twinge in my legs blurs into the heavy soreness in my feet that complements the pinch in my hips when I crouch to the floor — the pickers’ shelving runs from the floor to seven feet high,” she adds.

In the words of Col. Walter E. Kurtz: “The horror.”

Watch McClelland discuss her experience [via Yahoo!]:

Other terrors described in the McClelland report include: being tired after work, being scared of being fired, being scared of being late to work, having a lot of work to do, having to meet and surpass quotas, having to speed walk, dealing with static electricity, and so on.

Glenn Beck & Company Have a Good Laugh Over Investigative Report on Gasp! Non Ergonomic WarehousesYeah … Sounds horrible.

Now, to be fair, some of the things included in the McClelland report do sound pretty lousy. The fact that one employee (Brian) was fired for taking a day off for the birth of his child is ridiculous. The hours sound unpleasant, the idea of being “counseled” for not meeting quotas sounds just as bad, and having only a handful of toilets to split between 3,000 employees is just plain gross.

But even with these downsides, doesn’t writing about a Mississippi warehouse in tones usually reserved for Soviet-style gulags seem, oh, just a bit much? Glenn Beck, Pat Gray, and Stu Burguiere, seem to think so.

“This is actual audio. We are verifying this is not Communist China,” Beck said.

“If you’re driving, please pull over. If you have children, excuse them from the room,” he added. “You know, you are going to change your mind about America and capitalism when you hear this exposé from Mother Jones.”

While responding this way may seem a little flippant, there’s a legitimate point to be made: it’s not as though this is the only tough job out there. Some people, the author of this article included, have spent more time than they would care to remember washing dishes, mopping floors, scrubbing industrial kitchen ovens, and picking gristle out of a dishwasher’s food catch, often without air conditioning.

So while the working conditions in McClellan’s warehouse may or may not be unpleasant, it still seems a bit presumptuous for her to expect outrage over the fact that somewhere in America, someone has a tough job.

Comments (58)

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  • hilda_s
    Posted on June 27, 2012 at 10:25pm

    working “in a place where everything is at eye level”
    “everything ergonomically friendly”
    “never be uncomfortable doing your job”
    “you could go to the bathroom for as long as you wanted”
    “you would never be fired if you couldn’t do the job”
    and you don‘t have to go to work if you don’t feel like it.

    Hey! Such jobs DO exist! They are called “Government jobs”.

    I used to work for the government and I do know there are a lot of conscientious, hard workers in government. Unfortunately there are almost as many that take full advantage of the “benefits” outlined above.

    Report Post » hilda_s  
    • do_it_all_again
      Posted on June 27, 2012 at 10:46pm

      laughing pretty hard reading the article,, i cant even see for the tears, laughing so hard,, you know though,, they might be right, i have heard my dad and grand-dad talk about times like this,,, back in the olden-days !! if i remember right ?!?!? ,,, yep im sure they called it work !!! God help us what are we gonna do ????
      This reporter or whatever they are would simply have a mental breakdown if they had to actually got to a job, and do manual labor,,, in a way i feel sorry for them, not knowing the satisfaction of putting in a hard days work ! it would kill them.

      Report Post »  
    • do_it_all_again
      Posted on June 27, 2012 at 11:59pm

      sorry to double post ,, but i said earlier that i felt sorry for her,, no, not really, im ashamed of her, this is very disrespectful to the people that depend on these jobs to put food on the table and clothes on their kids.
      She talks like shes above doing work , and is better than the other workers there ! (read the original story at her website) she feels like this type of work is demeaning to her, and she should not be subjected to such “cruelty” !
      But, i will tell you, people like that are not good enough to work side by side with the hard working people of this country, people like that only make it harder on someone who is honestly trying to make a living!
      But just like in a union, there will always be someone trying to stir something up!
      Her story is a joke!! these places are highly automated, they have to be to keep up with the demand,,, but you still have to actually move and do your job, yeah its hard, its work! if it was easy it would be called play !

      Report Post »  
    • Michigander
      Posted on June 28, 2012 at 7:29am

      I also worked for the Government, and we didn’t have it that easy. It was uncomfortable, stressful, sometimes the air didn’t work, and people got fired.

      Report Post »  
    • 4xeverything
      Posted on June 28, 2012 at 7:36am

      The only punishment for such utter ridiculousness would be for this girl to stand on a street corner with a sign that reads ‘smack me I’m a douch e.’ I wonder how many people were lined up for that job who actually needed it. Great story. That was a good belly laugh.

