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Well perhaps Labor needs to exercise its power instead of caving. That's what management has been doing to essentially steal their productivity over the decade
by r00fus 4y ago
Well perhaps Labor needs to exercise its power instead of caving. That's what management has been doing to essentially steal their productivity over the decades.
It's a class war, but the wealthy are the ones attacking.
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- dluan 4y agoA rail wildcat today would result in the national guard out, it just is not the same as it used to be.
- no_wizard 4y agoand the national guard will do what? I'm serious, what will they do, run the rails in their place? Let them. That won't last forever either. Someone's gonna bluff. I think the biggest issue will be PR. Corporations have PR machines at the ready. Unions haven't always invested in smart PR for their causes. You'd need spectacular media management to ensure this doesn't get turned into a situation where workers get blamed for more rising prices and economic turmoil, even though they shouldn't be once you have a fairly straightforward understanding of why they're doing what they're doing. If you can manage public opinion effectively, it would probably work, honestly.
- WA9ACE 4y agoI'd like to introduce you to what has happened historically when labor was met with the national guard. Whether or not this would happen in the modern era I cannot say. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Blair_Mountain https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Blair_Mountain https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homestead_strike https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homestead_strike https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludlow_Massacre https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludlow_Massacre
- no_wizard 4y agoI do think, in 2022, anything of this nature happening on US grounds would not go over well at all. See the counter example, such as the Kent State shootings[0] which lead to a massive public outcry. It would, from a PR perspective at a minimum, completely obliterate public support for the railroad companies & the government and immediately give it to the workers. [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_State_shootings https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_State_shootings
- WA9ACE 4y agoI do believe you are correct and that it would end up with a humongous outcry from the public in support of the workers.
- mike50 4y agoCounterpoint police unions have successfully manipulated the public for decades.
- marcosdumay 4y ago> it just is not the same as it used to be It's the other way around. That phrase could come straight from the 19th century.
- sofixa 4y agoLook into the Battle of Blair Mountain. Yes, it's not as it used to be because the striking workers won't be attacked by the army.
- bluGill 4y agoWhat power? They are not that big and the rank and file are not united anymore. If they all pulled together they could do something, but i don't think they will anymore.
- dluan 4y agoThe rank and file were reportedly all willing to strike, and even more so now that Biden has enforced the current rail agreement.
- maxbond 4y agoThey have no power, why was it so critical for Congress to force their hand?
- bluGill 4y agoManagement has the power here.
- OkayPhysicist 4y agoThe reason the government has the authority to insert itself into railroad union negotiations is because the railroad unions used to have a habit of blowing up bridges when negotiations broke down. Maybe it's time to give that another go.
- ydlr 4y agoIndeed. And not just rail workers. Every week there is a post on HN asking why we don't have a shorter work week already. Folks seem to have forgotten how much dynamite was involved in getting it down to 40 hours.