Did you ever refuse or quit a job out of moral/ethical concerns?

Let me explain. I'm a clerical worker -- I've been a secretary or performed some portion of a secretary's job since I first started working outside the home in the late '80s. The 'con' of that kind of work is that the jobs pay poorly compared to other jobs that require similar intellect and mental capabilities, but the 'pro' is that they're usually jobs that, once you've established yourself as competent and learned the required ropes, don't stress you unduly and leave you with plenty of time and energy for other things.

Mr. Nownow and I moved from a pretty good market for clerical workers into a really crappy one, several years ago, and my employment record went from seven years at the same job, with steadily increasing pay and benefits, to spotty, underpaid and under or unemployed. I had jobs I hated, and went for long stretches without any job at all. I wasn't used to it -- I'd worked steadily for ten years, with only days or weeks between jobs. I was one miserable puppy, at times.

I was without a job for a good six months, taking whatever several temporary agencies had to offer. One of the agencies called me with a job that the agent was very excited about -- great job, not too far from where I lived, 8:30 to 5:00, Monday through Friday, at above the average offer for starting pay. It was something of a technical secretary's position, a rarity in the area where we'd moved, which was a lot like what I'd done before. All I had to do was report to this address and interview with the rest of the staff, and unless there was a major problem, they'd probably hire me on the spot.

So I went on the interview. The people there seemed friendly enough, and they were interested in what I'd done before -- the atmosphere got warmer and warmer as they asked me about specifics, and found that I had many of the skills they were looking for. Then the time came for me to ask questions. My first one was 'what, exactly, do you make here?'

They made detonators for military equipment. Bombs, mostly. Like the ones they drop from helicopters. My job would have been with the R&D division, managing paperwork on new projects.

Yeah. I immediately got up out of my chair and said, 'look, this would be a great job for the right person -- it has nothing to do with any of you, or with the responsibilities involved, I could do that -- but I don't think I can do this.'

From the looks on their faces, though they were clearly disappointed that such a good candidate didn't want the job, I wasn't the first. They said they understood -- it wasn't for everybody.

It wasn't for me.

With what's going on in the Middle East now, I'm doubly glad I passed on that job. Even then, I only regretted it so much. I couldn't have done it, day after day, couldn't have wondered if the company I worked for had manufactured a killing machine.

Maybe it's just me. I have often wondered about that, since then. So, anybody else ever passed on (or quit) a job for this or a similar reason?

Good for you. I wouldn't work for that company either. Some say it's best to get inside the company and then argue against them. But I don't think so, at least not in this case. People have to have integrity, whether it changes the company or not, at least you can live with yourself and you set an example for others. Live ethically and let others see your example.

but I understand that many have to take jobs that they don't believe in. I never criticize or judge what others do except for well paid executives who throw away their soul for more profits.

I recently turned down a consulting job that was against my values.

I'm glad you turned this job down. You are a classy woman who stands up for your beliefs. I think you also understand what it means to work for something so against what you value. :hug: I hope you find a better position.

Long Beach Convention Center... Might have been promise keeper freaks or something. I used to do electrics and lights for arena rock n roll shows, and industrials, as this would be deemed.

My co would ask me to work them just out fun to hear me call their clients naughty names. All in good fun.

I guess there is a lot of money in it but it's money I don't want.

I kept avoiding the issue until she asked me outright why I wouldn't consider it and I told her I found the idea morally repugnant. That was pretty much the end of the interview.

On a related note, I failed the oral interview of the foreign service exam by about 3 points a few years ago and it's the best thing that ever happened to me. I can't imagine how embarrassing it must be to represent America under this imbecile.

I would never consider being a traditional journalist either (the Greg Palasts of the world are alright). Seems like there must be bad karma on the other end of making your living on the suffering of others.

.....excellent pay..benefits etc...but it was at Riverwood International...the local stinking ass paper mill...where the paint is eaten off your car when you park near it....just couldn't take it...as the place goes against everything I believe in....same thing when offered a job with Chase Manhatten...State Farm Insurance...and several Doctor's offices....haven't worked in this town since either...and am convinced that has to do with voicing my convictions too because this is a GOP town and I've been blackballed by Manpower as the manager of this one had his own receptionist quit after a converstation we had that they'd had a heated arguement about after I turned in my last timesheet and declined a permanent position....of course that's just my suspicion and even stated that at the unemployment office...yet Manpower said otherwise and they just didn't have anything at the time....yet never sent me on another assignment eventhough I'd always had positive feedback from every place I worked....all of a sudden they had NO clerical positions to fill....for over 3 months...yeah riiiiight :evilfrown:

