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I’m sure there won’t be any commentary other than “these voters were fooled by Amazon!” As if the workers there have no agency and no logical thought processes

I’m sure there won’t be any commentary other than “these voters were fooled by Amazon!” As if the workers there have no agency and no logical thought processes that would make them think for themselves that the union would be anything but negative.

refurb 6y ago
I expect to hear about how Amazon’s propaganda was too effective. Or questions asking “why are these workers voting against their own self interest?”. Everything but these workers just choosing what’s best for them.
- EliRivers 6y ago
  I thought the whole point was that what's best for them is increased wages, better working conditions and benefits? Granted I live in a country with significantly stronger worker protections and none of that nonsense in which quitting my job might mean losing healthcare (and in some cases, for my family to as well; that is a messed up employer-holding-my-family-hostage situation that gives an employer breathtaking power over employees), but given how much these precariously employed people seem to get routinely screwed over by their employers who have vast power compared to their employees, how else are they to improve their job? If they think they can do better for themselves without a union, without banding together to get some strength with which to negotiate, what is that alternative that presumably they're planning? Genuine question. I'm sure it comes across as snark, but from my outside-the-US viewpoint, I don't see any way that these Amazon employees are going to get better wages, conditions and benefits without banding together.
tweetle_beetle 6y ago
People are regularly encouraged to use their democratic power to vote against their own self-interest (this is a strategy used time and time again, typically by right wing parties). Amazon has a strong interest in preventing unionisation to protect profits and has been documented using many methods, including underhand ones, to achieve this. Unionisation offers more potential for driving positive change than doing nothing. These are facts. Is it possible that an individual has ignored all outside influences and made a personal evaluation based purely on their own analysis and research? Of course. Is this how politics works in the real world? Clearly not.
approxim8ion 6y ago
Funny how this talk of agency disappears when people talk about people they don't like, for example, voters in authoritarian states.

refurb 6y ago

I expect to hear about how Amazon’s propaganda was too effective. Or questions asking “why are these workers voting against their own self interest?”. Everything but these workers just choosing what’s best for them.

EliRivers 6y ago
I thought the whole point was that what's best for them is increased wages, better working conditions and benefits? Granted I live in a country with significantly stronger worker protections and none of that nonsense in which quitting my job might mean losing healthcare (and in some cases, for my family to as well; that is a messed up employer-holding-my-family-hostage situation that gives an employer breathtaking power over employees), but given how much these precariously employed people seem to get routinely screwed over by their employers who have vast power compared to their employees, how else are they to improve their job? If they think they can do better for themselves without a union, without banding together to get some strength with which to negotiate, what is that alternative that presumably they're planning? Genuine question. I'm sure it comes across as snark, but from my outside-the-US viewpoint, I don't see any way that these Amazon employees are going to get better wages, conditions and benefits without banding together.

tweetle_beetle 6y ago

People are regularly encouraged to use their democratic power to vote against their own self-interest (this is a strategy used time and time again, typically by right wing parties). Amazon has a strong interest in preventing unionisation to protect profits and has been documented using many methods, including underhand ones, to achieve this. Unionisation offers more potential for driving positive change than doing nothing. These are facts. Is it possible that an individual has ignored all outside influences and made a personal evaluation based purely on their own analysis and research? Of course. Is this how politics works in the real world? Clearly not.

approxim8ion 6y ago

Funny how this talk of agency disappears when people talk about people they don't like, for example, voters in authoritarian states.