this post was submitted on 04 Oct 2024
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That would raise average wages to about $63 an hour from $39 an hour over the life of the contract.

The union and the port operators said in a statement that they would extend their master contract until Jan. 15, 2025 to return to the bargaining table to negotiate all outstanding issues.

https://xcancel.com/MorePerfectUS/status/1841973125996585431

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/ship-queue-grows-us-ports-dockworker-strike-enters-third-day-2024-10-03/

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[–] [email protected] 85 points 2 months ago (3 children)

I do hope they vote out their LIB leadership since workers were allowed to cross the picketline to help load military weapons.

[–] [email protected] 89 points 2 months ago (1 children)

The typical American is unbelievably reactionary, I'd be shocked if the majority of the membership even mildly disapproved of assisting the burger reich.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 2 months ago (1 children)

A majority of Americans support suspending arms sales to Israel. I can’t imagine that’s lower among union members.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 months ago

they may "disapprove" but Americans aren't gonna betray the troops yet. And if they did they wouldn't be able to handle the heat (the government would literally try to kill them). There's no solidarity with other nations or even other workers in other sectors in the US, they were just striking for themselves.

[–] [email protected] 32 points 2 months ago

Is there any indication that they care? Or are we wishcasting about the I Love America Union

[–] [email protected] 50 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Ngl it's still kinda bittersweet since they still agreed to load military equipment. Just more chauvinism, but I'm wanting too much for burgereich workers to have solidarity with international workers.

[–] [email protected] 29 points 2 months ago

Just more chauvinism, but I'm wanting too much for burgereich workers to have solidarity with international workers.

Yer not wanting too much... you just feel what abolitionists feel when the Missouri Compromise was made

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[–] [email protected] 37 points 2 months ago (4 children)

Not quite sure why people here are that happy about it. If I understand this correctly then this isn’t even enough to cover current inflation, removes their right to strike for the next 6 years, has no hours-reduction, has no single payment to cover the past inflation. I don’t see how this is a win for workers. This seems like a huge win for the companies considering what else would have been possible.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 2 months ago

Well, yeah, but I'd be pretty happy if that happened in my industry.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

No job is keeping up with inflation, even union jobs

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (2 children)

This seems like a huge win for the companies considering what else would have been possible.

To them it's a huge loss compared to what would've happened without the union - max 5% annual raises, if that.

has no single payment to cover the past inflation

That's like Netflix telling you "hey we didn't raise our prices enough to keep up with inflation, we'll now charge you for last 5 year's inflation in a single payment"

It won't fly because it wasn't in the original contract.

has no hours-reduction

Normally I'd agree with you that this sucks, but aren't they hourly? Hours reduction means pay reduction. If I was hourly, I'd want the ability to work more hours (AND obviously a higher hourly rate to begin with)

You're talking about this like this isn't a huge win for these workers, but that's just not true. Yeah there's been bad inflation, but minimum, mean and median wages have NOT increased nearly as fast as they should. Hell the minimum in the US has been unchanged for decades. And plenty of people still make minimum (or less in tipped jobs).

Now we just need more sectors to form unions, and strike successfully. In more countries than just the US. Here in EU we make less in tech than longshoremen do in the US whereas in the US, tech salaries are nearly uncapped. Unions could help. And obviously unions in the less well-paid industries are even more important.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 2 months ago (7 children)

To them it’s a huge loss compared to what would’ve happened without the union - max 5% annual raises, if that.

This is a ridiculous and liberal lesser-evilism. A pay rise below inflation is a pay cut. This is such an important point which trade unionists have been pushing since forever. We consistently see trade union leaders accepting pay cuts of this nature, against the will of rank and file unionised workers, when there is plenty of momentum for escalated strike action and an actual pay rise, with inflation, is entirely achievable. We absolutely need to be criticising the labour movement shooting itself in the foot.

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 months ago

That's like Netflix telling you "hey we didn't raise our prices enough to keep up with inflation, we'll now charge you for last 5 year's inflation in a single payment"

Who cares what these companies think is and isn't fair? They created this inflation for the past years, they pay for it. And besides that, why do workers need to adhere to a past contract in their current demands? Continuing the strike for a one-time inflation-payment would have been the right choice for the workers, so the union should have done so.

Normally I'd agree with you that this sucks, but aren't they hourly? Hours reduction means pay reduction. If I was hourly, I'd want the ability to work more hours (AND obviously a higher hourly rate to begin with)

Why does it need to be one or the other? That's what capitalists want you to think. Why can't it be an hour reduction and a pay increase together? That's something that would be great for everyone. Only increasing pay or only decreasing hours is always going to split workers based on their current economic standing. Doing both not only strengthens all the workers, it also positively affects their companionship.

