Call-center workers quit in Indiana over McCain robocalls

[ArcturusMengsk]

Talking Points Memo:

Some three dozen workers at a telemarketing call center in Indiana walked off the job rather than read an incendiary McCain campaign script attacking Barack Obama, according to two workers at the center and one of their parents.

Nina Williams, a stay-at-home mom in Lake County, Indiana, tells us that her daughter recently called her from her job at the center, upset that she had been asked to read a script attacking Obama for being "dangerously weak on crime," "coddling criminals," and for voting against "protecting children from danger."

Williams' daughter told her that up to 40 of her co-workers had refused to read the script, and had left the call center after supervisors told them that they would have to either read the call or leave, Williams says. The call center is called Americall, and it's located in Hobart, IN.

"They walked out," Williams says of her daughter and her co-workers, adding that they weren't fired but willingly sacrificed pay rather than read the lines. "They were told [by supervisors], `If you all leave, you're not gonna get paid for the rest of the day."

The daughter, who wanted her name withheld fearing retribution from her employer, confirmed the story to us. "It was like at least 40 people," the daughter said. "People thought the script was nasty and they didn't wanna read it."

A second worker at the call center confirmed the episode, saying that "at least 30" workers had walked out after refusing to read the script.

"We were asked to read something saying [Obama and Democrats] were against protecting children from danger," this worker said. "I wouldn't do it. A lot of people left. They thought it was disgusting."

Posted without comment.

[Zed Snardbody]

It takes balls to pull that off, even bigger balls when finding a job is becoming harder and harder. Good on em.

[Broomstick]

Perhaps I should mention that Lake County (where I happen to live, as well as where this call center is) is and has been solidly Democrat/blue for decades.

[Surlethe]

Perhaps I should mention that Lake County (where I happen to live, as well as where this call center is) is and has been solidly Democrat/blue for decades.

Yeah, not as much of a surprise up in Chicagoland. If they'd done that in a call center in Anderson or Connersville, on the other hand, I'd have been extremely surprised. The part of Indiana up near Lake Michigan might as well be part of a different state.

[Glocksman]

Perhaps I should mention that Lake County (where I happen to live, as well as where this call center is) is and has been solidly Democrat/blue for decades.

Yeah, not as much of a surprise up in Chicagoland. If they'd done that in a call center in Anderson or Connersville, on the other hand, I'd have been extremely surprised. The part of Indiana up near Lake Michigan might as well be part of a different state.

True, though I still have hope that Indiana will turn blue November 4th.
It's incidents such as this that make me proud to be a Hoosier.

[Sea Skimmer]

It takes balls to pull that off, even bigger balls when finding a job is becoming harder and harder. Good on em.

I don't know about that. Almost no one works at a call center of this sort for any significant length of time, its an awful low paying job and matter how well you do it, they’ll just keep raising your call quota until you go insane.