TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2022 - MORE ON LABOR DAY

 TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2022, MORE ON LABOR

Yesterday, I started my daily blog looking at Labor Day.  That triggered some deeper research and deeper thoughts, so I am continuing today!!!

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WHY THE GROWTH IN UNIONS?

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/07/why-is-there-a-union-boom.html 

Our world is now electronic - communication is through email, texts, and rarely a phone call.  And, it becomes easier to complain through platforms.

Here is an analysis from CNBC about workers organizing (and complaining) online.

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Many of these workers communicated about their struggles through digital channels, which became the natural disposition for all communication during the Covid lockdowns. “When you track the push from within Apple, the push within Google, I think a lot of this has to do with embracing digital channels like Slack,” Greer said. “It’s been this perfect storm of people having more access to each other with tools in such an environment.”

At the same time, the huge disruptions in buying patterns drove record profits at companies like Amazon and Google, who were equipped to fulfill the needs of a society suddenly forced to stay home. The distance between leadership and rank and file widened as a result, experts said, adding that in many cases executive salaries increased while employees’ wages stayed the same.

In one example of an insensitive exec that went viral, Better.com CEO Vishal Garg laid off 900 employees, or about 9% of the company’s staff, over a brash Zoom video conversation in early December.

In Nov. 2018, thousands of Google employees in more than 20 offices around the world staged walk-outs to protest an explosive New York Times report that detailed how Google shielded executives accused of sexual misconduct, either by keeping them on staff or allowing them amicable departures. Organizers described it as “a workplace culture that’s not working for everyone,” and listed several demands. Some of them ended up becoming California law, while others were incorporated into a settlement with shareholders who had sued the company over its handling of the incidents.

It showed that employees from a large corporation could organize by way of internal chatter, spreadsheets, and emails — in a matter of days, adding that many people saw the images through social media.

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Okay, Karen’s turn!!!

In a world where humans are feeling unwanted by their companies and managers, people resort to the tools they have.

Historically, when new machines and techniques appeared in the textile industry in Britain in the 1830s, a group called the “Luddites” fought back against the automation of their home/cottage businesses.  (They failed, of course).  With the uncertainty of artificial intelligence taking over jobs, and more and more robots or smart devices taking over mundane jobs a new form of Luddites is emerging.

For example, my Walmart store recently remodeled and removed most of the human checkout lines in favor of automated check-outs.  And, (personal opinion), of the human checkers, it seems as if this particular Walmart store has retained the slowest human checkers as an incentive to use the automated lanes. 

And, (my opinion), artificial intelligence, robotics, and smart devices can frequently do things faster and cheaper than humans.

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UNIONS

Where in the past, a worker (or group of workers) might stand outside a company with signs complaining of poor wages or working conditions, today, one post in an online forum might reach more people easier (and on a 24/7 basis) than a person standing outside in the heat, cold, or rain.  

As workers unite and make their demands known, management can adapt (or not) to the demands.  It can be like the famous (and incorrect) statement by Marie Antonette when told the workers do not have bread when supposedly she said “Let them eat cake” (and within a short time, Marie’s head was in a basket at the bottom of a guillotine!!).

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I have been a poor union member.  (Opinion) As an educator, I didn’t find that unions were in my personal best interest.  I was forced to be a member of the AFT (American Federation of Teachers) and ultimately, I opted out, but still had to pay a portion of my income to the union (side-discussion - “Right to Work” laws).  But, if I was in a field where management was running rough-shod over the employees (rarely the case in academia), I would find allies within a union structure.

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A quick look at what labor did for me:

“Do you get weekends off work? Lunch breaks? Paid vacation? An eight-hour workday? Social security? If you said “yes” to any of these questions, you can thank labor unions and the U.S. labor movement for it. Years of hard-fought battles (and the ensuing legislation they inspired) resulted in many of the most basic benefits we enjoy at our jobs today. On the first Monday in September, we take the day off to celebrate Labor Day and reflect on the American worker’s contributions to our country.

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So, Happy Labor Day, Happy support for employees and people!!!

LOVE WINS (for ALL PEOPLE!!!)

Karen White, September 6, 2022, ©