The Wow I Can't Believe That News Story Thread

[rubber soul]

Originally Posted by Psy-Fi

“In my White House, you’ll always be welcome. You’ll always be welcome. Labor will always be welcome. You know, you’ve heard me say many times: I intend to be the most pro-union president leading the most pro-union administration in American history.”

- Joe Biden

Yeah, well they probably voted for Trump anyway.

[The Batlord]

Originally Posted by rubber soul

Yeah, well they probably voted for Trump anyway.

1. Eat ****.

2. I'm sure that now a lot of them will next time at least.

[Trollheart]

I don't have a clue here, not having followed the story (and being Irish. And thick) but is this not a case of the state* forbidding the right to strike? Is this not a sort of fascist move? Or am I just so way off here you can't see me? If unions are no longer allowed the option of striking, isn't that some sort of blow against democracy?

* by state I don't mean like New York or Illinois, but the State, as in, the gummint.

[The Batlord]

It's not specifically fascist but it's definitely authoritarian.

[rubber soul]

There's some history behind it. They're enforcing what is called the Taft-Hartley act. This was a bill that allowed the President to halt strikes that could be detrimental to the nation. President Harry Truman actually vetoed the bill but was overriden. Ironically, when the steel union went on strike a year or so later, Truman invoked Taft- Hartley and Presidents have used it as a weapon ever since, sometimes with positive results for the workers, incredible as that sounds.

[The Batlord]

Airheaded bootlicker. The ability to harm the economy is the only leverage workers have and taking that away means they have no collective means to fight back against capital within the bounds of the law.

[rubber soul]

I'm not saying I agree with Taft-Hartley. I'm just saying that it isn't necessarily beneficial to business. Democratic Presidents in particular have used it to bring both sides to the negotiating table and the results have often been favorable to labor.

Anyway, if the railroads go on strike and people have shortages of food as a result, it doesn't look good for their interests in the voting booth, does it?

[The Batlord]

Is it better for people to be mad at a strike or to feel nihilistic about labor's power to do anything?

[rubber soul]

People only worry about what's best for them, pretty selfish actually. They don't care about what is right or wrong in the end analysis. It sucks, but that's the world we live in.

[The Batlord]

Yeah not really. People have historically lived pretty communally and modern alienation is a historical oddity.

And again, is it better for people to be mad at a strike or feel like there's no point in striking cause they'll lose anyway?