INTERNATIONAL GUILD OF LABORERS
Unions have many supporters and detractors in the modern world. They often are as involved in politics as they are in work on the factory floor, but they do serve the goal of representing the rights and special needs of their members. Nowhere is that more necessary than for workers who happen to have come to the job from beyond Shadow.
The International Guild of Laborers is an
organization that does collective bargaining, sets standards for safety and working conditions, and provides legal counsel for
Shadowkind workers in almost every field imaginable.
Oddly enough, it is a rare instance when a mundane company takes particular advantage of a
Shadowkind employee. Because the mundane managers do not perceive their workers as special in any way, they treat them no differently than native human workers. However, Shadow creatures who open their own businesses here on earth have a tendency to try to take undue advantage of their brethren's natural (and supernatural) talents and abilities.
The I.G.L. also offers a job placement
service for their members. People looking to hire workers of a particular species or with a particular set of abilities often come the Guild with their list of
requirements.
So far, none of the labor issues in which the I.G.L. has been involved has come to all-out strikes (though temporary work stoppages have occasionally been applied). The Guild has a history of fairly representing their membership without ever making unreasonable demands on employers.
Any
shadowkind hero is welcome to join the International Guild of Laborers. This takes a DC 10
Wealth check once per year to pay the annual dues. The I.G.L. will not requisition any equipment for its members, but it does provide free legal
service and various forms of advice and counseling.
After paying union dues any character who remains a member in good standing receives the following benefits:
• Medical benefits that reduce the purchase DC of any medical procedure by -2. Furthermore, the purchase DC of any physician-prescribed medication can never be any higher than 5.
• Free legal representation. When warranted, a lawyer will represent the member's interest in matters involving the police, government, and hostile corporate entities. Once the member calls the toll-free I.G.L. hotline, a union lawyer will arrive 1d6 hours later and take care of matters to the best of her
skill. If the caller cannot wait that long, a union lawyer will call the appropriate office 1d6 x 10 minutes later, hinting that it would be in the official's best interest if he settled the matter before the union brings its full weight to bear. This provides a +5 morale bonus on any Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Sense Motive checks the union member makes relative to that official or his
staff pertaining to this particular incident.