East Coast Dockworkers Strike.

[flogger]

What a perfect thing to blame our inflation on!

East and Gulf Coast dockworkers may strike tonight. Here's the latest : NPR (https://www.npr.org/2024/09/27/nx-s1-5124956/dockworkers-strike-shipping-east-gulf-coast-ports#:~:text=The%20dockworkers'%20union,%20the)

- $5.00 hr. pay increase, Per Year for 6 yrs. (length of contract), old contract had $1.00 hr. increase per year, for 4 of the 6 years. Top wage is $39.00 hr. now (?)

- Ban on automation without negotiations. Good luck with that one!

[TeaRex]

Ban on automation.... no way. How stupid are these unions?

[TRnCO]

they don't want automation because it'll put em out of work.

$5/hr. pay increase annually, geeze, wouldn't we all love to have that one. Nothing like shooting for the moon.

[Hummer]

It happens in every election year.

[eddiememphis]

Unions are antiquated institutions that artificially inflate workers total compensation versus actual market price by limiting the number of workers available.

They create higher prices on all goods and services associated with the union, while also limiting the capital available for companies to invest in growing their businesses. Unions claim businesses earning less profit is justified since workers are getting their "fair share".

Unions rarely allow merit based compensation. When compensation is based on tenure and not performance, it lowers the worker's output across the board. A more productive worker has no incentive to out perform a less competent coworker.

Non government unions have been shrinking, both in members and power, as our economy has become more diverse. In many sectors, they no longer have a monopoly on the workers they once had.

These dockworkers do have a monopoly from Texas to the Great Lakes so this could be very impactful.

[eddiememphis]

Harold Daggett, head of the Union. (annual salary around $700k)

Today's world…[corporate bosses] they're not making millions no more, they're making billions, and they're spending it as fast as they make it. I want a piece of that for my men... These people today don't know what a strike is...I will cripple you, and you have no idea what that means.

[crays]

Harold Daggett, head of the Union. (annual salary around $700k)

Today's world…[corporate bosses] they're not making millions no more, they're making billions, and they're spending it as fast as they make it. I want a piece of that for my men... These people today don't know what a strike is...I will cripple you, and you have no idea what that means.

Guy sounds like a real peach. Greed running rampant with zero concern for the impact to the average American citizen (and the economy) that WILL be affected across the board by shutting down the docks. All while playing on their learned/indoctrinated contempt for "big business" to make himself and the union sound like the good guys.

[FoxtArt]

Hmm, they haven't studied history.

If you start striking on a level that impacts national security and economy, the U.S. gov't steps in on the side of the businesses.

Pretty sure the drooling dockhand is not going to get $150k salaries by holding the U.S. hostage. They can't get unemployment while striking, btw, and they may find that they can't get replacement jobs, either. Once they have national impacts the courts start siding against them too (judges can justify any position they want to take).

In the old days of course, U.S. got pretty violent in these situations.

[eddiememphis]

Hmm, they haven't studied history.

If you start striking on a level that impacts national security and economy, the U.S. gov't steps in on the side of the businesses.


Biden has always claimed to be pro-union. He has specifically stated he will not intervene in this one, saying "It’s collective bargaining. I don’t believe in Taft-Hartley".

[FoxtArt]

Biden has always claimed to be pro-union. He has specifically stated he will not intervene in this one, saying "It’s collective bargaining. I don’t believe in Taft-Hartley".

That's what they all say today.

But there's about 100,000 times as many voters making 35k/year that willl be impacted by this, vs the few guys with a new joisey accent demanding 150k/year wages or fuck the country.

Basically, Liberals will do anything to win, too (once those impacts start to be seen). But they have to wait until they can toot their horn to appear a hero.