Attack on organized labor

Amazon joins companies arguing US labor board is unconstitutional (yahoo.com)

The attack on organized labor is gaining strength.  This doesn't bode well for democracy.


and I'll bet they'll find a court on their side


Ummm……from what I’ve read, your workers badly need support, especially your gig workers and your part-timers. 
You’ve got a long, effective and proud Union history going back to the 1600s (although a lot of people think it’s just over 100 years or 130years or so).  After some horrific incidents, you stopped child labour, set safe working conditions, set up fairer wages, worked on equal rights, set up centralised boards for training and for Standards - in many cases you did this at the beginning of worldwide movements for such things. 

It’s a bit of a nerve to start claiming now that a 100-yr old Board is unconstitutional. Scandinavia will convulse with laughter. France won’t stop giggling. Our unionists, having just confirmed their right not to answer their phones a/h, will storm the local US businesses

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2023/12/20/new-laws-passed/  Not just phone rights


joanne said:

Ummm……from what I’ve read, your workers badly need support, especially your gig workers and your part-timers. 
You’ve got a long, effective and proud Union history going back to the 1600s (although a lot of people think it’s just over 100 years or 130years or so).  After some horrific incidents, you stopped child labour, set safe working conditions, set up fairer wages, worked on equal rights, set up centralised boards for training and for Standards - in many cases you did this at the beginning of worldwide movements for such things. 

It’s a bit of a nerve to start claiming now that a 100-yr old Board is unconstitutional. Scandinavia will convulse with laughter. France won’t stop giggling. Our unionists, having just confirmed their right not to answer their phones a/h, will storm the local US businesses

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2023/12/20/new-laws-passed/  Not just phone rights

yeah, suits like this mostly have to do with the Trumpification of the courts and the ability to shop around for a sympathetic court. also, the NLRB has been pretty emasculated for a long time until Biden breathed some life into it recently, so they're pissing off more of corporate America these days.


Um, I don’t ‘like’ the effects of what is happening however I really appreciate your always clear and helpful answers. Thanks!


joanne said:

Um, I don’t ‘like’ the effects of what is happening however I really appreciate your always clear and helpful answers. Thanks!

To clarify what DB wrote, Amazon’s filing wasn’t part of a lawsuit; it was made in an administrative case brought by the NLRB. The difference means the NLRB currently calls the shots in the case, which concerns Amazon’s actions against workers at a newly unionized warehouse on Staten Island.

SpaceX did make its similar argument in a lawsuit that’s a direct attack on the board’s constitutionality. On Thursday, a federal judge in Texas granted the NLRB’s request to move the case to California.


DaveSchmidt said:

To clarify what DB wrote, Amazon’s filing wasn’t part of a lawsuit; it was made in an administrative case brought by the NLRB. The difference means the NLRB currently calls the shots in the case, which concerns Amazon’s actions against workers at a newly unionized warehouse on Staten Island.

SpaceX did make its similar argument in a lawsuit that’s a direct attack on the board’s constitutionality. On Thursday, a federal judge in Texas granted the NLRB’s request to move the case to California.

my post was more of a vibes post.

cheese


drummerboy said:

my post was more of a vibes post.

As a worker going on his 35th year in a union, I thank everyone here so far for the vibes.


tjohn said:

Amazon joins companies arguing US labor board is unconstitutional (yahoo.com)

The attack on organized labor is gaining strength.  This doesn't bode well for democracy.

What do Aldi (owner of Trader Joe's), Amazon, and SpaceX have in common?


yahooyahoo said:

What do Aldi (owner of Trader Joe's), Amazon, and SpaceX have in common?

Whatever it is, keep in mind that Aldi North (owner of Trader Joe’s) and Aldi South (owner of Aldi supermarkets in the U.S.) have as much in common as Adidas and Puma.


They are 

DaveSchmidt said:

yahooyahoo said:

What do Aldi (owner of Trader Joe's), Amazon, and SpaceX have in common?

Whatever it is, keep in mind that Aldi North (owner of Trader Joe’s) and Aldi South (owner of Aldi supermarkets in the U.S.) have as much in common as Adidas and Puma.

They are all controlled by billionaires.


Well, we all gotta eat. 


