On September 15, the United Auto Workers began a targeted strike against Ford, GM, and Stellantis (the conglomerate that includes Chrysler) in an effort to secure higher wages, a four-day work week, and other protections in the union’s next contract. The strike is a huge development for American workers, but it’s also a big deal for President Joe Biden—these car companies are central to his green-infrastructure agenda. The union wants assurances that the industry’s historic, heavily subsidized transition toward electric vehicles will work for them, too.

Biden, whose National Labor Relations Board has been an ally of labor organizers in fights against companies such as Amazon and Starbucks, has called himself “the most pro-union president in American history.” He has expressed support for the UAW’s cause (workers “deserve their fair share of the benefits they helped create,” he said last week) and has sent aides to Michigan to assist in the negotiations.

    • bdonvr@thelemmy.club
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      1 year ago

      A fraction of the paid sick days they were asking for, while also not meeting their other major demands at all. Ending Precision Scheduled Railroading was a big one. Still going on.

      They stopped them from striking and potentially making greater gains, then tossed them some crumbs.

      They should have stayed the hell out of it or used the government’s power to stop the rail companies not the strikers.

      • protist@mander.xyz
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        1 year ago

        Well Congress did vote on a bill to give rail workers 7 days of sick leave at the same time as the vote preventing the strike. One bill got enough Republican support to pass, the other didn’t. If there were more Democrats in Congress, the outcome would have been more favorable to the unions, hands down

        • MonkCanatella@sh.itjust.works
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          1 year ago

          the cool thing about strikes is congress doesn’t have to vote for a company to give in to the demands of the workers. As a matter of fact congress has fuck all to do with it

          • protist@mander.xyz
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            1 year ago

            Congress has the authority to require a company to give in to the demands of the workers, just not enough people in it who are willing to vote to do it

        • bdonvr@thelemmy.club
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          If they’d not intervened AT ALL they could’ve gotten even more by striking.

          Or even better just make a reasonable amount of sick days federal law for all, and also put better safety legislation for trains.

          • protist@mander.xyz
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            Ok, and at real risk to many thousands of other people’s jobs when the rail system ground to a halt. When nurses go on strike, it’s expected more expensive travel nurses are going to step in to do patient care, because otherwise innocent people will be harmed. UAW goes on strike, no one steps in to take over because all that happens is corporate revenue starts to suffer, car prices may go up, repair parts may become harder to find or more expensive.

            If rail workers go on strike, the entire United States manufacturing sector grinds to a halt, plus serious impact on imports/exports, military readiness, and even food availability. Inflation would almost immediately have become much worse. Right wing and corporate media would have been running rampant with anti-union stories because public sentiment would have quickly shifted against the strike once the implications became clear. All this is ok though, because after devastating the US economy, the rail workers walk away with a slightly better contract than this one?

            • skulbuny@sh.itjust.works
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              1 year ago

              If the entire US economy necessitates oppressing rail workers, then yes, rail workers striking is a good thing. It sounds like they are extremely important, according to you, and should be listened to.

            • Ech@lemm.ee
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              1 year ago

              Then get the asshole executives to compromise instead? Why is the blame here being put on the workers being exploited?

                • Ech@lemm.ee
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                  1 year ago

                  Maybe take a second pass at reading what I actually said, bud, unless you’re calling the workers “fucking scumbags”, and if that’s the case, right back at ya!

            • Hello Hotel@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              If i keep slaves, and those slaves feed my children. If they escape my children will starve, the whole negborhood will! Therefore it is immoral to let the slaves become free persons, EVER. /s

              The trolly problem clasically has no good answer, however the above statement has held down thousands of slaves in all but name. You are saying perpetuating slavery indefinitly causes less suffering than an unknown amount of starvation.

            • Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world
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              Sounds like the railroads are mismanaged to the point where the entire industry is so brittle that one strike of any duration at all would be a catastrophe.

