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CLOCKED OUT

The Field Guide

CLOCKED OUT

AI, Algorithms and the Future of Workers' Rights

A plain-language guide by Ahmad T. Sulaiman for workers who want to understand the rules, recognize warning signs, and know what questions to ask next.

22 chapters16 appendicesAbout 255 minutes
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Table of contents

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Browse appendices

I: The Gut Punch

  1. ChapterThe Moment It HappensMaria Johnson did not see it coming. Twenty-two years. That is how long she had been the office manager at Sterling Manufacturing. She knew the name of every employee's spouse,11 min readRead chapter
  2. ChapterDo I Have Rights?David Chen was good at his job. As a software engineer at a fast-growing tech startup, he consistently ranked as one of the top performers on his team. When the Senior Engineer position on his team opened up, everyone told him the job was his. It was a formality.10 min readRead chapter

II: The First 48 Hours

  1. ChapterThe First 48 HoursSarah Miller stared at the email on her phone, her heart pounding. She was seven months pregnant and had just asked her supervisor for a simple accommodation: the ability to sit on a stool during her eight-hour shifts as a cashier. Her doctor had written a note. The request was reasonable.12 min readRead chapter
  2. ChapterFinding Your VoiceJamal Williams knew he was taking a risk. He and a few of his co-workers at the warehouse had been talking about forming a union. The pay was low, the hours were long, and the safety conditions were getting worse. They had started talking to a union organizer.10 min readRead chapter
  3. ChapterDeadlinesAngela was fired in what she believes was racial discrimination. She spent months grieving and trying to find a new job. The thought of a legal battle was overwhelming. A friend told her she had "a couple of years" to do something about it. Finally, after 11 months, she felt ready to act. She called a lawyer.11 min readRead chapter

III: The Battleground

  1. ChapterDiscriminationMaria Johnson could not let it go. The phrase "fresh perspective" echoed in her mind. After twenty-two years of stellar performance reviews, being replaced by someone twenty years younger felt like more than just a "business decision."9 min readRead chapter
  2. ChapterHarassmentJessica Rodriguez was a star sales executive. But one client, a man named Mr. Henderson, made her skin crawl. During every meeting, he would let his hand linger on her lower back. He called her "sweetheart" and "honey." Last week, he sent her a text message late at night with a crude, sexually explicit meme.9 min readRead chapter
  3. ChapterRetaliationJamal Williams sent an email complaining of retaliation for his union organizing. For a week, nothing happened. Then, on the following Monday, he was called into the plant manager's office.16 min readRead chapter
  4. ChapterWages & HoursMichael Thompson loved being a chef. He worked at a popular downtown restaurant, and the energy of a busy Saturday night service was a thrill. But his paychecks never seemed to add up. He regularly worked 50 or 60 hours a week, but he never saw a dime of overtime pay.12 min readRead chapter
  5. ChapterLeave & AccommodationsSarah Miller, the pregnant cashier from Chapter 3, was now facing a new problem. Her doctor had placed her on bed rest for the last two months of her pregnancy. She needed to take leave from work immediately.13 min readRead chapter
  6. ChapterPrivacy & SpeechEmily Carter, a teacher at a private school, was passionate about politics. On her private Facebook page, she shared a scathing political cartoon. The next day, she was fired. "This is not the image we want to project," the headmaster said. Emily was floored. "But I have a right to free speech!" The headmaster shook his head. "Not when...9 min readRead chapter

IV: The Process

  1. ChapterThe EEOC & IDHRAfter being fired, Maria Johnson had her spreadsheet of older workers who had been replaced by younger ones. She had her excellent performance reviews. She had a strong case for age discrimination. Now, she needed to act.10 min readRead chapter
  2. ChapterFinding a LawyerWith his evidence of discrimination submitted and his EEOC charge filed, David Chen's next critical step was to find a lawyer. He realized he needed a specialist, not a general practitioner. He went to the website for the National10 min readRead chapter
  3. ChapterThe LawsuitDavid Chen's lawyer, Sarah, filed a lawsuit in federal court. First came the Pleadings: Sarah drafted a Complaint telling David's story, and the company filed an Answer denying it.8 min readRead chapter

V: The Long Game

  1. ChapterYour Career & ReputationMaria Johnson felt a wave of relief after her settlement, but a sense of apprehension quickly followed. She had signed a confidentiality agreement, but she was still worried about how to explain the two-year gap on her resume. She was afraid that new employers would see her as a risk.9 min readRead chapter
  2. ChapterThe Atlas PhilosophyYears later, David Chen was the head of his own engineering department. He made it a point to mentor young engineers, especially those from immigrant backgrounds. He never forgot the sting of being told he was not a "cultural fit." He built a department where only talent and hard work mattered.9 min readRead chapter

VI: The Arc of History

  1. ChapterThe History of the FightIn the late 19th century, the average American worker endured grueling 60-hour workweeks in dangerous, unsanitary conditions, for wages that barely kept their families from10 min readRead chapter
  2. ChapterChanging the SystemMaria Johnson's victory in her case was just the beginning of her fight. She became an advocate. She joined a local chapter of the AARP and began speaking out about age discrimination. She told her story to lawmakers in Springfield, putting a human9 min readRead chapter
  3. ChapterPsychological Self-DefenseFor months, Sarah had been the top performer on her sales team. Then, a new manager, Mark, was hired. Suddenly, Sarah's world began to warp.9 min readRead chapter

VII: The Fine Print

  1. ChapterThe Arbitration TrapRemember Jamal Williams, the warehouse worker from Chapter 4 who was fired for organizing his co-workers to demand safer conditions? After his reinstatement, Jamal discovered something buried in the new employee handbook: a mandatory arbitration agreement with11 min readRead chapter

VIII: The New Frontier

  1. ChapterThe Algorithm Is Your New BossIt is no longer a dystopian fantasy. The algorithm is your new boss. It is the invisible force that reads your resume, scores your video interview, monitors your keystrokes, sets your work pace, and, in some cases, decides whether you keep your job. According to a 2025 survey, 78% of U.S. employers now use some form of employee...22 min readRead chapter
  2. ChapterPregnancy DiscriminationPregnancy discrimination is not new. But the legal tools to fight it are. The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act of 2023 and the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act of 2022 represent the most significant expansion of pregnancy protections in over four decades. This26 min readRead chapter