Volkswagen workers in Tennessee pass historic vote to unionize (Washington Post)

Volkswagen workers in Chattanooga, Tenn., passed a historic vote to join the United Auto Workers, the union said Friday, becoming the first Southern auto factory to approve a union with an election since the 1940s.
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The union’s unofficial vote count, which still must be confirmed by federal labor officials conducting the ballot, showed 73 percent of workers had voted yes by 10 p.m. E.T. on Friday night. It will take a simple majority for the vote to pass.

The vote marks a victory for the UAW and for organized labor, which has faced years of difficulty organizing factories in Southern states. The UAW has twice previously failed to unionize the VW plant, in 2014 and 2019. The plant will join a handful of other unionized auto factories in the South, where local laws and customs have made it hard for unions to make inroads.

PVW said:

Volkswagen workers in Tennessee pass historic vote to unionize (Washington Post)

Volkswagen workers in Chattanooga, Tenn., passed a historic vote to join the United Auto Workers, the union said Friday, becoming the first Southern auto factory to approve a union with an election since the 1940s.
Get a curated selection of 10 of our best stories in your inbox every weekend.

The union’s unofficial vote count, which still must be confirmed by federal labor officials conducting the ballot, showed 73 percent of workers had voted yes by 10 p.m. E.T. on Friday night. It will take a simple majority for the vote to pass.

The vote marks a victory for the UAW and for organized labor, which has faced years of difficulty organizing factories in Southern states. The UAW has twice previously failed to unionize the VW plant, in 2014 and 2019. The plant will join a handful of other unionized auto factories in the South, where local laws and customs have made it hard for unions to make inroads.

The ever inventive Republicans will not take any labor gains sitting down

====================================================

https://www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2024/04/scared-southern-elites

Like in so many bad things, Alabama is leading the charge:

Alabama lawmakers on Tuesday advanced legislation that would withhold economic incentive dollars from companies that voluntarily recognize a union without holding a secret ballot election.

The Alabama Senate voted 23-5 for the bill by Republican Sen. Arthur Orr, of Decatur. It now moves to the Alabama House of Representatives.

The measure says that companies would be ineligible for economic development incentives if they voluntarily recognize a union after a majority of employees return union-authorization cards — a process sometimes called “card check-off.” Under the proposal, a secret ballot election would be required to determine if a union would be formed.


You want lunch? You're just a kid. What do you need lunch for?

================================================================

https://www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2024/04/today-in-labor-law-repeal

The Louisiana legislature, truly run by rogues, has decided to allow children the freedom to work without BIG GOVERNMENT mandated lunch breaks.

A Louisiana House committee voted Thursday to repeal a law requiring employers to give child workers lunch breaks and to cut unemployment benefits — part of a push by Republicans to remove constraints on employers and reduce aid for injured and unemployed workers.

The House Labor and Industrial Relations panel advanced the child labor legislation, House Bill 156, along with House Bill 119, which would slash the amount of time for which people can collect unemployment aid. A third bill the committee approved, House Bill 529, would change how workers’ compensation wages are calculated in ways that could reduce benefits received by some injured laborers.

First-term state Rep. Roger Wilder, R-Denham Springs, who sponsored the child labor measure and owns Smoothie King franchises across the Deep South, said he filed the bill in part because children want to work without having to take lunch breaks. He questioned why Louisiana has the requirement while other states where he owns Smoothie King locations, such as Mississippi, don’t have them, and criticized people who have questioned the bill’s purpose.

“The wording is ‘We’re here to harm children.’ Give me a break,” he said. “These are young adults.”

The committee approved his bill 10-3.


drummerboy said:

The ever inventive Republicans will not take any labor gains sitting down

====================================================

https://www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2024/04/scared-southern-elites

Like in so many bad things, Alabama is leading the charge:

How many companies receiving economic incentive dollars in Alabama have ever voluntarily recognized a union, or plan to? My guess is zero. Though “increasingly popular” elsewhere in the nation, this path to union recognition appeals to limited kinds of businesses.

Alabama is, however, the site of the next UAW election, at the Mercedes plant in Vance on May 13-17.