              Sounds like a job for antitrust or nationalization. Of course, if we can’t muster the political will to impose terms on rail bosses, we’re sure as hell not gonna break them up or nationalize them.

        • Hello Hotel@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago
          hey me, angey and ill informed child, shut your face

          How does that not sound like a complete violation of the constitution. “We voted to give you 7 days to not work somtimes and in exchange took your right to not work”

        • Pectin8747@lemmy.ml
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          They’re the ones that made the call to split the bill saying it was guaranteed to pass which made no sense

          We need to stop saying “if there were more democrats” and start saying “if there were more socialists”

          • CoderKat@lemm.ee
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            Yeah, it boggles my mind that the bills were split. The only reason I can think of to explain that is that they simply knew what was going to happen and any other explanation is just gaslighting us into thinking that they were doing something.

            • Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world
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              Yeah, it boggles my mind that the bills were split.

              The only reason to split a bill is to pass the centrist/republican portion and let the progressive portion fail.

    • dannoffs@lemmy.sdf.org
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      It’s wild to me that Biden broke the strike then got them the tiniest fucking concession afterwards and people think that’s an argument that he somehow was on the side of the union the whole time. Getting 4 sick days a year is absolutely nothing compared to the whole list of grievances and it’s embarrassing that people bring this up in response to him breaking the strike.

      • Kraiden@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        Huh. It’s really weird to read stuff like this. Just reminds me how lucky I am to not be in the US… with my legally mandated 10 days a year and all…

        • banneryear1868@lemmy.world
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          In Canada I currently have 346 hours of fully paid sick time available with 12 hours used. If I take over 5 days in a row I need to provide a doctor’s note. Taking a leave of absence for medical purposes is rarely questioned, same with going on disability. Outside of that I took 10 weeks of fully paid paternity leave, and we have a sabbatical program where you can take a reasonable pay cut for 3 years and take the 4th year off. Also have 4 weeks paid vacation and can take an additional 2 unpaid, with some other funny options available. Dental/medical appointments are a separate fully covered time code.

      • banneryear1868@lemmy.world
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        People comment “don’t let good be the enemy of perfect” about this, as if what they got even approaches good. You see how low the bar is at least.

      • tsonfeir@lemm.ee
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        If he was a Republican he would have them all fired and nationally ban unions. So, there’s that.

          • tsonfeir@lemm.ee
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            What specifically are you referring to, being non-constitutional action? And, where in the constitution do you feel forbids the action?

            • Hello Hotel@lemmy.world
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              I think I was refering to the fact that i thoght you’d be forced to work, (if the soundbyte of what happened is even true) it’s likely biden only banned protesting (witch is the real violation).

              I failed to be reasonable because I didnt read the details of what he actually did on a technical level and posted while i was angry.

              Edit: wow, im not critical enough of my own ideas here, fixed that

              • tsonfeir@lemm.ee
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                And how did Biden ban protesting? I think maybe you should get your mind off of politics and out of whatever right wing qanon garbage you’re ingesting.

                • Hello Hotel@lemmy.world
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                  1 year ago

                  I posted while angry, misread the facts and failed to properly call myself a dumbass for spreading Qanon level comments. I failed to interrogate my own claims to see if they made any sense.

      • protist@mander.xyz
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        The sick leave is what lead directly to the strike vote, all the union sources from the time are clear on that. What else did you think they were planning to strike over?

        • dannoffs@lemmy.sdf.org
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          Donating a couple bucks to a strike fund in my honor is better than Reddit gold could ever be

          • bdonvr@thelemmy.club
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            Link me to one and I’ll throw in a few bucks.

            But anyway I never bought it, I only used the free coins they gave out.

          • Wiz
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            That’s a great idea. “Lemmy Gold” should be a link to some community support fund for a good cause like this.

      • Wiz
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        1 year ago

        I just spent a week in the hospital. Used up all my sick time. Went back to work, still sick. How am I gonna pay the hospital bill otherwise?