Is There a New Militant spirit in the American Workforce

[Draco-Onis]

Heh.

Nearly 40% of California state workers are unvaccinated against COVID-19:
https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics...254974997.html

Some other states have police forces where less than 70% of them are vaccinated, or willing to get vaccinated, with police unions protecting them too.

Did you read that article? it's basically saying that Newsom made a mistake by giving people to option of being vaccinated instead of mandating. It also states that the number could be higher for vaccination due to incomplete data and under reporting. The same article points out in categories where it is mandated like health care the vaccination rate is 90%+. So thanks for advocating for mandates.

[JohnBrown1917]

Do Very Online Socialists only measure Worker Militancy in setting fires and guillotine memes?

[/I]

In which an anarcho-bidenist still thinks a nazbol like Rochana is anything close to socialist or any other left-wing ideology for that matter.

[Draco-Onis]

Heh.

I never stated I was against vaccine mandates.

I currently live in the most vaccinated continent of the world with over 75% of the adult populated vaccinated. Not that we ever had a mandate either though, the population generally just was more receptive of voluntarily receiving them. Frankly, if it had been up to me the regulations would've been a ton stricter. I really don't give a shit if some old people are crying on the airport that: "they can't live without going on vacation abroad every few months."

Also these people are not quitting the people not vaccinated in states is where it is optional which makes sense because even if you quit your next job is going to have the same requirement. There's no data showing that show vaccine mandate are leading to people quitting, I am sure there are a few morons doing it but not enough to matter.

[Yuujin]

Heh.

Nearly 40% of California state workers are unvaccinated against COVID-19:
https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics...254974997.html

Some other states have police forces where less than 70% of them are vaccinated, or willing to get vaccinated, with police unions protecting them too.

40% of state workers makes up how much % of the total work population. Oh boy, almost like you're still completely wrong and grasping at straws. You don't understand the data you post do you?

Edit: I noticed you recently started adding 'heh' to your post. Is this your way of acknowledging you're just a shitposter?

- - - Updated - - -

Looks like we'll be 'reforming' the police after all. Let's hope these states stay strong and get rid of all these pathetic whiners who are anti-vax in their ranks. Hopefully the raid on the police union leader's home and office in New York isn't the last we see of police reform in America. These manbabies crying about their rights seem to forget they're public servants.

[jonnysensible]

when are we putting the capitalists in prison?

[Egomaniac]

when are we putting the capitalists in prison?

In Capitalist America... Capitalists own prisons.

[uuuhname]

In Capitalist America... Capitalists own prisons.

god if only this was just a joke...

[Egomaniac]

god if only this was just a joke...

I know, right?

[Hollycakes]

Interesting article on this guy from FL.

"On September 1, he sent job applications to a pair of restaurants that had been particularly public about their staffing challenges.

Then, he widened the test and spent the remainder of the month applying to jobs — mostly at employers vocal about a lack of workers — and tracking his journey in a spreadsheet.

Two weeks and 28 applications later, he had just nine email responses, one follow-up phone call, and one interview with a construction company that advertised a full-time job focused on site cleanup paying $10 an hour."

https://www.businessinsider.com/work...ortage-2021-10

[Yuujin]

Interesting article on this guy from FL.

"On September 1, he sent job applications to a pair of restaurants that had been particularly public about their staffing challenges.

Then, he widened the test and spent the remainder of the month applying to jobs — mostly at employers vocal about a lack of workers — and tracking his journey in a spreadsheet.

Two weeks and 28 applications later, he had just nine email responses, one follow-up phone call, and one interview with a construction company that advertised a full-time job focused on site cleanup paying $10 an hour."

https://www.businessinsider.com/work...ortage-2021-10

You know, there is a reason you keep seeing signs on restaurants and not fast food joints.

https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/sta...um-wage/tipped

[Dacia Ultan]

If you'd asked me five years ago what would be required to bring about class consciousness to the workers of the capitalist West, I don't think "a global pandemic" would've been in my top 5, but it certainly seems to have done the trick. I guess when you try and require people to go work for a shitty minimum wage that doesn't come close to being a reasonable level of pay, when doing so requires them to risk their lives due to a deadly pandemic, a lot more people wake the fuck up and question what they're doing and why. This is a good thing. The status quo is borked and we need class recognition for that to ever change.

