|
 the entirety of university of california graduate student workers have voted to authorize a strike. student researchers got recognized last year and had no contract, grad teachers are under uaw and had their contract run out on halloween. union ask is 54k from 34k, university offered 7% this year (lol) and 3% after. if its anything like the uc santa cruz wildcat, the ucs are going to be lunatics about this.
|
#
?
Nov 4, 2022 16:58
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 24, 2024 01:17 |
|
|
vyelkin posted:yeah it's really atrocious, the unions so far are basically ignoring it and hoping that a big enough labour action will force the government back to the table and probably make them retroactively waive fines like that, but technically speaking the way Canadian law works if the government wants to just enforce the law as they passed it with the massive fines or firing all the striking workers or beating their heads in with police clubs there's nothing stopping them, which means we may be entering a new era of labour militancy where the unions have to pay less attention to what the law permits them to do and more attention to what they can actually extract by force of withholding labour whether currently considered legal or not. At this point it's either that or capitulate completely to anti-union provincial leaders who smell blood in the water It's an open-and-shut repeat of Bill 115 and will end the exact same way (Doug Ford crucified in court, ideally humiliated out of politics forever, banished to a dungheap in Sarnia).
|
|
#
?
Nov 4, 2022 17:29
|
|
|
Bleu posted:It's an open-and-shut repeat of Bill 115 and will end the exact same way (Doug Ford crucified in court, ideally humiliated out of politics forever, banished to a dungheap in Sarnia). they lost the court case over Bill 115 because the court found that it violated the constitutional right to collective bargaining. The new bill invokes the notwithstanding clause so that that constitutional right doesn't apply.
|
|
#
?
Nov 4, 2022 17:33
|
|
|
ScarecrowIntel posted:I was a union worker for many years. I was a steward, chief steward, served on multiple committees including the bargaining committee and bargaining 2 contracts, and served on the executive board for three terms. I watched a strong national union slowly degrade and become a business. I bought into 100% of it. Unity. Solidarity. I bled red. Mods...... good?!?
|
|
#
?
Nov 4, 2022 21:18
|
|
|
vyelkin posted:for anybody in the US who hasn't seen it, there's a new front in anti-union warfare in Canada: the government of Ontario has passed legislation that overrules the constitutionally-protected right to strike to force a dogshit contract on already-severely-underpaid unionized education workers. This has never been done before and a whole lot of the province's unions are declaring sympathy strikes and other labour actions to try and oppose it. I haven't seen any numbers on it yet because it's all happened over the last few days, but it wouldn't surprise me if it's Canada's biggest coordinated labour action in decades. We'll see if it works, the government was reelected with a majority earlier this year and much of their base are rabidly anti-union so they may not think they have much to lose politically from taking as hard a line as possible against striking workers i hope it works comrade, sympathy strikes are beautiful. with enough unions, its possible to shut a place down entirely, just nothing doing in any field until they cede
|
|
#
?
Nov 4, 2022 22:33
|
|
|
I was at the picket line today and there were people out from at least 5 different unions. It's a good start at least.
|
|
#
?
Nov 5, 2022 00:45
|
|
|
hope this happens https://twitter.com/fuckyouiquit/status/1588292311405895680
|
|
#
?
Nov 5, 2022 01:41
|
|
|
gonna go to the local bank wearing sunglasses and a trenchcoat and quietly slip the teller a note (with a link to some good unionization resources)
|
|
#
?
Nov 5, 2022 01:43
|
|
|
some sort of fish posted:
the strike begins november 14
|
|
#
?
Nov 5, 2022 17:43
|
|
|
Shear Modulus posted:the strike begins november 14 yep. itll be an interesting time for sure. looking forward to yelling on the picket line again (the wildcat at ucsc would have been way more successful if it wasn't for covid)
|
|
#
?
Nov 6, 2022 09:43
|
|
|
I'll believe a UAW higher Ed strike when I see it, they have threatened these kinds of actions a lot and then leadership calls it off at the last second
|
|
#
?
Nov 6, 2022 15:23
|
|
|
nuked from orbit https://twitter.com/LaurenKGurley/status/1589262933393305601 well, better luck next time
|
|
#
?
Nov 6, 2022 15:31
|
|
|
In Training posted:I'll believe a UAW higher Ed strike when I see it, they have threatened these kinds of actions a lot and then leadership calls it off at the last second The uc folks seem a lot more militant than others
|
|
#
?
Nov 6, 2022 16:37
|
|
|
Tom Smykowski posted:The uc folks seem a lot more militant than others Here's hoping! It would be amazing to see, especially if this is happening alongside rail struggles
|
|
#
?
Nov 6, 2022 16:54
|
|
|
Jinnigan posted:nuked from orbit ooofffff that’s a brutal result
|
|
#
?
Nov 6, 2022 18:31
|
|
|
Amazon failed before it succeeded too.
|
|
#
?
