Power to the People
Posted: Sat Sep 16, 2023 2:41 pm
The UAW has begun their rolling strike. Their position is simple:
In 2008 and 2009 during the great recession, American auto companies were in danger of going under. The UAW agreed to concessions that included paycuts and reduction of benefits to help keep things afloat. The companies also took massive taxpayer funded bailouts.
Now over a dozen years later, all of the Big 3 are showing record profits yet again at a pace that outmatches inflation, while worker compensation has barely moved.
When times are tough, the pain and sacrifice is offloaded to workers and taxpayers. When times are good, the wealthy hoard it all for themselves.
Fuck these people. Fuck the system that is designed for exactly this. And fuck the politicians who keep accepting their grift money to perpetuate it.
The writers have been on strike for four months and the actors not far behind. And no one's freaking out too much over them, because the studios haven't run out of ready content yet. But let's add the UAW and the new federal changes in union regulations, and I am hopeful for a pro-labor wave to bring meaningful reforms.
Unfortunately, my own union is a government union, therefore, we have no right to strike and very little actual leverage. But improvements for unionized employees everywhere else has the delayed effect of improving things for ALL labor when government and non-union joints find they can no longer attract workers.
I am cautiously hopeful for the future.
In 2008 and 2009 during the great recession, American auto companies were in danger of going under. The UAW agreed to concessions that included paycuts and reduction of benefits to help keep things afloat. The companies also took massive taxpayer funded bailouts.
Now over a dozen years later, all of the Big 3 are showing record profits yet again at a pace that outmatches inflation, while worker compensation has barely moved.
When times are tough, the pain and sacrifice is offloaded to workers and taxpayers. When times are good, the wealthy hoard it all for themselves.
Fuck these people. Fuck the system that is designed for exactly this. And fuck the politicians who keep accepting their grift money to perpetuate it.
The writers have been on strike for four months and the actors not far behind. And no one's freaking out too much over them, because the studios haven't run out of ready content yet. But let's add the UAW and the new federal changes in union regulations, and I am hopeful for a pro-labor wave to bring meaningful reforms.
Unfortunately, my own union is a government union, therefore, we have no right to strike and very little actual leverage. But improvements for unionized employees everywhere else has the delayed effect of improving things for ALL labor when government and non-union joints find they can no longer attract workers.
I am cautiously hopeful for the future.