Joe Biden Is About to Go Where No President Has Gone Before
On September 15, the United Auto Workers began a targeted strike against Ford, GM, and Stellantis (the conglomerate that includes Chrysler) in an effort to secure higher wages, a four-day work week, and other protections in the union’s next contract. The strike is a huge development for American workers, but it’s also a big deal for President Joe Biden—these car companies are central to his green-infrastructure agenda. The union wants assurances that the industry’s historic, heavily subsidized transition toward electric vehicles will work for them, too.
Biden, whose National Labor Relations Board has been an ally of labor organizers in fights against companies such as Amazon and Starbucks, has called himself “the most pro-union president in American history.” He has expressed support for the UAW’s cause (workers “deserve their fair share of the benefits they helped create,” he said last week) and has sent aides to Michigan to assist in the negotiations.
Didn't he severely fuck the train workers unions a few months ago, or did I get that wrong?
The Biden Administration continued working on getting them their paid sick days.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/may/01/railroad-workers-union-win-sick-leave
A fraction of the paid sick days they were asking for, while also not meeting their other major demands at all. Ending Precision Scheduled Railroading was a big one. Still going on.
They stopped them from striking and potentially making greater gains, then tossed them some crumbs.
They should have stayed the hell out of it or used the government's power to stop the rail companies not the strikers.
Well Congress did vote on a bill to give rail workers 7 days of sick leave at the same time as the vote preventing the strike. One bill got enough Republican support to pass, the other didn't. If there were more Democrats in Congress, the outcome would have been more favorable to the unions, hands down
the cool thing about strikes is congress doesn't have to vote for a company to give in to the demands of the workers. As a matter of fact congress has fuck all to do with it
Congress has the authority to require a company to give in to the demands of the workers, just not enough people in it who are willing to vote to do it
If they'd not intervened AT ALL they could've gotten even more by striking.
Or even better just make a reasonable amount of sick days federal law for all, and also put better safety legislation for trains.
Ok, and at real risk to many thousands of other people's jobs when the rail system ground to a halt. When nurses go on strike, it's expected more expensive travel nurses are going to step in to do patient care, because otherwise innocent people will be harmed. UAW goes on strike, no one steps in to take over because all that happens is corporate revenue starts to suffer, car prices may go up, repair parts may become harder to find or more expensive.
If rail workers go on strike, the entire United States manufacturing sector grinds to a halt, plus serious impact on imports/exports, military readiness, and even food availability. Inflation would almost immediately have become much worse. Right wing and corporate media would have been running rampant with anti-union stories because public sentiment would have quickly shifted against the strike once the implications became clear. All this is ok though, because after devastating the US economy, the rail workers walk away with a slightly better contract than this one?
If the entire US economy necessitates oppressing rail workers, then yes, rail workers striking is a good thing. It sounds like they are extremely important, according to you, and should be listened to.
Then get the asshole executives to compromise instead? Why is the blame here being put on the workers being exploited?
Oh duh! Why didn't they think of that!? Just compromise with the fucking scumbags, easy!
Maybe take a second pass at reading what I actually said, bud, unless you're calling the workers "fucking scumbags", and if that's the case, right back at ya!
My point is that I think they've been trying to compromise with the executive scumbags for a long time
If i keep slaves, and those slaves feed my children. If they escape my children will starve, the whole negborhood will! Therefore it is immoral to let the slaves become free persons, EVER. /s
The trolly problem clasically has no good answer, however the above statement has held down thousands of slaves in all but name. You are saying perpetuating slavery indefinitly causes less suffering than an unknown amount of starvation.
Sounds like the railroads are mismanaged to the point where the entire industry is so brittle that one strike of any duration at all would be a catastrophe.
Sounds like a job for antitrust or nationalization. Of course, if we can't muster the political will to impose terms on rail bosses, we're sure as hell not gonna break them up or nationalize them.
::: spoiler hey me, angey and ill informed child, shut your face How does that not sound like a complete violation of the constitution. "We voted to give you 7 days to not work somtimes and in exchange took your right to not work" :::
They're the ones that made the call to split the bill saying it was guaranteed to pass which made no sense
We need to stop saying "if there were more democrats" and start saying "if there were more socialists"
Yeah, it boggles my mind that the bills were split. The only reason I can think of to explain that is that they simply knew what was going to happen and any other explanation is just gaslighting us into thinking that they were doing something.
The only reason to split a bill is to pass the centrist/republican portion and let the progressive portion fail.
Sorry, gotta pull and old Reddit classic here:
This
It's wild to me that Biden broke the strike then got them the tiniest fucking concession afterwards and people think that's an argument that he somehow was on the side of the union the whole time. Getting 4 sick days a year is absolutely nothing compared to the whole list of grievances and it's embarrassing that people bring this up in response to him breaking the strike.
Huh. It's really weird to read stuff like this. Just reminds me how lucky I am to not be in the US... with my legally mandated 10 days a year and all...
In Canada I currently have 346 hours of fully paid sick time available with 12 hours used. If I take over 5 days in a row I need to provide a doctor's note. Taking a leave of absence for medical purposes is rarely questioned, same with going on disability. Outside of that I took 10 weeks of fully paid paternity leave, and we have a sabbatical program where you can take a reasonable pay cut for 3 years and take the 4th year off. Also have 4 weeks paid vacation and can take an additional 2 unpaid, with some other funny options available. Dental/medical appointments are a separate fully covered time code.
People comment "don't let good be the enemy of perfect" about this, as if what they got even approaches good. You see how low the bar is at least.
The sick leave is what lead directly to the strike vote, all the union sources from the time are clear on that. What else did you think they were planning to strike over?
If you listened to what the organizers were saying leading up to the potential strike, the sick days were used to sell the strike to the public since it was just the easiest to understand and most cartoonishly ghoulish points. The terrible Implementation of "precision scheduled railroading" and the reduction in staffing, ridiculous on call times, and weird attendance point systems that it brought was the actual impetus for the strike.
Any sources from that time?
I can't find the actual interview I'm remembering but the episode of "Work Stoppage" about PSR and the strike is good. Labornotes also had a bunch of good articles explaining the situation at the time:
https://labornotes.org/2022/02/rail-negotiations-are-about-good-job-made-miserable
https://www.labornotes.org/2022/09/rail-workers-reject-contract-recommendations-say-theyre-ready-strike
Precision Scheduled Railroading, a system that made them do safety checks much much faster, requiring less workers check more cars (among other things). Overwork and declining safety, potentially a factor in recent derailment number increases such as East Palestine.
Also he only got them a small fraction of the sick days they were asking for.
Where's Lemmy gold when you need it?
Donating a couple bucks to a strike fund in my honor is better than Reddit gold could ever be
Link me to one and I'll throw in a few bucks.
But anyway I never bought it, I only used the free coins they gave out.
That's a great idea. "Lemmy Gold" should be a link to some community support fund for a good cause like this.
As a side note. It is so fucked up limited paid sick days are a thing
I just spent a week in the hospital. Used up all my sick time. Went back to work, still sick. How am I gonna pay the hospital bill otherwise?
And ignored the union's other demands.
On one side I have seen where he’s continued negotiations with them to help them resolve issues without a strike which is pretty beneficial.
On the other hand, if that’s not as good as it looks, then this could show that he realized he fucked up not letting the rail workers strike. If he’s going this hard on other strikes and supporting unions it may be to garner support for re-election. Even if it’s only for his own gain, being heavily pro union is a win for the people.
Even if he's doing it for the appearance, it's good that union support is popular enough that politicians want to seem pro-union.
I mean, that's basically the union working as intended. Together, we have the power to put fear in the powerful. Bosses or Biden, makes little difference.
These strikes don’t live in a vacuum. Inflation was much higher then, and supply chain transport constraints were a driving factor for it.
That was arguably some “Stop the Green Goblin or Save Gwen Stacy” shit.
It's almost like we shouldn't have the green goblin running all our trains
Yes, but then he got them the sick days anyhow after the fact.
I’m concerned that the second deal isn’t part of the contract, but, yeah. He fucked them in the name of national security; then walked back and got them the ask.
He got them a small number of the sick days they were demanding, and didn't address any of their other concerns whatsoever such as ending Precision Scheduled Railroading.
He didn't get all the days they asked for but that was part of the negotiation.
Considering that he didn't shut down the American economy while at the brink of a recession and still negotiated the terms that both sides agreed on is a win for me.
"After taking away their ability to use their leverage and power, they agreed to the pittance they were offered. The overworked wage workers and the billionaire led rail conglomerates AGREED!"
🤡
Reading neoliberal apologia is vomit inducing
Not really?
https://www.ibew.org/media-center/Articles/23Daily/2306/230620_IBEWandPaid
Fuck IBEW
How come?
Do you know what it stands for? Its some electrical workers, they always had the sick leave. They were on the railroad companies side from the beginning, agreeing to the shitty deal with zero sick days for rail workers, that the actual rail workers were going to strike against.
But democrats hoist them up to the podium as speaking for rail unions. It is always IBEW linked.
Pretending being thrown scraps after having their most powerful tool taking away from them is a win is a pretty good reason.
"Pro union only if I like the union, otherwise fuck them"
Collective bargaining of organized labor isn't going to always pick the universally best option for everyone. Police unions should have made that glaringly obvious. If an electrical workers union agrees to a deal that benefits them but not others, it's an incredibly shitty thing to do, but it's still collective bargaining in action.
No, how collective bargaining works is if they dont get a deal that benefits enough people, they collectively strike. That was banned, collective bargaining was banned, and then after the fact these assholes are praising the move.
