Post AkzZzPlPBB8XMEe1zM by jakemiller@federate.social
(DIR) More posts by jakemiller@federate.social
(DIR) Post #AkzUUwGhmGytQCvwyO by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-08-15T12:18:17Z
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Unions are having a moment and I couldn't be more happy. As a child of the 80s and 90s I can remember when unions were disparaged by both parties. I watched as unions in the USA were dismantled and destroyed. And with them dreams like ... retirement, owning a home, being able to give your kids a better life than you had. How did that happen?
(DIR) Post #AkzUe1mkdS8j8dFzaS by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-08-15T12:20:06Z
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A big part of destroying unions was the demonization of union leadership. Even now many Americans see "union bosses" as just... bosses who don't even pay you. Unions are corrupt. Even my dad had nasty things to say about the steel worker's union which used to be very racist.I don't have a plan for how we do this, but we can't slack off on keeping an eye on union leaders. As their power grows so will temptations and they need to be pure and saintly. Won't be easy.
(DIR) Post #AkzUpYW9HIhRqBzKTY by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-08-15T12:22:07Z
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Of course this is the nature of concentrations of power. Union leaders had a little concentrated power and some of them abused that power for their own gain. This made it easy for even more powerful men, the owners of companies and capital to target those little bosses and do tremendous harm. Personally, I would take a flawed union over no union at all. Just look at working conditions in each case. But, many people aren't this pragmatic.
(DIR) Post #AkzVlD2JIq2C0uWTnk by jf_718@mas.to
2024-08-15T12:32:32Z
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@futurebird Flawed unions are always better than the absence of unions.Tech workers in recent years have found out what it means to not have unions.
(DIR) Post #AkzWjogGTFL08n6wBE by Seruko@mstdn.social
2024-08-15T12:43:32Z
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@futurebird unions aren't perfect or even necessarily good. The bigger they get, the less responsive they get to the needs of their individual members. Game is hard.
(DIR) Post #AkzZzPlPBB8XMEe1zM by jakemiller@federate.social
2024-08-15T13:19:55Z
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@futurebird In my county, we had 3 big unionized employers. They drove up wages for nonunion factories in the area. In the late 90s, the top paid plant went on strike and the buzz in town was that they were already overpaid, and were lazy. And protected shirkers. Very little public support for strikers. So there, it wasn’t about the bosses, but jealousy and a feeling that they violated the “work hard, get ahead” community ethic.
(DIR) Post #Akzar70P8aAUomGW36 by sergiopantalone@corteximplant.com
2024-08-15T13:29:33Z
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@futurebird I think a lot of it was less about succumbing to temptation than about organized crime intentionally getting into union leadership and using it to profit on the back of the workers they were supposed to be protecting
(DIR) Post #AkzdAFRsAcuqPjMksq by _L1vY_@mstdn.social
2024-08-15T13:55:31Z
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@futurebird Reagan administration happened and continued to happen, if I remember aright.
(DIR) Post #Akzho3IHBFpe7I73IG by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-08-15T14:47:30Z
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@sidereal In union culture everyone talks about scabs. I get that. But, union leadership that isn't aligned with the people they represent is a betrayal far greater than any scab (who could just be someone without better options) It was the leadership that made US unions vulnerable to the attacks that nearly destroyed organized labor in the US for everyone. We have some glimmers of it coming back so let's talk about it. Not make the same mistakes.
(DIR) Post #AkzhwpsERfpR6L7Rrc by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-08-15T14:49:06Z
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@sidereal Some of the issue is the way we tend to build organizations, neglect power sharing, not following the principles that make unions work in the organization of the union itself... But, realistically I think for now simply putting a spotlight on leadership and holding them accountable more could give unions a fighting chance.
(DIR) Post #AkzozspebNKUpBJVLs by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-08-15T16:08:08Z
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@RenewedRebecca When unions only protect the older/full time members it's a sign that they are less powerful mostly. This happened with the professors/adjunct's union too... though things have been getting better. NOT good enough to let me feel like teaching college is worth it again, but maybe someday.
(DIR) Post #AkzqCc1uU2ysQpgDB2 by blogdiva@mastodon.social
2024-08-15T16:20:05Z
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@RenewedRebecca @futurebird that's why most capitalists have been on a war path against SEIU. they unionize those who nobody else will. esp after OWS. a group of car washers, most working only for tips went on strike. what’s happened afterwards has fundamentally changed ALL P/T jobs in the city. the Fight For Fifteen campaign came out of that debacle. it even set precedent for unionizing P/T adjunct college teachers. lack of union competition makes for crap unions. SEIU changed that in NYC.