this post was submitted on 23 Sep 2023
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In an extraordinary show of support for organized labor, President Biden said he would join workers in Michigan on the front lines of their strike against leading automakers.

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[–] Sunforged@lemmy.world 92 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

UAW has publicly stated they are withholding endorsement of Biden until he supports the UAW’s efforts to unionize electric vehicle facilities. That has yet to happen. Biden has actual influence over the big three that rank and file don't, standing on the picket line is very performative unless it's followed up by action.

For all you libs who take this criticism personally, understand that this is a good start. But that's all it is. Applauding this without critical analysis is how Democrats diffuse political energy without delivering material gains. The working class cannot sit back, the pressure must force their hands to do more.

[–] unfreeradical@lemmy.world 1 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Applauding this without critical analysis is how Democrats diffuse political energy… The working class cannot sit back…

Exactly what needs to be understood more broadly.

We have been conditioned to believe that power is exercised only from the top down.

[–] xantoxis@lemmy.world 14 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Well why didn't you do that for the train workers, asshole??

[–] Spaghetti_Hitchens@kbin.social 6 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Exactly my question. God forbid they actually have sick days.

[–] BasicTraveler@kbin.social 2 points 11 months ago

When Joe Biden and Congress enacted legislation in December that blocked a threatened freight rail strike, many workers angrily faulted Biden for not ensuring that the legislation also guaranteed paid sick days. But since then, union officials says, members of the Biden administration, including the transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg, and labor secretary, Marty Walsh, who stepped down on 11 March, lobbied the railroads, telling them it was wrong not to grant paid sick days.

“We’ve made a lot of progress,” said Greg Regan, president of the Transportation Trades Department of the AFL-CIO, the main US labor federation. “This is being done the right way. Each railroad is negotiating with each of its individual unions on this.”

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/may/01/railroad-workers-union-win-sick-leave

[–] TheCannonball@lemmy.world 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Buden got the railworkers their demands. The media just never covered it.

[–] xantoxis@lemmy.world 4 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Yes, but he shouldn't have shut down the negotiations in the first place.

  1. It's bad optics for him. He would have known perfectly well which action would be covered by the media, and which one wouldn't be, and how that would look. It ends up looking like a strategic choice to appear anti-union.
  2. It weakens the railworkers union! Now they know they can't get their demands on their own, they literally have to have federal intervention. Their bosses also know this. Biden also knew this.
[–] TheCannonball@lemmy.world 1 points 11 months ago

I honestly agree. We need strong Unions and forcing them back to work sucks. But without the trains running, America's economic infrastructure would collapse pretty quickly. Then everyone would be blaming Biden for that.

It was a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation.

[–] Kbin_space_program@kbin.social 0 points 11 months ago

No he did not.
They got a 14.1% raise, and then five $1,000 lump sum payments that together add up to a 24% raise. Trick is that the starting point for future negotiations is that 14.1% raise, not the 24%.

The big fight was over paid sick leave, which he completely shafted them on.
https://www.npr.org/2022/12/02/1140265413/rail-workers-biden-unions-freight-railroads-averted-strike

One company(CSX) representing less than 4.5% of the rail workers came to an agreement on their own that the white house takes credit for, but the CEO of CSX says they weren't involved in the talks.

Senators Sanders and GOP Mike Braun put pressure on the others to follow suite.
https://www.npr.org/2023/02/10/1155763336/freight-rail-workers-union-paid-sick-leave-bernie-sanders-csx

[–] OrteilGenou@lemmy.world -1 points 11 months ago

Is that scattershot Botox?