2 ms·

Get out of here with the libertarian parroting. American workers didn't gain workplace protections by limiting government powers.

kragen 7y ago
The history of the US labor movement is not a history of American workers struggling hand in hand with the government against large employers like Peabody, GM, and Pullman. Rather, it is a history of American workers struggling against large employers who were backed by the government: police, imprisonment, and in some cases even military actions were used against strikers. The Post Office helped out Pullman by putting a mail parcel on each Pullman car so that striking would become a federal crime. American workers gained workplace protections through unions and the threat of a communist revolution, which forced the government to relinquish the use of its coercive powers against strikers. Only later did (limited) workplace protections become law. When I lived in the US, I thought like you do. Now I've seen the other side of the coin.
- xster 7y ago
  > American workers gained workplace protections through unions and the threat of a communist revolution, which forced the government to relinquish the use of its coercive powers against strikers And gun battles[1][2][3][4][5]. But now we just commemorate by buying mattress on sale on Labor Days. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludlow_Massacre https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludlow_Massacre [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haymarket_affair https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haymarket_affair [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Blair_Mountain https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Blair_Mountain [4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homestead_strike https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homestead_strike [5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herrin_massacre https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herrin_massacre
dang 7y ago
Hey, can you please not attack others or call names in arguments on HN? We're trying for a bit better than internet default here. Also, please don't take HN threads further into generic ideological battle. That's always tedious and usually nasty. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html Edit: looks like we've had to ask you this a bunch of times before. Continuing to violate the site guidelines will get your account banned, so would you mind reviewing them and using HN as intended? We'd be grateful.

kragen 7y ago

The history of the US labor movement is not a history of American workers struggling hand in hand with the government against large employers like Peabody, GM, and Pullman. Rather, it is a history of American workers struggling against large employers who were backed by the government: police, imprisonment, and in some cases even military actions were used against strikers. The Post Office helped out Pullman by putting a mail parcel on each Pullman car so that striking would become a federal crime. American workers gained workplace protections through unions and the threat of a communist revolution, which forced the government to relinquish the use of its coercive powers against strikers. Only later did (limited) workplace protections become law. When I lived in the US, I thought like you do. Now I've seen the other side of the coin.

xster 7y ago
> American workers gained workplace protections through unions and the threat of a communist revolution, which forced the government to relinquish the use of its coercive powers against strikers And gun battles[1][2][3][4][5]. But now we just commemorate by buying mattress on sale on Labor Days. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludlow_Massacre https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludlow_Massacre [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haymarket_affair https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haymarket_affair [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Blair_Mountain https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Blair_Mountain [4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homestead_strike https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homestead_strike [5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herrin_massacre https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herrin_massacre

dang 7y ago

Hey, can you please not attack others or call names in arguments on HN? We're trying for a bit better than internet default here. Also, please don't take HN threads further into generic ideological battle. That's always tedious and usually nasty. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html Edit: looks like we've had to ask you this a bunch of times before. Continuing to violate the site guidelines will get your account banned, so would you mind reviewing them and using HN as intended? We'd be grateful.