Plus, as a side note, before anyone is gonna bitch at me for saying the $7.25 or whatever is a shit wage nobody should be offered, enjoy this art piece;

https://www.blakefallconroy.com/mini...e-machine.html


Turn the crank, and the machine pays out a single penny roughly every 5 seconds (4.97, precisely). That's it; keep turning the crank, another penny every 5 seconds. How long would you sit there turning that crank?

Because that's a $7.25/hour payout. That's what minimum wage looks like. It's egregiously awful and we need to stop devaluing human labor.

Minimum wage is almost twice the federal where I'm at. Still ultimately had to quit my last job, because it almost killed me and wasn't paying enough to compensate for the medical bills it racked up. And while I do like not being beholden to anyone: I don't like the idea of not being productive; not having a job means that I'm stuck in the positions both of resorting to crafting to keep myself busy, and of not being able to afford more crafting materials unless I can sell enough of my creations. So yeah.

No. There's no militancy.

And yet: standing up for oneself at all is seen as "militant." (Among other things; but I've been over that elsewhere.)

The American working class is so stunningly brainwashed that it's psychologically incapable of organized labor action.

Individuals might not be willing to take shit work for shit money, but most working class Americans would chops their own dicks off with a plastic spork before doing anything like a general strike.

"Cuz that's fucking communism and this is America. "

Some employees at Paizo (a tabletop game company) put a foot down and unionized. That's one small glimmer of hope. And I have concluded that nine out of ten Americans have no earthly clue what "communism" is, and just define it as "bad scary thing we don't want to talk or think about."

At any rate: it remains that "but there are so many jobs available!" is meaningless when those jobs are thankless on every imaginable level.

[Mihalik]

Some employees at Paizo (a tabletop game company) put a foot down and unionized. That's one small glimmer of hope. And I have concluded that nine out of ten Americans have no earthly clue what "communism" is, and just define it as "bad scary thing we don't want to talk or think about."

At any rate: it remains that "but there are so many jobs available!" is meaningless when those jobs are thankless on every imaginable level.

The thing is, a general strike is a wildy different thing than one random group of unionized workers going on strike.

I've been living in Spain for just shy of 12 years, I've experienced 2 general strikes both in 2012, tho there hasn't been another one since.

Those general strikes have seen something like 60%+ of the labor force going on strike all at once as a collective action. Essential services would run on "minimum services" meaning trains, metros, air traffic, deliveries all running on 50% capacity. Most stores, gas stations, supermarkets, businesses closed. Hospitals halting all elective and non emergency services. Absolutely no manufacturing of any kind. The entire country just grinds to a halt. Even if you wanted to break the strike typically you just couldn't as companies couldn't guarantee a way for workers to make it to work, couldn't guarantee the delivery of goods and materials etc so they'd just tell everyone not to come in.

The November 2012 general strike included Spain, Italy, Portugal, Cyprus, Malta, France, Greece, Belgium. Something like half the EU economy just shutting down.

The only similar thing that I have experienced was the first 3 months of the Covid lockdowns, but even then supermarkets were open, deliveries were running, people were working from home.

American workers absolutely do not comprehend the collective power they hold. This is intentional, it has been completely beaten out of them over the past 100 years.

[Dacia Ultan]

American workers absolutely do not comprehend the collective power they hold. This is intentional, it has been completely beaten out of them over the past 100 years.

No argument whatsoever on really anything, but this stood out in particular. I'm inclined to blame James McGill Buchanan for putting at least some of the final nails in that coffin; but that may be primarily because a hell of a lot of economic fuckery in America can be traced back to that (and I do not use this word lightly) evil bastard.

[downnola]

The thing is, a general strike is a wildy different thing than one random group of unionized workers going on strike.

I've been living in Spain for just shy of 12 years, I've experienced 2 general strikes both in 2012, tho there hasn't been another one since.

Those general strikes have seen something like 60%+ of the labor force going on strike all at once as a collective action. Essential services would run on "minimum services" meaning trains, metros, air traffic, deliveries all running on 50% capacity. Most stores, gas stations, supermarkets, businesses closed. Hospitals halting all elective and non emergency services. Absolutely no manufacturing of any kind. The entire country just grinds to a halt. Even if you wanted to break the strike typically you just couldn't as companies couldn't guarantee a way for workers to make it to work, couldn't guarantee the delivery of goods and materials etc so they'd just tell everyone not to come in.

