2052
top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[-] Nougat@kbin.social 140 points 9 months ago

When a company spends money to discourage collective bargaining, whether that's in production of "training" videos, or closing facilities, or punishing organizers (who are more likely to call foul on that illegal activity), it means that they think that will cost them less than bargaining with labor in good faith.

They know they're taking advantage of labor, and it costs them less to keep the bootheel on than it does to negotiate. Seize the means of production.

load more comments (40 replies)
[-] Anticorp@lemmy.ml 78 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

It's pretty wild to me that healthcare workers would only earn $5 more per hour than McDonald's workers.

It's also wild that the $30,000,000,000.00 that the UPS drivers are splitting, would have only gone to a few incredibly wealthy people, had the workers not made a stand.

[-] sweeny@sh.itjust.works 19 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Let's not get too caught up on comparisons, everyone deserves a living wage. McDonald's is a job just as much as healthcare work is, an hour of your life takes just as much of your time no matter where you work. The big question to me is why this minimum wage isn't being applied across all industries

[-] Anticorp@lemmy.ml 12 points 9 months ago

Nobody is saying it's not a job. You're required to be there and commit your time for both industries. But the effort required to get a nursing job is magnitudes greater than the effort to get a McDonald's job, and the pay should reflect that. $5 an hour more isn't enough to justify all the hoops a nurse has to jump through to get the job, and the ridiculous shit (sometimes literally) they have to deal with. Some other commenters pointed out that the $25 is for anyone who works in a hospital, not necessarily for healthcare workers in the traditional sense, which makes more sense.

load more comments (19 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[-] HawlSera@lemm.ee 13 points 9 months ago

I remember back when the fight for 15 first started, I had plenty of people on Facebook that were quick to point out that EMT workers only made 15 an hour, and that how Ludacris it was that fast food workers would want to be paid that much and claimed you wouldn't have EMTs anymore because they would all go flip burgers.

Missing the point that if 15 is so low it is what fast food workers would need to cover their expenses and nothing more, and maybe EMTs need a raise of Their Own.

I quickly learned a slogan that I would give these people that, just absolutely, I am a big fan of, and that slogan is. We all do better, when we all do better

load more comments (1 replies)
[-] Furbag@lemmy.world 10 points 9 months ago

It’s pretty wild to me that healthcare workers would only earn $5 more per hour than McDonald’s workers.

A lot of people would look at that statement and think that fast food workers are going to be overpaid here in CA, but in reality, both groups were being severely underpaid and to a degree healthcare workers still are way behind what they should be earning considering the massive windfalls that for-profit healthcare providers are raking in. Billions to the top, peanuts for the rest.

load more comments (4 replies)
[-] Blapoo@lemmy.ml 57 points 9 months ago

Man, I hope this momentum continues. Take these assholes for all they're worth!!

[-] scytale@lemm.ee 34 points 9 months ago

And to think all of these barely make a dent in corporate profits. That’s how greedy they are.

load more comments (2 replies)
[-] Sunforged@lemmy.world 11 points 9 months ago

Don't just hope, help build momentum by getting involved! There is so much to be done, either unionizing new workplaces, forming militant sub committees within existing unions and most importantly organizing outside the democratic party to force them out of center.

Workers Strike Back is where my wife and I have decided to best spend our time with, but there are others to join. The important part is to get off the internet and start making it happen.

load more comments (1 replies)
[-] dylanmorgan@slrpnk.net 49 points 9 months ago

This doesn’t mention one of the big wins from the WGA strike: transparency from the streamers on what people are watching. It’s part of the residuals win, but transparency is huge on its own.

[-] theUnlikely@sopuli.xyz 14 points 9 months ago

As someone who doesn't know much about that industry, why is transparency on what people are watching important?

[-] numlok@lemmy.world 13 points 9 months ago

The more popular a show, the more money writers get (residuals). In the old days, viewership was measured independently and those numbers shared (Nielsen). In the steaming age, streaming services basically tell writers, "trust us".

load more comments (2 replies)
[-] bstix@feddit.dk 36 points 9 months ago

The funny thing is that when employees are unionised and getting paid fairly, they can spend their time working on serious stuff instead of constantly fighting against being exploited.

The professional and successful companies know this well enough. It's all the personally owned shit stores that think the owner himself can outsmart everyone by stealing nickles from their own employees to finance the underbidding of other companies and thereby delivering a shit product. Grow the fuck up already.