      Report Post » 4xeverything  
    • dmerwin
      Posted on June 28, 2012 at 10:03am

      Gotta love the liberals. Complain about jobs going overseas, THEN complain that the jobs we still have require you to actually work!

      Report Post » dmerwin  
  • Cawoonache
    Posted on June 27, 2012 at 9:57pm

    Hey Mac (What the hell kind of name is Mac, for a chick?), I have a news flash for you. I, and several million other unemployed Americans would be happy to have one of those “horrible, non-ergonomic“ jobs in that terrible ”authoritarian” warehouse. Welcome to the real world, sister.

    Report Post »  
  • valleyfever
    Posted on June 27, 2012 at 9:46pm

    Read the story about the building of Boulder Dam in Nevada. Those were some inspiring people.

    Report Post »  
    • Oldbutnotsenile
      Posted on June 28, 2012 at 12:43pm

      The guy back earlier, did not remember his name, said he had a government job and worked hard and people got fired. The SEIU union for government jobs cannot fire them as such has been reported time and time agin. My father taught me that if you were willing to work and work hard, you could always find a job. Maybe not making the kind of money you want, or maybe some working conditions are not what you like, but you will have a paycheck at the end of the week. And you thank God you can put food on the table.

      Report Post »  
  • GreyLion
    Posted on June 27, 2012 at 9:35pm

    Been there, done that, have the bad back. 4 million pounds a year, no forklift, no airconditioning, just the boxes and expectations for production (14,000 lbs/day – do the math). Knew it going in, knew my wages and was fine with it. So whats the problem with sister p*ssant here? No beauty rest?

    Report Post »  
  • eshaw380
    Posted on June 27, 2012 at 9:33pm

    I demand 6 minutes of my life back….Dang you Blaze, you and your videos of stupid liberals…

    Report Post » eshaw380  
  • joecaff2
    Posted on June 27, 2012 at 8:47pm

    Oh my god, did she say PROFIT?? People have to work hard, and she had to work twice as hard because she took a bathroom break, please don’t tell me that people have to work hard in America! Talk about cry-babies! Allow me to summarize Mother Jones & McClelland = MORONS!

    Report Post »  
  • dirtydog1776
    Posted on June 27, 2012 at 8:44pm

    When my father was a young boy of 14 in 1929, he had lost his father and came to Detroit to finish High School. The Depression soon hit the country and he and my future Mother, his older sister and her husband found themselves working 60-70 hours a weeks to make ends meet, without welfare or other assistance. He told me it was hard work, but everyone was glad to have a job and to be able to contribute to the extended family. Nobody complained about the working conditions or hours and they planned and worked towards a better future.

    Today when Americans hit hard times or difficult jobs, the first response is to whine and cry and wait for somebody else to solve their problems. That is why this Depression will be with us for a long time and why we are finding ourselves unable to compete with other nations.

    America……grow a pair.

    Report Post » dirtydog1776  
  • olliehop
    Posted on June 27, 2012 at 8:33pm

    So one day they will figure out how to automate this almost to the point of no people working. We will then be told how we lost ‘thousands of good jobs’ so companies could make ‘more profit’

    Report Post »  
  • 762x51
    Posted on June 27, 2012 at 8:32pm

    I wonder if McClelland has ever seen the reality TV show “The Deadliest Catch”? I worked on oil drilling rigs in my younger years but that crab boat job looks a lot tougher. This leftist bimbo wouldn’t last 10 minutes with Capt. Sig.

    Her story is both boo and hoo.

    Report Post »  
  • RJJinGadsden
    Posted on June 27, 2012 at 8:27pm

    I was laughing my tail off when I heard this on the radio earlier today. Just had to sit and listen to it again. What a molly-coddled little girl this woman is. I spent the better part of ‘73 doing hot tar and gravel roofing in Tampa. I had just moved to Florida and was taking a year to build up some funds and to become a legal resident of the state to get back into college. Let her try a single day at that. Much less a single day in the military. The woman has the back bone of a rag doll.

    Report Post » RJJinGadsden  
  • honor007
    Posted on June 27, 2012 at 8:25pm

    Is Pat ok??
    LOLOLOL!!!!!
    thanks for the laughs today~

    Report Post » honor007  
  • RepubliCorp
    Posted on June 27, 2012 at 8:03pm

    Maybe she should try construction?

    Report Post » RepubliCorp  
  • inferno
    Posted on June 27, 2012 at 7:57pm

    Oh my Lord! Imagine the horrible fear of being late for work ! Where in He– do people like come from ? Most “real” people take pride in not being late for work. In my younger days, I worked for a company and was never late in 13 years. It wasn’t the fear of being late that motivated me, it was pride. Her attitude gives us a clear picture of what we are facing today.

    Report Post »  
  • FEMALL
    Posted on June 27, 2012 at 7:44pm

    I heard this today on the show. I was howling with laughter! OMG! All I could think is no wonder Generation Z (as in Zombie) have an obesity problem. No tippy toes/no bending over spending their time in an ergonimically correct chair playing video games in the basement.

    Report Post » FEMALL  
  • ncgrammie4
    Posted on June 27, 2012 at 7:41pm

    The libs just think warehouse work is hard, wait until Obama wins a second term and they are sent to the slave labor camps. Seven days a week 12 hrs a day working for the state at slave wages.

    Report Post »  
    • scuba13
      Posted on June 27, 2012 at 8:04pm

      I hope they put me next to Encinom so I can see what an idiot actualy looks like.

      Report Post » scuba13  
    • RJJinGadsden
      Posted on June 27, 2012 at 8:35pm

      SCUBA13, It’s been a little while, but I think it was 0BAMA_SHAM who posted Encinom’s actual name. I ran it through the search engine, and if Sham is right, Encinom is one fat whale of a half assed actor/comedian. I watched a couple of video clips and they were idiotic. Hopefully Sham will spot this and post his name again here. If he does, take a look. Warning, don’t do this while eating.

      Report Post » RJJinGadsden  
    • scuba13
      Posted on June 27, 2012 at 8:44pm

      I don’t care who that idiot is. I just love making fun of his stupidity.If he is an actor maybe he could act at not being the resident fool.

      Report Post » scuba13  
  • tksocal
    Posted on June 27, 2012 at 7:37pm

    Welcome to the real world!!

    Report Post »  
  • commonsenseguy
    Posted on June 27, 2012 at 7:32pm

    then this lazy idiot would hate my job, i mow yards all day 6 days a week, the dirt, the heat, the sweat,
    these lazy candy asses do not know what hard work is, o by the way,i have made a good living doing this kinds hard work, the worst part about my job,is i can’t find anyone who wants to work any more, luckily i have a couple of employees who have been with me a long time,and they are not young spring chicken,but neither am i. these lazy ass people pay people like me to do their work, and i am not ashamed to take their money. i guess they think all jobs are just air conditioned,easy chair,cushy jobs,boy they are really idiots and dumb asses.

    Report Post »  
    • RJJinGadsden
      Posted on June 27, 2012 at 8:42pm

      That is how I made my money while in Jr High back in the mid ’60s. Pushed a lawnmower around with a can of gas trying to pick up new customers while always being on time for my regular customers. We had an electric hedge trimmer too and when neighbors saw what I did with our hedges I picked up a little more buisness. Made a buck fifty for most of the regular sized yards then up, but never over five bucks. I did make $35 for most of the hedges, but that included all of the bushes around their houses too. With gas at around eighteen to twenty cents I did okay. It was a great way to develop a work ethic.

      Report Post » RJJinGadsden  
    • Danang1972
      Posted on June 28, 2012 at 4:57am

      Try planting pine trees in the heat of a South Carolina summer (1965) – Boss says” can you see the end of this field?“ ”No Sir”. Boss says just start planting and keep going till you find the end of the row, then move over about 15 feet and come back to where you started, rinse/repeat, rinse/ repeat until your 8 hour shift is over. Oh those were the days! Bought my first car at the end of that summer – paid cash.

      Report Post » Danang1972  
  • neckcarjim
    Posted on June 27, 2012 at 7:26pm

    This young lady should thank god that she does not work for me!
    Little twi!t

    Report Post » neckcarjim  
  • OperationNorthwoods
    Posted on June 27, 2012 at 7:26pm

    All this chick had to do was pick orders? Try loading the ******* orders in the truck as they fly down the belt and and you have to run in and out of the truck to keep up with what is coming down and still try to build a wall with the boxes at the back of the truck in 100 degree heat. Its a lot harder then going around with a cart and picking the stuff off the shelf.

    Report Post » OperationNorthwoods  
  • ejbonk
    Posted on June 27, 2012 at 7:25pm

    This Woman has never worked a real job before in her life. Like Most Over Educated Eggheads and the President of the United States ODumb-dumb. I would kill to have these jobs in Ohio. The only thing I have aproblem with is 10 Hour Shifts. They should be 8 Hour Shifts and then the place can run 24 hours around the clock and more people would be employed. Companies love the 10 and 12 hour day to make more money with less people,But suffer a very High Turn over-rate in Employees and Very High Workman Comp. Injuries. Sooner or later they exhaust the local Employment base and have to relocate or Import Workers from Overseas,by lying to the Federal Government that,They can not find any Qualified Workers to Work for them. Why? They Already fired Everyone Locally Available. We need a NATIONAL 8 Hour Day Law with Time and a Half after 8 hours. The old 40 hour Work Law is Broken and Needs Fixed Now.

    Report Post »  
  • tj1961
    Posted on June 27, 2012 at 7:14pm

    If this brain stem doesn’t like the job, I’ll take it!! Beats having NO JOB.

    Report Post »  
  • michaelk
    Posted on June 27, 2012 at 7:06pm

    I only have to suffer through 90 – 100+ degree weather each day cutting off peoples cable. fighting off pit bulls and fire ants along the way and then being told that they dont speak English when I knock on the door.

    Report Post »  
  • scottski12
    Posted on June 27, 2012 at 7:00pm

    I worked in a warehouse in IL for almost three years. It was absolutely horrible. It was the closest thing to being locked up in prison without actually being in one. The working conditions were just terrible. No heat or A/C. You as an “employee” were treated nothing more than a number. Fail to meet your quota, and you are placed on probation. There is the attendance “points” system, where if you are sick and call in, or even are late by one minute, you are charged a “point”. My warehouse had a six-point system, and after each anniversary date of the call in, you were only given back 1/6th of the point. They obviously don’t want any long term, smart, employees there. Just cheap, stupid, low-wage slave labor. To those of you who manage warehouse employees, you can kiss my @ss, and may you rot in hell.

    Report Post » scottski12  
    • delintz
      Posted on June 27, 2012 at 7:08pm

      were you forced to work there? or was the pay better than you could get staying home or doing something else. The people running the place would go out of business if enough people were not available to run things the way they wanted

      Report Post »  
    • delintz
      Posted on June 27, 2012 at 7:10pm

      Oh, by the way, you called yourself “stupid” lol

      Report Post »  
    • bobbyjoe
      Posted on June 27, 2012 at 7:17pm

      So your complaining that they expected you to work and show up on time. You sound like this person in the story. Don’t like it do something you find more fulfilling. Maybe get a real education or start your own business.Might be this was the only thing you are qualified to do.

      Report Post » bobbyjoe  
    • commonsenseguy
      Posted on June 27, 2012 at 7:39pm

      @scottskl12, you better get use to it,because when george soros,obama and their commie regime take over everyone will be required to work, under communist rules,you work for the good of the state,you have to work for what little you get back,no retirement,and you are only given healthcare according to your ability to work for the good of the state, there is no god only the state, so you might want to get use to working like a dog for no gain,you think it is bad now,just wait.

      Report Post »  
  • delintz
    Posted on June 27, 2012 at 6:59pm

    Hard work is what this country was built on. I couldn’t imagine anything worth being paid for would ever be classified as less than “hard”. I am sure that even though GBTV seems to have fun as well as the radio show, these people work extremely hard walk many miles and want to keep their boss happy so they are not asked to look for another job. Didn’t this woman know what she was applying for in the first place? If it’s that BAD why are there 3,000 people working there? Go home and call for your ebt card on your govt. supplied cell phone.

    Report Post »  
  • BurntHills
    Posted on June 27, 2012 at 6:58pm

    sadly, pathetically, HILARIOUS. that spoiled coddled ignorant young woman [undoubtedly an obama voter] will never make it in the REAL WORLD. she’s one of those who will be starving by the wayside if obama rigs a 2nd term. we sure would never try to help her with that mindset of hers. this is what all these moron school participation trophies led to. sheer stupidity, communist thinking.

    Report Post » BurntHills  
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