The November 2012 general strike included Spain, Italy, Portugal, Cyprus, Malta, France, Greece, Belgium. Something like half the EU economy just shutting down.

The only similar thing that I have experienced was the first 3 months of the Covid lockdowns, but even then supermarkets were open, deliveries were running, people were working from home.

American workers absolutely do not comprehend the collective power they hold. This is intentional, it has been completely beaten out of them over the past 100 years.

The Taft-Hartley act makes it almost impossible for American workers to reach a critical mass where a general strike is feasible. You couldn't draw up a better way to defang unions and workers than the anti-communist doctrine rammed down Americans' throats during the cold war. It'll take generations of de-programming and serious policy reform for American workers to even come close to being "militant," sadly.

[Mihalik]

The Taft-Hartley act makes it almost impossible for American workers to reach a critical mass where a general strike is feasible. You couldn't draw up a better way to defang unions and workers than the anti-communist doctrine rammed down Americans' throats during the cold war. It'll take generations of de-programming and serious policy reform for American workers to even come close to being "militant," sadly.

That's why I said that calling whatever is happening in the US "militancy" is misunderstanding what militancy is.

[Cthulhu 2020]

Man, now that people are collecting unemployment far easier because of the pandemic, it's almost like they have a choice to work for shit wages or not. And it seems many are choosing to not accept shit wages. I would too. I'd live off of unemployment if my only option was minimum wage (or just barely above minimum) shit holes.

Perhaps we should start more seriously considering UBI, and perhaps companies should consider paying a living wage. Not even a lot. Just enough money for an individual to get by on the bare essentials without having to have 4 roommates in a tiny apartment.

[Dacia Ultan]

Man, now that people are collecting unemployment far easier because of the pandemic, it's almost like they have a choice to work for shit wages or not. And it seems many are choosing to not accept shit wages. I would too. I'd live off of unemployment if my only option was minimum wage (or just barely above minimum) shit holes.

But it's so much easier to just dismiss everyone who can't get a good job and won't take an abusive shit job as inept and lazy!

Meanwhile: I'm qualified for quite a few decently-paying positions...but it seems like only the shit jobs are actually open.

Perhaps we should start more seriously considering UBI, and perhaps companies should consider paying a living wage. Not even a lot. Just enough money for an individual to get by on the bare essentials without having to have 4 roommates in a tiny apartment.

But that would just make people lazy! Please ignore all of the evidence to the contrary. Also: it would be communism or whatever.

On a more serious note: bringing the FPUC back until the stupid virus is actually beaten would be a good start. Still: a conversation definitely needs to be had about UBI. But a conversation probably) needs to be had first about our desperate fear that someone will get "lazy," and how irrational it is. (To anyone who didn't know: basic-income experiments have been carried out. There was no significant increase in unemployment, and often resulted in increased worker productivity; it turns out that people actually want to work, and that financial anxiety hinders job performance. Oops.)

[Milchshake]

*Update*
Good news for militant workers. Though I'm sure very online doomposters will find a reason it's askually bad.

Striking Deere workers approve a new contract
John Deere workers represented by the United Auto Workers voted to ratify a six-year labor contract that the company had called its final offer, bringing to a close a 10,000-worker strike that has stretched for more than a month.
*Immediate pay raise doubled to 10%
*Two future 5% raises
*Cost-of-living adjustments
*$8,500 bonus
*Pensions restored for new hires

[Edge-]

https://big.assets.huffingtonpost.co...9a42b23a36.pdf

NLRB has ruled that Amazon improperly interfered with the union vote in the AL fulfillment center and are requiring a second election. Fairly detailed doc, and that Amazon seems to have been found "guilty" (since this isn't actually a court/legal matter) of much of what union organizers accused them of.

[Yuujin]

https://big.assets.huffingtonpost.co...9a42b23a36.pdf

NLRB has ruled that Amazon improperly interfered with the union vote in the AL fulfillment center and are requiring a second election. Fairly detailed doc, and that Amazon seems to have been found "guilty" (since this isn't actually a court/legal matter) of much of what union organizers accused them of.

John Oliver did a segment on this a while back. Something like over 80% of second elections end in Unions not being formed. The punishments for interfering with a union vote are so lax that companies are actually incentivized into interfering because it usually leads to the vote they are looking for. Workers see this and have no confidence in the governments ability to protect their unions.