Yeah there's been bad inflation, but minimum, mean and median wages have NOT increased nearly as fast as they should. Hell the minimum in the US has been unchanged for decades. And plenty of people still make minimum (or less in tipped jobs).

So because the minimum, mean and median wages have NOT increased nearly as fast as they should, we should… checks notes… not fight for better pay?

[–] [email protected] 30 points 2 months ago

This is so funny because it seems like most recent strikes have only lasted like a single day before the company folds. Which is great. But it shows why they try so hard to prevent the strike in the first place and try to portray strikers negatively because once the strike is called, the company has already lost.

[–] [email protected] 29 points 2 months ago (1 children)

God damn 10% raises every year for 6 years? That's fucking sick.

[–] [email protected] 30 points 2 months ago (1 children)

It's 8% raise every year.

1.615^(1/6) ~ 1.083

[–] [email protected] 30 points 2 months ago (1 children)

ah falling short of inflation then

[–] [email protected] 22 points 2 months ago (2 children)

There won't be 8% inflation yearly for the following 6 years unless another extreme geopolitical event unfolds

[–] [email protected] 18 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Chuckling off stage right. Sounds like Israel.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 2 months ago

There are decades where weeks happen, and there are weeks where decades happen. And the former means stagnation of purchase power and the latter means inflation lol

[–] [email protected] 11 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I think it's less likely a major geopolitical event DOESN'T happen

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 months ago

We're at that moment of history aren't we?

[–] [email protected] 25 points 2 months ago (3 children)

lol these guys shouldnt be celebrated, loyal dogs of the empire

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[–] [email protected] 23 points 2 months ago (2 children)

So I'm relying on more knowledgeable bears here, but this is basically a manifestation of unions without theory right?

Without state support unions will be assaulted by capitalistic mentalities and turn into gangs?

[–] [email protected] 18 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

idk about state support. but yeah without bringing socialism in, there's nothing that makes unions directly fight for the working class as a whole, just for the interests of that segment of it. This strike could have had wider political implications, e.g. Maersk was one of the employers. The most extreme example is cop "unions" that actively fuck over the working class, but lots of unions sacrifice the rest of the class a little bit. For instance working people need public transit, Chicago's transit system has had a big operator shortage for several years, but the union made it really difficult to get a job as an operator (have to first do 1 year in an essentially unrelated menial role with few openings). Or you get Hoffa teamsters

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 months ago

That's a really good point. Lots to think about.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 2 months ago

Yerp, instruments for maintaining the system overall while giving concessions when the tension gets too high

[–] [email protected] 22 points 2 months ago

UNIONS WORK BABYYYYY

[–] [email protected] 19 points 2 months ago (1 children)

so they've stopped the strike in exchange for a promise of a contract next year? and the promised contract is an 8% yearly raise? idk about this one

[–] [email protected] 11 points 2 months ago (2 children)

This is a massive wage increase and a win for the union.

Going from 80k year to 130k could easily be the difference from scraping by to living comfortably if it’s a single income with kids.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 2 months ago

Except, it isn't going from 80k to 130k instantly. It's going to 89k, then 96k and so on. Only reaching 130 by the very end of the 6th year. Which might be good if inflation behaves, but if things keep going badly (ie workers continue to get big raises) then the inflation managers at the fed will punish labour some more to make those wage increases meaningless just like they did to the wage gains from over the pandemic.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

4% yearly raise after inflation. It's better than nothing, but I think the right thing to do is strike until you win a contract with all your demands. Helps prevent union leadership from becoming collaborationist. I don't know ILA internal politics

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 months ago

The I love America Union is throughly collaborationist, like every union in America

[–] [email protected] 16 points 2 months ago
[–] [email protected] 15 points 2 months ago
[–] [email protected] 13 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Question: are union workers protected from layoffs? Do they get significant compensations in the event of a mass layoff that typically happen during a recession?

[–] [email protected] 16 points 2 months ago

The Taft Hartley Act gives the president power to order striking workers in important industries back to work for 90 days.

Reagan infamously used this to force air traffic controllers back to work while firing thousands of them while they were on strike.

The only protection they have from layoffs are their own funds. Unions set aside money into strike funds to cover everyone's bills when they do have to strike.

What's interesting though is last week Biden straight up said he doesn't believe in Taft Hartley, which is a crazy thing for a president to say lol.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 months ago

Nope lmao. Maybe you’ll get money if fired unlawfully, but no

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 months ago
[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 months ago

That was fast