How do you feel about this?

[msc545]

Amazon warehouse workers at the company’s JFK8 facility on Staten Island voted in favor of the Amazon Labor Union, an independent union led by former and current workers. This is the first Amazon warehouse in the country to vote to unionize in the company's history. More than 8,000 people work at the JFK8 warehouse. The Amazon Labor Union won the election with 2654 votes for the union and 2131 against.

[Jamie05rhs]

I think it's awesome. Congratulations to them. I'm proud of them, and I'm happy that they will now have the power to demand better working conditions. Hopefully all of the other Amazon facilities will unionize as well.

[Jamie05rhs]

Thanks for the MHO.

[exitseven]

I would like to see unions make a comeback in some form. They got too crazy in the 70s and 80s and foreign competition had an adverse effect on them.

[exitseven]

Thanks for the MHO😎

[Gwenhwyfar]

It sounds like a good thing but unions can easily be corrupted by organized crime

[msc545]

Many corporations ARE organized crime.

[Gwenhwyfar]

Do you mean that literally as in owned by organized crime figures or are you being metaphorical?

[msc545]

Both. Some are owned by organized crime syndicates, and many are influenced by them, and almost all engage in technically criminal behavior.

[Gwenhwyfar]

True. But it’s more white collar crime than RICO stuff.

[msc545]

White collar crime is just as bad.

[Gwenhwyfar]

Some legal scholars would dispute that. At the very least it’s more genteel.

[msc545]

'Genteel" is not the same as acceptable or legal or desirable.

[Gwenhwyfar]

True. But it goes great with cucumber sandwiches.

[msc545]

I prefer peanut butter and bacon sandwiches but ok

[Gwenhwyfar]

😂😂😂

[t-8900]

Unions kill business imho. They drive up prices and so other companies come up and take a larger share of the market. Americans care more about bottom dollar. If they didn't they wouldn't still be buying Chinese goods. I don't like unions. Instead nationalozed workers rights needs to be passed

[msc545]

We COULD have nationalized workers' rights as you suggest, except that oligarchs like Bezos run this country.

[t-8900]

Without a doubt. But unions end up being just another business and political tool. I was in a union for 8 years
I did not care for it. The union dues, the corruption, the backroom deals, basically they did not represent us, they just took our money. You only benefitted if you were a 1st generation union member. The younger people basically just paid dues to cushion the older people's fat pensions. They even made a deal to cap our wages at $11.25 an hour while the older people capped at $22. That's criminal

[msc545]

Unfortunately, Unions are very subject to corruption

[goaded]

Any more than corporations?

[msc545]

@goaded Good point. Much less!

[t-8900]

Yes but they are completely unnecessary. We need stricter laws on the books for protection of employees. However you can't really force a business to keep employees around they don't want. Right now the market is desperate for employees so no one has to stay at a sh*thole like amazon. In California I've seen fast food chains starting people at $17-20 an hour. Not that it's gonna matter much though with all the inflation and taxes. You can put certain laws in place. Like all businesses with more than X amount of employees needs the provide medical and dental coverage. In California the laws are such that unions are really just obsolete. Anyways I shop at places like Walmart over unionized places like Albertsons because those pensions factor into prices. Prices I'm not willing to pay. And by the way the place I used to work for WAS Albertsons.

[msc545]

People need protection against corrupt employers who break the labor laws with impunity.

[t-8900]

Okay but it needs to be from an entity that actually does that. Not all unions do that

[msc545]

True, but NO corporations do that. so...

[t-8900]

Right but my thing is we don't need a middle man to mediate. Thankfully we now have smartphones and can easily record working conditions. If they are unreasonable or unsafe you can sue and win many times. I dare say in places like California and New York the workers have more rights than the employers. My point is simply we shouldn't have to pay for something that should be a given. I think it's backwards and archaic and we just need better campaigns for people running for office. Make the demands and these politicians today will get down on their knees and bend over to your demands. That's basically what happened with LGBT and Green folks.

[msc545]

I beg to differ - we absolutely DO need a middle man often made of the same people who are the workers, to mediate.

[t-8900]

Bro the same unions that also cap their workers, half ass them when they need help, and block their free speech? Yeah that actually happens. They're just another business and they still screw people over

[msc545]

I guess I would rather be screwed over by Union than screwed over by some greedy Corporation

[t-8900]

It's the same. Give me a lawyer instead. I've won a lawsuit before over mistreatment and I'll do it again And win if need be instead of having people who don't care twiddling their thumbs

[msc545]

Nice that you can afford a lawyer. Most people cannot.

[t-8900]

So actually I was working a minimum wage job. So how it works is you go to a lawyer who offers free consultation and then if they think they can win the case they take it on. They take the case, win it, and take a percentage. That's how it works. It's not hard at all. Even poor people can get lawyers

[msc545]

I am not betting on contingency lawyers to protect me.

[t-8900]

To each their own but worked for me. Unions did nothing but take my money. That's just my exp on the matter

[OddBeMe]

All for it! Just after I get my shipment of melatonin.

[lightbulb27]

Nyc has union mentality

[goaded]

Great news!