8 ms·

Scary for consumers

kennywinker 5y ago
There has never been a better time for consumers to show solidarity with the workers that provide them with goods and services than now. The threat of widespread streaming subscription cancellations seems to have been a great help to IATSE during their recent negotiations - I hope to see more of that type of action / threatened action
- throwaway09223 5y ago
  My answer was in regards to practicalities, not political aspirations. Your answer is projecting a political struggle unrelated to my comment. Strikes impact businesses that supply goods and services to consumers. They have impact, and it's this impact that gives them power. If there wasn't an impact on businesses and consumers then they wouldn't be scary. If your political leanings are pro-worker then you probably agree and are happy that a strike is a scary prospect for consumers. Otherwise the strikes could be ignored.
  - kennywinker 5y ago
    I think the thing I'm saying is that consumers and workers are effectively the same group. Trying to separate "consumer" concerns from "worker" concerns is at least as political an idea as suggesting they should welcome a chance to show solidarity.
    - kcplate 5y ago
      As a consumer my concern is the products I order are delivered when I expect them to be delivered. I am not sure how that crosses with Amazon worker unionization concerns. If Amazon can satisfy my consumer concerns with or without unions, I’m satisfied. They are obviously doing that now. Showing solidarity…what benefit does that give the consumer? It just means sacrifice for me.
      - kennywinker 5y ago
        As a worker, what sets your wage? If you're unionized, collective bargaining. Unions that are stronger are able to better support each other. The better deal amazon's workers get, the better deal you can get. If you're non-unionized, your wage is still impacted by the wages of other employers. Case in point, when amazon raised their minimum wage - other companies were forced to follow suit: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/05/business/economy/amazon-wage-effect.html https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/05/business/economy/amazon-w... Sure, if you're a high-payed tech worker, your own wage is pretty disconnected from the warehouse worker market - but not completely. And I bet you have friends and family who's wages are MUCH closer linked.
        throwaway09223 5y ago
        The impact on tech worker wages is probably negative because unionization is associated with lower profits. Especially for tech workers who derive the majority of their income from equity. Highly unionized countries do not tend to have a higher per-capita income across all socioeconomic demographics when compared to the US. It's not clear that unionization is an overall net positive for higher income individuals.
        kennywinker 5y ago
        Indeed. Granting a one group small ownership stake swings some of their allegiances towards ownership and away from labour. I would ask myself what cost that small slice of ownership you’ve been granted (play on words intended) comes at to the people around you. To me it doesn’t seem very different from buying off union leaders. Are you that easily bought? I.e. maybe supporting unions leads to a smaller gap between your tech salary, and a warehouse worker. That’s still going to benefit you, in that the people around you are less desperate, and have more energy to put into their communities, etc.
        throwaway09223 5y ago
        Your rhetoric is disgusting and regrettable, but worst of all it's simply inaccurate. I support the right to unionize regardless of whether it benefits me personally. It seems the area where you and I differ is that my commitment to telling the truth regarding the various economic ramifications is more important than my political ideology.
    - throwaway09223 5y ago
      I think you're wishing they were the same, ideologically. I'm not judging your aspirations, but I am a consumer and I am certainly not in the same socio-economic group as Amazon factory employees - even if I do support some of their struggles.
      - kennywinker 5y ago
        > I am certainly not in the same socio-economic group as Amazon factory employees This is exactly the point. Socio-economic groupings ARE political. You feel your interests are different from someone making 30k/year, because of the wedges driven into the working class, but in all likelihood you have much more in common with a warehouse worker than you do with someone whos income comes entirely from their ownership of amazon. Do you worry about losing your job? How many months unemployed before you lose your house? These are things that ownership class people don't have to worry about, but you and an amazon warehouse worker both do.
        throwaway09223 5y ago
        I don't have a job. My income is derived entirely from my investments. When I was working, I had none of those concerns. You're really off base. Your points are just inaccurate as a matter of fact.
        kennywinker 5y ago
        Ah, well I wrongly assumed you worked. You’ve moved into the owning class and your interests have been severed from those of working people. Congrats, you’re now living off the efforts of others, and caring about those people’s fate is now fully optional for you.
        throwaway09223 5y ago
        Actually, the true fact of the matter is that now others are living off the proceeds which resulted from my own past efforts. Your insinuation that my perspective has changed is simply wrong. Of course you can't know; all you have is baseless projections.
  - randomfinn 5y ago
    > If there wasn't an impact on businesses and consumers then they wouldn't be scary. It's probably scary for Amazon, but I don't see why it would be scary for consumers. I use Amazon regularly, but if they had to shut down deliveries for a few weeks I would just order from eBay, Walmart or other sources. I can't think of many things that I can order only from Amazon.
    - throwaway09223 5y ago
      The original post is talking about unionization of the trucking industry. This would impact all of those similarly.
- kcplate 5y ago
  You have to be really really a fan of collective action to do that. I don’t oppose unionization, but whether some random Amazon warehouse in Podunk, Idaho unionizes is simply not important enough to me to cancel my Prime subscription.