Quality work is done by qualified people who takes enough pride in their work to join a union of people who does similar kind of work, instead of winging it like a poorly paid servant.

[-] HurlingDurling@lemm.ee 34 points 9 months ago

Tech worker union should be next

[-] heavyladder63@lemmy.world 22 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

There is a tech union :) Unions and pro-union movements have been growing a lot in major tech companies in recent years and they have already had significant achievements in improving workers' conditions. If you would like to join don't hesitate to check out CODE-CWA and remember the most important thing is to start building support for unions among your coworkers!

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (6 replies)
[-] greenskye@lemm.ee 29 points 9 months ago

I feel like part of this needs to address the common claim that the businesses in question will go bankrupt as a result of the increases in pay for labor.

It's great that unions increase pay. But that hasn't been the argument I've heard against unions. It's that increasing the pay will tank the company and everyone would shortly be out of work. Which I don't believe at all, but that's the common argument against unions

[-] lemming741@lemmy.world 39 points 9 months ago

If your business model is ruined by fair wages, your business plan sucks and deserves bankruptcy.

load more comments (3 replies)
[-] phillaholic@lemm.ee 12 points 9 months ago

We heard all these excuses back in 07 in the lead up to the minimum wage going up federally. None of it came true and it never has.

load more comments (1 replies)
[-] frezik@midwest.social 27 points 9 months ago

There are consulting companies that specialize in preventing unions from forming. If the law allows it (most US states do), they'll get everyone to watch anti-union "training" videos. That's not even getting into the historical violence that companies have inflicted on striking workers.

Companies would not do these things if they thought unions were no big deal.

[-] MargotRobbie@lemmy.world 25 points 9 months ago

I am asking once again for your support of unionization and strikes. While the WGA strike is over, the UAW, Kaiser employees (soon-ish) , and of course, SAG-AFTRA, still need your support.

Because this is only the beginning.

[-] Transcriptionist@lemmy.world 16 points 9 months ago

Image Transcription:

White text on a blue background reading

"Here's proof that his year's organized labor uprising is working:"

The next few paragraphs are in yellow:

"340,000 UPS workers won $30 BILLION in raises, more time off. and more full-time jobs after threatening to strike.

"Writers beat the greedy Hollywood CEO's replacing them with AI and won increased residuals, healthcare, and pension contributions.

"Half a million Fast Food Workers in CA won a $20 minimum wage and a seat at the table determining future wages, benefits and working conditions.

"Half a million California Health Care Workers won a $25 an hour minimum wage."

The final paragraph is in white again:

"Unions work. You can bank on it."

[I am a human, if I’ve made a mistake please let me know. Please consider providing alt-text for ease of use. Thank you. 💜 We have a community! If you wish for us to transcribe something, want to help improve ease of use here on Lemmy, or just want to hang out with us, join us at !lemmy_scribes@lemmy.world!]

[-] HawlSera@lemm.ee 15 points 9 months ago

So uhh how about contracted companies that do janitorial working. Asking for a friend.. who works the same shift I do.

load more comments (9 replies)
[-] JokeDeity@lemm.ee 12 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Where I work now, Big Lots, is the greatest example of a company that needs a union I have ever seen. However in the less than 6 months I've been there the staff has almost entirely changed and we've gone from about 15 employees to about 8. It's the worst corporate nonsense, the worst pay, the worst hours, the worst benefits, the worst recognition, and the worst job in general I've ever fucking had by a MASSIVE margin, so naturally it forces employees to watch the strongest anti union video I've ever bore witness to in my life. I would love to start a union here, but by the time I even talked to everyone half of them will have quit already.

[-] Serdan@lemm.ee 11 points 9 months ago

I hope you're looking something else. You shouldn't subject yourself to that bullshit.

load more comments (2 replies)
[-] Mouette@jlai.lu 10 points 9 months ago

You got to fight for a fair share of the revenu you're generating those greedy fuck would not even pay you if they could

load more comments
view more: next ›
this post was submitted on 03 Oct 2023
2052 points (98.4% liked)

Work Reform

9454 readers
127 users here now

A place to discuss positive changes that can make work more equitable, and to vent about current practices. We are NOT against work; we just want the fruits of our labor to be recognized better.

Our Philosophies:

Our Goals

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS