4 ms·

> Pay raises, more time off, better benefits. And those are bad because? > A newly hired employee has very little to lose by supporting unionization. And yet

> Pay raises, more time off, better benefits. And those are bad because? > A newly hired employee has very little to lose by supporting unionization. And yet, most don't. The mind boggles.

stretchwithme 6y ago
Only bad for the party they are being extorted from. Which is essentially what happens when a monopoly over your labor supply is in place.
- pde3 6y ago
  Many workers experience monopsony for their labor for reasons that might not make sense to you (switching costs, rational risk aversion, fallible human psychology). A union on their side just levels the playing field. Empirically, societies that support monopoly bargaining by unions (and structurally encourage creative thinking and incentive alignment between unions and employers) have become much better places for their worst-off cohorts. Possibly not better if you're a smart and talented entrepreneur or highly skilled technologist; parts of the US are clearly great for that. But you may have to step over homeless people to get to work.
  - toasterlovin 6y ago
    > Many workers experience monopsony for their labor for reasons that might not make sense to you (switching costs, rational risk aversion, fallible human psychology) Both sides face similar issues related to terminating their mutually agreed to relationship.
nearbuy 6y ago
> And those are bad because? I'm not against these things for warehouse workers at all, but just to answer your question, potential downsides include: 1. The money has to come from somewhere. Since Amazon keeps fairly small profit, this would likely come from passing costs on to consumers, and reducing Amazon's investment in future growth, which ultimately costs their future consumers. This increases cost of living for non-Amazon workers, and since Amazon is a good source of cheap items, it may disproportionately burden poorer people. 2. Where I am, Indeed.com says Amazon warehouse workers are paid slightly above average ($16/hour). If they were paid significantly above average, it can make it hard for small businesses to keep their workers.
toasterlovin 6y ago
> > Pay raises, more time off, better benefits. > And those are bad because? They're not bad. But them being good for workers is not an argument for why workers should receive them.

> Pay raises, more time off, better benefits. And those are bad because? > A newly hired employee has very little to lose by supporting unionization. And yet, most don't. The mind boggles.

stretchwithme 6y ago

Only bad for the party they are being extorted from. Which is essentially what happens when a monopoly over your labor supply is in place.

pde3 6y ago
Many workers experience monopsony for their labor for reasons that might not make sense to you (switching costs, rational risk aversion, fallible human psychology). A union on their side just levels the playing field. Empirically, societies that support monopoly bargaining by unions (and structurally encourage creative thinking and incentive alignment between unions and employers) have become much better places for their worst-off cohorts. Possibly not better if you're a smart and talented entrepreneur or highly skilled technologist; parts of the US are clearly great for that. But you may have to step over homeless people to get to work.
- toasterlovin 6y ago
  > Many workers experience monopsony for their labor for reasons that might not make sense to you (switching costs, rational risk aversion, fallible human psychology) Both sides face similar issues related to terminating their mutually agreed to relationship.

nearbuy 6y ago

> And those are bad because? I'm not against these things for warehouse workers at all, but just to answer your question, potential downsides include: 1. The money has to come from somewhere. Since Amazon keeps fairly small profit, this would likely come from passing costs on to consumers, and reducing Amazon's investment in future growth, which ultimately costs their future consumers. This increases cost of living for non-Amazon workers, and since Amazon is a good source of cheap items, it may disproportionately burden poorer people. 2. Where I am, Indeed.com says Amazon warehouse workers are paid slightly above average ($16/hour). If they were paid significantly above average, it can make it hard for small businesses to keep their workers.

toasterlovin 6y ago

> > Pay raises, more time off, better benefits. > And those are bad because? They're not bad. But them being good for workers is not an argument for why workers should receive them.