Nov 6, 2022 19:07
|
|
|
Cpt_Obvious posted:Amazon failed before it succeeded too. that is a brutal result though, like not even "well maybe a little bit more work and organizing would have pushed it over the line"-level. organizers can learn from it though and hopefully the next one will go better; however, i think there's still evidence material conditions still have a lot more to fall before people start seriously looking at collective action on a wider scale.
|
|
#
?
Nov 6, 2022 19:44
|
|
|
Xaris posted:well it has still failures after one succeeded too. but yes. that's life, there's going to be more failures than wins. that's okay. it was an attempt at a new indie union so this seems like a case where they… needed the guidance of an experienced union
|
|
#
?
Nov 6, 2022 19:45
|
|
|
kingcobweb posted:it was an attempt at a new indie union so this seems like a case where they… needed the guidance of an experienced union
|
|
#
?
Nov 6, 2022 19:46
|
|
|
Xaris posted:that's true too. not sure why they were trying to start a new one? its an important question, especially for the existing unions to reflect on. The biggest organizational drive in 50 years was an independent union, which is going to color action for the foreseeable future. business unionism is waning as a strategy, as conditions worsen the idea of concessionary 6 year contracts bottom lined by antidemocratic bureaucracies just won't be inspiring for people. Independent unions might be seen as inherently more militant or radical than the AFL-CIO affiliates. It's not inherently true, but it's a more blank slate structure for radical memebrs of the working class to push for collective action that's fairly distinct than the unions their parents and friends are members of. It has its shortcomings, mainly a lack of resources and experience, but that experience will be born from coming struggles and I would probably, at this point, put more faith in someone who has fought and met with mixed results in the independent space than like. A Yale grad legal staffer who has "negotiated" dozens of contracts arm-in-arm with management. No easy answers but independent unions aren't going away anytime soon, and poo poo, there's echoes of this from US history as smaller industrial unions in the 1910s and 20s had to fight for a couple decades to find a path distinct from conservative company & trade unions.
|
|
#
?
Nov 6, 2022 20:26
|
|
|
In Training posted:its an important question, especially for the existing unions to reflect on. The biggest organizational drive in 50 years was an independent union, which is going to color action for the foreseeable future. business unionism is waning as a strategy, as conditions worsen the idea of concessionary 6 year contracts bottom lined by antidemocratic bureaucracies just won't be inspiring for people. Independent unions might be seen as inherently more militant or radical than the AFL-CIO affiliates. It's not inherently true, but it's a more blank slate structure for radical memebrs of the working class to push for collective action that's fairly distinct than the unions their parents and friends are members of. yale grad negotiator-types don't come into the picture until long after the election, it's a completely separate team than the organizing department. in my case, i was (and still am) working with an organizer who's been doing external organizing for like 20 years.
|
|
#
?
Nov 6, 2022 20:39
|
|
|
ScarecrowIntel posted:(USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST) lmao
|
|
#
?
Nov 6, 2022 20:40
|
|
|
While all that is true, it is also the case that established unions have limited resources and can't help every group that approaches them. A lot of the time those resources are allocated ahead of time by leadership, and if you aren't in one of their priority areas then they don't want you.
|
|
#
?
Nov 6, 2022 20:42
|
|
|
it's difficult to paint in broad strokes about new, independent unions, because there will be both people who have absolutely no idea what they're doing, and people who know enough to know how to run an indie union. it's like if someone says on Kickstarter that they're a small team making a new game with a built-from-scratch game engine.
|
|
#
?
Nov 6, 2022 20:43
|
|
|
Konstantin posted:While all that is true, it is also the case that established unions have limited resources and can't help every group that approaches them. A lot of the time those resources are allocated ahead of time by leadership, and if you aren't in one of their priority areas then they don't want you. i think if you're larger than ~12 people and actively looking for someone to represent you, you're going to find a union to do it. i can't think of a workplace where there's no national union that would want to represent them. CWA is representing ski patrollers now!
|
|
#
?
Nov 6, 2022 20:45
|
|
|
i'm gonna start working full-time for my AFSCME council after next week. excited to work with the like +1,000 folks in my local alone.
|
|
#
?
Nov 6, 2022 20:47
|
|
precious
|
kingcobweb posted:i think if you're larger than ~12 people and actively looking for someone to represent you, you're going to find a union to do it. i can't think of a workplace where there's no national union that would want to represent them. CWA is representing ski patrollers now! CWA seems to have a surprisingly large footprint. My non-profit-servicing computer toucher job is under CWA as well as workers at America's Test Kitchen
|
|
#
?
Nov 6, 2022 20:47
|
|
|
kingcobweb posted:yale grad negotiator-types don't come into the picture until long after the election, it's a completely separate team than the organizing department. in my case, i was (and still am) working with an organizer who's been doing external organizing for like 20 years. its different in different unions. in my area I know that those people are present from day 1 and actively undermine militancy if it appears. You're right that nothing can be painted in broad strokes, but it's a reality that has probably influenced people in some capacity that may explain why independent unions are cropping up more frequently lately (although is this a new trend? Would be curious to know how common it's been in the last 20-odd years)
|
|
#
?
