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The US not only needs more people in unions but it also needs better unions. I can't believe how bad they mostly are. It's more about power and money than empow

by Daho0n 6y ago

The US not only needs more people in unions but it also needs better unions. I can't believe how bad they mostly are. It's more about power and money than empowerment of the workers/members. I have never seen a union as bad as the better ones in the US. Here's hoping it will be better soon..

Ericson2314 6y ago
I read in https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-union-vote-why-some-workers-voted-against-unionizing-alabama-2021-3 https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-union-vote-why-some-w... > He said in messages to Insider that he used to be "a huge pro-union person," but that his time working for unions made him believe that his work ethic didn't matter and that unions would value seniority over everything. I wish it were FUD, but I can't people like this that their own lived experience wrong. However what I can say is that an Amazon union would be much better positioned than coal, steal, or autoworker one. Those industries can go away --- either move somewhere else or dispensary altogether. But until dollar looses it's primacy in international trade and the US becomes a lot poorer, there will be cheap shit to ship to Americans everywhere (https://phenomenalworld.org/interviews/trade-wars-are-class-wars https://phenomenalworld.org/interviews/trade-wars-are-class-...), and those warehouses have to be near them. Put simply, production can move, distribution can't, and the American market for selling goods isn't going anywhere. Back to unions, I think the combination of a shrinking pie (deindustrialization) and the post war depolitization of unions (a very fascinating and tragic history) made it quite likely that unions would start shafting some members vs everyone going down with the ship. Take away those conditions (Amazon isn't going to become unprofitable over this...) and the fact that I think that these new unions will have a cultural break from the old, and I think we'll get better outcomes. ------ For those of you worried about an automated warehouse --- that's good. Job flight to evade humane working conditions sucks. Actual automation of the work in place is amazing and should be considered a labor movement win. Because only big visible automation that's designed to intimidate will lead to a UBI, even though we've been hurting for 50 years of underemployment and overcapacity.

by Daho0n 6y ago

Ericson2314 6y ago

I read in https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-union-vote-why-some-workers-voted-against-unionizing-alabama-2021-3 https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-union-vote-why-some-w... > He said in messages to Insider that he used to be "a huge pro-union person," but that his time working for unions made him believe that his work ethic didn't matter and that unions would value seniority over everything. I wish it were FUD, but I can't people like this that their own lived experience wrong. However what I can say is that an Amazon union would be much better positioned than coal, steal, or autoworker one. Those industries can go away --- either move somewhere else or dispensary altogether. But until dollar looses it's primacy in international trade and the US becomes a lot poorer, there will be cheap shit to ship to Americans everywhere (https://phenomenalworld.org/interviews/trade-wars-are-class-wars https://phenomenalworld.org/interviews/trade-wars-are-class-...), and those warehouses have to be near them. Put simply, production can move, distribution can't, and the American market for selling goods isn't going anywhere. Back to unions, I think the combination of a shrinking pie (deindustrialization) and the post war depolitization of unions (a very fascinating and tragic history) made it quite likely that unions would start shafting some members vs everyone going down with the ship. Take away those conditions (Amazon isn't going to become unprofitable over this...) and the fact that I think that these new unions will have a cultural break from the old, and I think we'll get better outcomes. ------ For those of you worried about an automated warehouse --- that's good. Job flight to evade humane working conditions sucks. Actual automation of the work in place is amazing and should be considered a labor movement win. Because only big visible automation that's designed to intimidate will lead to a UBI, even though we've been hurting for 50 years of underemployment and overcapacity.