this post was submitted on 06 Sep 2023
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Work Reform
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A place to discuss positive changes that can make work more equitable, and to vent about current practices. We are NOT against work; we just want the fruits of our labor to be recognized better.
Our Philosophies:
- All workers must be paid a living wage for their labor.
- Income inequality is the main cause of lower living standards.
- Workers must join together and fight back for what is rightfully theirs.
- We must not be divided and conquered. Workers gain the most when they focus on unifying issues.
Our Goals
- Higher wages for underpaid workers.
- Better worker representation, including but not limited to unions.
- Better and fewer working hours.
- Stimulating a massive wave of worker organizing in the United States and beyond.
- Organizing and supporting political causes and campaigns that put workers first.
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Unions are worker associations, aren't they? So it's up for the members of the union to decide what they want. My, non US, union has different tracks for management and experts (so no problem to move up or change tracks), has a solid base pay but the company is encouraged to pay more than that. For the real rockstar employees there is there option to get paid well above union, then their rules can be mostly ignored (because you're earning a shitton of money as compensation)
Oh, and for a part of hard and dangerous work they're currently fighting for 4 days at full pay.
Not getting unionized is like going to war alone because you don't like the uniforms colour...
Fighting for seniority can have its downsides but without rules against it what tends to happen is companies firing skilled and experienced workers as a way to wage dump. Since so many in upper management only see wages as an expense without any meaning besides "low good, high bad" they'll gladly lose out on productivity by firing people who actually know their stuff.
This article is about US unions. Unions do work different in other countries.
This is not war. There are lots of options for someone who doesn't like how things are without joining a union. Unions are one answer, and not always bad, but they bring in all the negatives of belonging to a group as well. I'm not against unions as a concept, but the implementation as it is often has elements that I'm strongly against.
You say it isn't a war while the poor and working people get "gunned down" every turn and corner. We are getting fucked.
Your rhetoric isn't helpful. All you are doing is seeding distrust and division. Unions have always been a net positive. Even if these unions did what you said (only care about senior members) it's still better being in a union than not. A great way to refute your claims is to point to all the companies who union bust, oh, and also say the same things you do! What a coincidence.
It's called class warfare.