Nov 6, 2022 20:54
|
|
|
In Training posted:its different in different unions. in my area I know that those people are present from day 1 and actively undermine militancy if it appears. You're right that nothing can be painted in broad strokes, but it's a reality that has probably influenced people in some capacity that may explain why independent unions are cropping up more frequently lately (although is this a new trend? Would be curious to know how common it's been in the last 20-odd years) unless there's some big ones i'm forgetting, it seems less of a "trend" and more that ALU won the one really big election. if someone came to me and asked me about whether they should go indie or stick with a big established union, i'd tell them it depends on how much employer resistance they expect. if you're making one at Elliott Bay Books in seattle, who's gonna voluntarily recognize the union for sure, yeah indie makes sense. if you try to start a new indie union at Wal-Mart without massive backing from established unions i think you've lost your mind.
|
|
#
?
Nov 6, 2022 20:59
|
|
|
kingcobweb posted:unless there's some big ones i'm forgetting, it seems less of a "trend" and more that ALU won the one really big election. the trend im thinking of is some of recent losses, like home Depot and trader Joe's that have been independent attempts. Time will tell on ALU too, I wouldn't be surprised if they ultimately affiliated with like, the teamsters or some of the other established unions that are actively trying to organize amazon workplaces in different US regions. And def, no strategy is ever universally applicable, helpful for workers to know exactly what different routes entail and what kind of work it means for people in the long term. When we were going through the unionizatjon process at my job we didn't even consider independent, but we did talk about like, would it be possible to forcibly turn our workplace into a coop? Still not even sure if that happens, would be curious to see if it could be done
|
|
#
?
Nov 6, 2022 21:04
|
|
|
most pro-union president blah blah blah https://twitter.com/TeamsterRnF/status/1589270802926796801
|
|
#
?
Nov 6, 2022 21:09
|
|
|
kingcobweb posted:most pro-union president blah blah blah Pinned tweet: https://twitter.com/SecMartyWalsh/status/1560663121823313922
|
|
#
?
Nov 6, 2022 21:10
|
|
|
"oh of course we're pro-union! of course we support your right to strike! as long as your strike isn't effective. a strike being effective is illegal."
|
|
#
?
Nov 6, 2022 21:15
|
|
|
https://twitter.com/EclecticHams/status/1589281938530967552#m this is what the law gets you
|
|
#
?
Nov 6, 2022 21:36
|
|
|
kingcobweb posted:most pro-union president blah blah blah He...is watching how everyone is responding to the CUPE situation in Canada, right? Or is that why he's doing this: he/big business is starting to get nervous and they're trying to kill the rail strikes before the growing union movement before it grows more powerful? Either way seems like a good way to make the union more likely to strike.
|
|
#
?
Nov 6, 2022 21:38
|
|
|
kingcobweb posted:most pro-union president blah blah blah Afaik some unions are actually big fans of Biden, it's one of the few areas he's actually ok on. I always read this as a sign of how toothless the unions have been. Which is to say, Biden was fine with the unions because they couldn't really threaten him. So this development feels like someone is very scared.
|
|
#
?
Nov 6, 2022 21:45
|
|
|
I hope they strike. Would be inspirational to everyone in the US
|
|
#
?
Nov 6, 2022 22:13
|
|
|
Cpt_Obvious posted:Afaik some unions are actually big fans of Biden, it's one of the few areas he's actually ok on. I always read this as a sign of how toothless the unions have been. Which is to say, Biden was fine with the unions because they couldn't really threaten him. Correct. the democrats are friends of labor as long as labor doesn’t actually demand anything that would impact the stock buybacks from democrat donors.
|
|
#
?
Nov 6, 2022 22:16
|
|
|
unions only have so many resources. if you want deeply trained and committed union organizers who can support your organizing for 2-3 years and also your contract negotiations for the next 1-2 years and then also support shop floor actions foreverever then you don't want a union that's promising those things to every tom dick and harry that's unhappy at work e: i think i phrased this as a morality check of right or wrong, but i don't mean it's bad or foolish for everyone to want and seek union support. it's more like a material constraint. imo of course unions would love to support everyone. but it's simply not realistic.
|
|
#
?
Nov 6, 2022 22:39
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 24, 2024 01:17 |
|
|
Jinnigan posted:unions only have so many resources. if you want deeply trained and committed union organizers who can support your organizing for 2-3 years and also your contract negotiations for the next 1-2 years and then also support shop floor actions foreverever then you don't want a union that's promising those things to every tom dick and harry that's unhappy at work this is why CWA will take on anyone, they’re sitting on an enormous bankroll
|
|
#
?
Nov 6, 2022 23:07
|
|