...I've turned down jobs, walked off jobs, gone off on employers, and turned employers into the authorities for:

racism
being republican
talking smack about Gore
watching Fox News
going off on Chelsea Clinton
unethical business practices (knock a couple bricks out of the chimney so we can quote a complete rebuild)
illegal accounting
child pornography
spamming
insider trading
supporting the Iraq war

I've actually aquired quite a reputation for it. But for clients that "behave", there's no one more loyal, inexpensive and secure than I, at least in my neck of the woods. I'm also poor ;)

About the time I lost any shred of faith I may have had, I started looking in earnest for anohther gig. found one a year later.

That wasa ROUGH year. I know how prostitutes feel before they get drugged-out....

I left a federal contractor for the Justice Department a couple months before the Bush junta stole the election. I left mainly for personal reasons (I was about one bitchy editor short of a nervous breakdown), but I also had a sense of foreboding as to what would happen to all of the interesting and useful research this agency funded if the neocons came into power.

I was right. A friend of a friend who attends their annual conference said it was nothing but a bunch of right-wing activists spouting off about being touch on crime and terra'ists.

Dirty corporate practices.

Refused to become corrupt and lost another job.

I lost a ton of money by refusing to exploit people.

But I think the angels like me better for it.

but have you ever considered your own business? (I'm not selling anything here.)

Discover what you like to do best or would want to do, preferably marry it to the skills you already have, find a niche and you're off and running, well, OK, crawling.

It's not for everyone, but it made all the difference in my life.

I'll be happy to offer advice or direction. PM me if you want. I can give you an overview of the SBA, grants, and some ideas about where to look for financing in both private and public sectors.

No, I'm not looking for a business partner, reseller, or an investment opportunity for myself. I'm just willing to be a sounding board and sometimes advisor if you like.

That offer goes to any who want to give entrepenurship a shot.

I was a Series 3 commodities broker for a while, between stints in Poland.

Needless to say I soon found myself trying to talk people OUT of investing in the commodities market. When people say that 90% of all people that invest in Commodities lose all or most of their investment, it's true.

The desperation to make gobs of money on heating oil, or pork bellies, by these people made my very uneasy. So I quit.

Took a job at Borders making a third of the money but at least I had some self respect left.

About the time I was finishing up grad school, got a call from a company that was a contracter for tobacco companies, or maybe was a sub-company of a tobacco company - they weren't real clear. Wanted me to review the scientific literature about tobacco and bad diseases and write responses saying it wasn't really all that bad. They paid very well....

but it involved basically trying to get involved with a married guy who owned a big resort (this is while I was living in Colorado) and getting pix, whatever, so his wife could sue his a$$ets off and take over the biz per some kind of weird pre-nup...
Not my cup of tea at all!!

Man, you guys have some STORIES!!!

I turned down an Admin job with a lawyer in town who is well viewed by everyone outside the legal industry because he takes high profile cases. In reality, this guy is about one half step ahead of the Attorneys' Regulatory and Disciplinary Committee all the time.

The job was keeping all his records and "handling" clients for him--prime stuff that would put ME in front of that commission testifying when he gets busted. I'd answered a blind ad in the paper and was horrified to find out who it was. I declined to even go interview.

His office manager actually came to my old office and begged me to at least come in and talk to him--claiming that he'd pay me "well above the going rate." I declined again--in person that time.

Laura

Sorry I posted this and then bailed out -- I got so involved in typing it I didn't realize I was almost late for work!

Yeah, I got a job. It's part-time, but the pay's okay. I don't want to be too specific (because they're painfully careful to be apolitical, and I respect that), but it's a private adult-ed program. It's not bad work, and I can go to school if I want, although I'm not sure I'm interested in anything they're offering. The option is there.

Anyway, I didn't want to totally abandon this topic, because I knew I wasn't alone -- sometimes it feels good to sort of 'pat yourself on the back' for sticking to your guns, but I also understand that I was at leisure to wait for something to come along that I wanted. I don't have any less respect for people who keep jobs that bother them this way, I know it must be very difficult. I guess it's Iraq that made me think of this, today -- that the company has, indirectly, killed thousands of people, that's my suspicion. It's more of a relief than any sense of moral superiority that made me think of it. I'm glad I didn't take the job and have to live with that.

That's really all I wanted to add!