this post was submitted on 15 Sep 2023
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[–] RGB3x3@lemmy.world 105 points 1 year ago (9 children)

More power to them! Shut it all down and get those shit companies to pay fair wages.

One of their demands is a 32 hour work week, and if they get that, it would be a huge group to do so and may jumpstart the transition in other industries to a shorter week as well.

[–] Maeve@kbin.social 14 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] Scotty_Trees@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

Tobias Fünke: "Okay, Lindsay, are you forgetting that I was a professional twice over - an analyst and a therapist. The world's first analrapist."

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[–] Eezyville@sh.itjust.works 29 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Let's see who's side Biden is truly on.

[–] FuglyDuck@lemmy.world 36 points 1 year ago (5 children)

It ain’t the unions

See rail workers.

[–] blargerer@kbin.social 17 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Its a lot easier to support the UAW than the rail workers. Not because of the justice of the positions, but because rail workers striking paralyzes the entire country.

[–] FuglyDuck@lemmy.world 19 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Biden could have forced the companies into more concessions. I mean, things like sickdays and having adequate coverage is just… good business…

Or if the company refused to play ball, nationalized the companies under certain defende acts, instituted the reform (both in staffing, and safety compliance, and a few other areas,). But no. He elected to shaft labor- because the oligarchs couldn’t have that.

[–] evatronic@lemm.ee 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

If you think breaking a strike sets a bad precedent, what do you think nationalizing an entire industry would do?

[–] FuglyDuck@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

It's been done before. it was wartime, last time. but it's been done. do I think it's a good idea? no. Do I think that the things the rail workers were asking for (and didn't get.) were... reasonable..? absolutely. it would likely have been better for the business in the long term- albeit with lower short term profits.

My point being... Biden could have gone to bat for the employees... and reformed the industry. if it's so critical, while are we allowing idiots who fail to realize that they actually need to staff appropriate to the time constraints, rather than making their employees work shit loads of overtime and cut out safety checks?

[–] assassin_aragorn@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

Biden could have forced the companies into more concessions.

Genuinely, what further actions could he have taken that wouldn't just be virtue signaling? It looks like he did successfully force the companies to capitulate several months later.

[–] Maeve@kbin.social 4 points 1 year ago

That’s the point.

[–] ImmortanStalin@lemmygrad.ml 4 points 1 year ago

That's the whole point. Solidarity is solidarity. They wouldn't strike if the rail barons dropped even a pittance. It's the 2020s but it might as well be the 1920s.

[–] ryathal@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 year ago

Id rather support rail workers, the UAW is a pretty shit tier union that's far too large for it's own good.

[–] cybersandwich@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago

The rail union got everything they asked for. The admin followed up. They just did a shit job of marketing it and the news doesn't give a shit about feel-good news... just FUD click shit.

And the administration will likely stay out of this.

[–] jose1324@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

He literally gave them what they wanted

[–] SCB@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

You'll enjoy this read (or not depending on how personally invested you are in thinking Biden is anti-union)

https://www.ibew.org/media-center/Articles/23Daily/2306/230620_IBEWandPaid

[–] NoneOfUrBusiness@kbin.social 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (4 children)

I mean tbf he then gave them their demands, just without paralyzing the economy.

Edit: Apparently he didn't.

Edit2: Apparently he did.

[–] FuglyDuck@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago (3 children)

no... he didn't. the unions wanted paid sick days. Like. you know. pretty much every one except walmart and fast food workers. yes, only 4 unions were holding out, but all the unions wanted sick days. Also, keep in mind, the people in question are highly skilled with masters degrees. That's part of the reason why it's 'hard' to recruit for those positions- that and the absolutely batshit crazy working conditions.

The things they were asking for would have been considered standard for almost any other sector at that level of skill.... and really is just basic good-business-sense to give. But, like most stupid and greedy corps, they're more worried about short term profits being hurt by the overhead of actually staffing adequately than they were about... employee health, the safety of their operations and literally everyone in the public nominally adjacent to their rail ways and yards. The paid sick days would barely even register on their quarterly reports.