DaveSchmidt said:

drummerboy said:

The ever inventive Republicans will not take any labor gains sitting down

====================================================

https://www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2024/04/scared-southern-elites

Like in so many bad things, Alabama is leading the charge:

How many companies receiving economic incentive dollars in Alabama have ever voluntarily recognized a union, or plan to? My guess is zero. Though “increasingly popular” elsewhere in the nation, this path to union recognition appeals to limited kinds of businesses.

Alabama is, however, the site of the next UAW election, at the Mercedes plant in Vance on May 13-17.

oh good.
nothing to worry about then.
never mind.



drummerboy said:

oh good.
nothing to worry about then.
never mind.

If this is what worries the ally who brushed off how hard it would be for unions to claw back money from companies relieved of insurance contributions under universal health care, don’t let me rain on the tirade.


DaveSchmidt said:

If this is what worries the ally who brushed off how hard it would be for unions to claw back money from companies relieved of insurance contributions under universal health care, don’t let me rain on the tirade.

whoa.

that's quite the reach, both in terms of time-passed and applicability.


I like to look at the directions things are taking. When I see a consistent pattern in one direction, I get concerned. 


Drummerboy gets concerned because he sees an anti-union pattern in the South.

As I said above, don’t let me interfere.



Sorry, first quoting/reply to post didn’t work properly 


Jamie, sometimes I think we need a ‘thumbs down’ button in this Sub-Forum. What a disgraceful piece of legislation!

drummerboy said:

You want lunch? You're just a kid. What do you need lunch for?

================================================================

https://www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2024/04/today-in-labor-law-repeal

The Louisiana legislature, truly run by rogues, has decided to allow children the freedom to work without BIG GOVERNMENT mandated lunch breaks.

A Louisiana House committee voted Thursday to repeal a law requiring employers to give child workers lunch breaks and to cut unemployment benefits — part of a push by Republicans to remove constraints on employers and reduce aid for injured and unemployed workers.

The House Labor and Industrial Relations panel advanced the child labor legislation, House Bill 156, along with House Bill 119, which would slash the amount of time for which people can collect unemployment aid. A third bill the committee approved, House Bill 529, would change how workers’ compensation wages are calculated in ways that could reduce benefits received by some injured laborers.

First-term state Rep. Roger Wilder, R-Denham Springs, who sponsored the child labor measure and owns Smoothie King franchises across the Deep South, said he filed the bill in part because children want to work without having to take lunch breaks. He questioned why Louisiana has the requirement while other states where he owns Smoothie King locations, such as Mississippi, don’t have them, and criticized people who have questioned the bill’s purpose.

“The wording is ‘We’re here to harm children.’ Give me a break,” he said. “These are young adults.”

The committee approved his bill 10-3.


I never understood why big business is against government-funded (like Obama Care) health care.  Government-funded health care would relieve the big business of health insurance costs that they pay to their workforce.   Am I missing something in my business cost equation?


As you know, many argue along ‘thin edge of the wedge’ lines: such so-called socialism quickly leads to communism. The rest of the world says, ‘well, no, it’s in fact more Christian to actually enable our neighbours and less-able to look after themselves so that our over-all costs are eventually lowered and productivity elevated.’


joanne said:

As you know, many argue along ‘thin edge of the wedge’ lines: such so-called socialism quickly leads to communism. The rest of the world says, ‘well, no, it’s in fact more Christian to actually enable our neighbours and less-able to look after themselves so that our over-all costs are eventually lowered and productivity elevated.’

As someone living happily in a "Communist" regime, I can tell you it ain't the old style. They kept the central authority and (kinda/sorta) grafted a market economy onto it. Lots of govt subsidies go on, but that happens in the US all the time.  Look at the CHIPS Act. 


RobertRoe said:

I never understood why big business is against government-funded (like Obama Care) health care. Government-funded health care would relieve the big business of health insurance costs that they pay to their workforce. Am I missing something in my business cost equation?

In addition to joanne’s answer, a few more possibilities: Some big companies that can afford top-notch health plans see them as a recruitment edge, like other perks, over competitors that can’t. Many believe that universal health care will cost them more in higher payroll taxes than what they pay now for coverage. And then there’s the fact that one very big American business is the insurance industry.



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