Scary for consumers

There has never been a better time for consumers to show solidarity with the workers that provide them with goods and services than now. The threat of widespread streaming subscription cancellations seems to have been a great help to IATSE during their recent negotiations - I hope to see more of that type of action / threatened action

throwaway09223 5y ago
My answer was in regards to practicalities, not political aspirations. Your answer is projecting a political struggle unrelated to my comment. Strikes impact businesses that supply goods and services to consumers. They have impact, and it's this impact that gives them power. If there wasn't an impact on businesses and consumers then they wouldn't be scary. If your political leanings are pro-worker then you probably agree and are happy that a strike is a scary prospect for consumers. Otherwise the strikes could be ignored.
- kennywinker 5y ago
  I think the thing I'm saying is that consumers and workers are effectively the same group. Trying to separate "consumer" concerns from "worker" concerns is at least as political an idea as suggesting they should welcome a chance to show solidarity.
  - kcplate 5y ago
    As a consumer my concern is the products I order are delivered when I expect them to be delivered. I am not sure how that crosses with Amazon worker unionization concerns. If Amazon can satisfy my consumer concerns with or without unions, I’m satisfied. They are obviously doing that now. Showing solidarity…what benefit does that give the consumer? It just means sacrifice for me.
    - kennywinker 5y ago
      As a worker, what sets your wage? If you're unionized, collective bargaining. Unions that are stronger are able to better support each other. The better deal amazon's workers get, the better deal you can get. If you're non-unionized, your wage is still impacted by the wages of other employers. Case in point, when amazon raised their minimum wage - other companies were forced to follow suit: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/05/business/economy/amazon-wage-effect.html https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/05/business/economy/amazon-w... Sure, if you're a high-payed tech worker, your own wage is pretty disconnected from the warehouse worker market - but not completely. And I bet you have friends and family who's wages are MUCH closer linked.
      - throwaway09223 5y ago
        The impact on tech worker wages is probably negative because unionization is associated with lower profits. Especially for tech workers who derive the majority of their income from equity. Highly unionized countries do not tend to have a higher per-capita income across all socioeconomic demographics when compared to the US. It's not clear that unionization is an overall net positive for higher income individuals.
        kennywinker 5y ago
        Indeed. Granting a one group small ownership stake swings some of their allegiances towards ownership and away from labour. I would ask myself what cost that small slice of ownership you’ve been granted (play on words intended) comes at to the people around you. To me it doesn’t seem very different from buying off union leaders. Are you that easily bought? I.e. maybe supporting unions leads to a smaller gap between your tech salary, and a warehouse worker. That’s still going to benefit you, in that the people around you are less desperate, and have more energy to put into their communities, etc.
        throwaway09223 5y ago
        Your rhetoric is disgusting and regrettable, but worst of all it's simply inaccurate. I support the right to unionize regardless of whether it benefits me personally. It seems the area where you and I differ is that my commitment to telling the truth regarding the various economic ramifications is more important than my political ideology.
  - throwaway09223 5y ago
    I think you're wishing they were the same, ideologically. I'm not judging your aspirations, but I am a consumer and I am certainly not in the same socio-economic group as Amazon factory employees - even if I do support some of their struggles.
    - kennywinker 5y ago
      > I am certainly not in the same socio-economic group as Amazon factory employees This is exactly the point. Socio-economic groupings ARE political. You feel your interests are different from someone making 30k/year, because of the wedges driven into the working class, but in all likelihood you have much more in common with a warehouse worker than you do with someone whos income comes entirely from their ownership of amazon. Do you worry about losing your job? How many months unemployed before you lose your house? These are things that ownership class people don't have to worry about, but you and an amazon warehouse worker both do.
      - throwaway09223 5y ago
        I don't have a job. My income is derived entirely from my investments. When I was working, I had none of those concerns. You're really off base. Your points are just inaccurate as a matter of fact.
        kennywinker 5y ago
        Ah, well I wrongly assumed you worked. You’ve moved into the owning class and your interests have been severed from those of working people. Congrats, you’re now living off the efforts of others, and caring about those people’s fate is now fully optional for you.
        throwaway09223 5y ago
        Actually, the true fact of the matter is that now others are living off the proceeds which resulted from my own past efforts. Your insinuation that my perspective has changed is simply wrong. Of course you can't know; all you have is baseless projections.
- randomfinn 5y ago
  > If there wasn't an impact on businesses and consumers then they wouldn't be scary. It's probably scary for Amazon, but I don't see why it would be scary for consumers. I use Amazon regularly, but if they had to shut down deliveries for a few weeks I would just order from eBay, Walmart or other sources. I can't think of many things that I can order only from Amazon.
  - throwaway09223 5y ago
    The original post is talking about unionization of the trucking industry. This would impact all of those similarly.
kcplate 5y ago
You have to be really really a fan of collective action to do that. I don’t oppose unionization, but whether some random Amazon warehouse in Podunk, Idaho unionizes is simply not important enough to me to cancel my Prime subscription.