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The balance of power is dictated by economic facts, not by organizing or politics. Auto workers in 1950 weren't better organized than auto workers in 2026. They
by rayiner 6mo ago
The balance of power is dictated by economic facts, not by organizing or politics. Auto workers in 1950 weren't better organized than auto workers in 2026. They just had more leverage because they weren't competing with auto workers in China. Likewise, Silicon Valley isn't paying people writing web apps $$$ because those workers are organized. They are doing it because they don't have a feasible alternative. If AI enables them to do more with less, they'll take that option.
- lanstin 6mo agoAre you saying that auto labor unions can't go into other places and organize the people there for higher salaries and less wretched conditions? Or that organizing doesn't increase the power of the hard working people? Economic facts are partially determined by human factors such as the supply curve for labor and information flow amongst sellers or buyers for various goods.
- xyzzyz 6mo agoYes, and by shifting the labor supply curve you can make the laborers worse off, because it will often shift the supply curve of the product they’re making. If labor unions make you pay your workers more, you might need to raise the prices, which will make you less competitive, and reduce your sales, which can result in layoffs, or in preventing new workers from gaining employment.