[–] Lazz45@sh.itjust.works 6 points 1 year ago

FYI, Biden did end up getting them their sick days. He never stopped pressuring the companies. There was just very little reporting on it so I don't think anyone found out. I thought the same until someone corrected me and linked what I'm putting below

Source: https://www.ibew.org/media-center/Articles/23Daily/2306/230620_IBEWandPaid#:~:text=That%20pressure%2C%20plus%20the%20IBEW's,personal%20days%20to%20sick%20days.

[–] Telodzrum@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

They got all that. Media didn’t cover it because “President’s pressure gets rail workers demands after long process” doesn’t get clicks.

[–] Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

yes, only 4 unions were holding out, but all the unions wanted sick days.

And those 4 unions represented the majority of rail workers.

[–] SCB@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

You were right the first time

https://www.ibew.org/media-center/Articles/23Daily/2306/230620_IBEWandPaid

People cared enough to get mad but not enough to follow up

[–] Cryophilia@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

They actually did get their sick days. Biden continued pressuring the railways after the media coverage was over and the railways gave the unions everything they wanted.

[–] Maeve@kbin.social 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

We saw with the rail strikes.

[–] Telodzrum@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

So the President will get the union everything it asked for?

[–] Cryophilia@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

Only after the media extensively covers him breaking the strike, giving him negative press for that, but no good press for actually achieving the Union's goals.

I swear the Democrats are laughably bad at handling the media. It's truly ridiculous.

[–] SCB@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

Biden has no say in this because the workers are not bound by Congress.

However, Biden is clearly pro-union

https://www.ibew.org/media-center/Articles/23Daily/2306/230620_IBEWandPaid

[–] Tygr@lemmy.world 28 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Everyone thinks their demands are ridiculous but turn a blind eye to truly ridiculous executive compensation.

All we know for sure, the $100k truck will become standard as the cost will flow to the consumer instead of coming out of executives for their failures.

[–] surewhynotlem@lemmy.world 16 points 1 year ago (2 children)

If they could have charged 100k for a truck, they would already be doing so.

Paying workers properly doesn't impact this.

[–] BeMoreCareful@lemdro.id 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Thank you for saying this. The price is set at what the market will bear.

[–] Buddahriffic@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

Yeah, the cost to make something doesn't determine the price it will be sold it. It determines if it's worth making and selling it at all. And it's not even based on the current cost or price, but projected ones.

[–] Vyvanse@lemm.ee 4 points 1 year ago

Fully loaded trim levels of the big 3’s trucks do reach towards the 100k price level, if not more

[–] Rentlar@lemmy.ca 24 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

With all three automakers reporting record or near-record profits, the union was trying to recapture many benefits they had been forced to give up more than a decade ago when the companies were cash starved and on the brink of bankruptcy.

The unions gave up a bunch of concessions when the automakers needed it most. Now that they are flush with cash and the workers are in a place of need, it's time to take those concessions back, for the sake of their more recent hires. Fuck forced overtime as well.

The ~~partial~~ rotating "Stand-up" strike is an interesting move and definitely has the automakers stutter-step a bit, because they had their part stockpiles and narratives ready for an immediate full blown strike. The stories the car manufacturers ran in media sayimg "The union isn't making any more parts so cars are expensive waaaah" won't hold much weight for now.

I wonder whether the UAW is planning to eye inventory levels to best time a full-blown strike when it hurts most, waiting for employer lockouts or waiting for the car manufacturers to piss them off enough.

[–] transientpunk@sh.itjust.works 16 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] Deceptichum@kbin.social 4 points 1 year ago
[–] SCB@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago

"This is not what I was expecting to hear tonight,” said Jeff Schuster, global head of automotive for GlobalData, an industry consultant. “It’s not the way that causes maximum pain. Maybe it’s a sign they’re getting close and they’re just trying to ramp up the pressure. This is a very unconventional way of negotiating and striking. I think he’s doing a good job of creating confusion.”

This union head may be the best one I've ever seen. This kind of "surgical striking" to move discussions forward is brilliant.

[–] altima_neo@lemmy.zip 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Wait, what about other factories, like Nissan, Honda, etc?

[–] TransplantedSconie@lemm.ee 5 points 1 year ago

They will see these guys and gals win, see what they get in a better and fairer contract, and want that themselves. Union strong!