> And while legal and policy reforms can help build the labor movement some, the power of organized labor is not ultimately rooted in the state, but rather in the ability to halt production and wreak havoc even when the state is aligned against it.
Agreed - the power of the union is not based in legal authorization but the collective effect of being able to halt production.
But when the state is aligned against labor, as Taft-Hartley did to make these sorts of sympathy strikes illegal in the US, it becomes that much harder to use union power. Businesses can appeal to a supportive government to use the cops and National Guard to arrest "illegal" strikers.
How do we shift those laws to de-nerf union power? I don't know. The piece doesn't say how either.
In a country where every individual have to evaluate and negotiate almost all of its many daily economic choices, results end up benefiting the wealthy and powerful, to the detriment of others, in everything economically related. Which leads to poor choices for and by the masses (like dollar store groceries). More choices in everything leads to poor choices for almost everyone. Think societal cancer.
In countries where some to many economic choices are planned and decided for most (if not all) people, results end up benefiting most people. Then wealthy people makes less money, but are still wealthy, and everyone seems healthier.
Folks, you have to realize that the wealthy and powerful in this world are really _too clever by half_ [0]. They seek to expand infinitely, while plunging everyone into the abyss of sickness and despair through cleverly devised marketing and propaganda. The end game is the end of everything.
Can we do better? Yes we can. How? Simple, glad you asked. Stop making choices out of jealousy and envy. Start trashing your culture and religion, all of it. Go back to Imagine (the genius song) and do the text of it. Do that. Now, like right now.
The base salary does not even begin to describe how different the conditions are. Just one example: first 2 hours of extra work pays 50% extra, extra hours in excess of 2 pays 100% extra.
nice story - reminds me of "When Walmart settled in Germany." and after opening up every employee had to answer the boss screaming 'Who is the king ?' The choir responded 'The customer !'. That did not go for long :)
Agreed - the power of the union is not based in legal authorization but the collective effect of being able to halt production.
But when the state is aligned against labor, as Taft-Hartley did to make these sorts of sympathy strikes illegal in the US, it becomes that much harder to use union power. Businesses can appeal to a supportive government to use the cops and National Guard to arrest "illegal" strikers.
How do we shift those laws to de-nerf union power? I don't know. The piece doesn't say how either.