Average CLAC member
Classic T.H.U.N.K. quip from a C.L.A.N.G. member /s
You did get it wrong. It prevented a strike, but still got the workers what they wanted a few months later and without wrecking the economy.
Joe Biden was a big fan of working on muscle cars when he was younger (even though he also loved public transportation). I think he can definitely appreciate the skill it takes to build a car, so I'm glad he's doing this.
Yes, he didn't do the right thing with the rail workers union- and yes, I know things were negotiated afterward, but it was the wrong way to go about it- but let's not let the perfect be the enemy of the good and acknowledge that he's doing the right thing this time, which is better than taking the side of the auto companies like the Republicans are.
The rail union is quite pleased with how things played out according to IBEW’s Railway Department Director Al Russo.
...snip...
He did do the right thing with the railway workers. The strike would likely have had a massive economic impact across the nation and in many different industries. Avoiding the strike while still getting the workers much of what they wanted was a very good result. Not perfect, but as you said, don't let perfect be the enemy of good.
IBEW is only one of 13 rail unions, and according to another Lemmy user, their union officials are some of the more conservative ones, preferring lobbying Democrats over strikes and popular labor action. I wouldn't go to their statement to see what rank-and-file union members preferred, as they tried to negotiate weaker deals in the beginning and have generally been going against what the majority of their workers would have preferred, according to what I've heard from online union members and from places like the Railroad Workers United (a coalition of rank-and-file members across all the rail unions). It also didn't address Precision Scheduling or inadequate staffing or all sorts of other things they probably could have gotten if their leverage wasn't removed by the President and Congress.
People need to learn what their labor is capable of and politicians interfering absorbs energy from the workers. People also need to stop thinking of themselves as consumers (oh no! My Christmas presents won't arrive in time!), and think of themselves as workers in solidarity with all other wage workers.
I 100% agree with Flying Squid that it was the wrong way to go about it, but he's doing better now.
Is he DOING anything that helps the UAW? Seems like the president should have more power than verbal support and marching.
What should he be doing that doesn't exceed the powers granted to the President by the constitution?
He has sent aides to Michigan to help the UAW in negotiations. I'm not sure what more he can do.
TFW your country has been a 1/10 for labor for decades and then a president bumps it to a 2/10 and all the neolib outlets champion him as the most pro-union president in history... 🤮
I meant, it's still true. Yes there is room to grow, but look, growth!
I mean, it tracks. FDR broke federal employee unions. 2/10 is the most pro union we've seen.
Forced rail workers back to work....walks with strikers....most union pres ever
Sounds like he doubled labour benefits. Beat that Europe!
It's the lowest bar ever and he barely cleared it on his second try.
We have been ordered to rejoice.
But they DOUBLED their score!
I cannot tell you motivations, but all people who sit in biden's chair are a slave to the status quo. If he wants to witj all his heart or hes a masochist. It doesnt matter, "you do your job, you get paid and dont ask questions."
Why don't you tell us where he is going in a useful headline as opposed to perpetuating click bait culture by using the headline from the website.
I would think this would be too dangerous for the Secret Service to give the okay on. I can only imagine the complexities involved in securing an area like that. On the other hand, I doubt any MAGA zealot would try to kill him, since that would give us our first black, female president.
Yhe because MAGA people are known for their good sense.
Nah, I'm pretty sure they believe if Biden is killed, RFK Jr or Sidney Powell will become President.
Biden playing 4d chess
Is it to bosnia?
The "most pro union president in history" made it illegal when rail workers were set to strike for better wages and conditions and safety.
-A leftist.
My friend, next time look a little more into it than reading headlines.
That's literally exactly what happened, are you denying that?
You must be a believer that half truths are good enough.
Are sure about that friend? Because in reality a economic nightmare of a railroad shutdown was avoided and with the help of the Biden Administration rail workers got what they’ve what they were trying to get for decades.
Reality
Kind of... He gave them a small part of what they asked for and didn't touch the biggest stuff, like PSR. 4 days is better than 0, but still doesn't cover the breadth of what they could've gotten if the strike had been allowed to continue and they were allowed to negotiate without interference.
I don't know if I'd say it was small and they didn't touch the biggest stuff -- the companies and unions had actually come to an agreement in late Fall. The problem was the negotiators hadn't actually understood their members' priorities though. The deal gave like 1 sick day with several restrictions on usage, and significant salary increases over the next several years.
Union members pushed back, and said the PTO wasn't enough. This is when Union leadership had come back extolling the medical benefits they had secured.
Sick days were a huge part of what the members wanted.
How about our current situation is an economic nightmare? But when workers attempt to use their leverage to shift it back to something actually the least bit ethical then you have a problem?
JFC neoliberals are so out of touch
The sad part is that one severe fucking of a union don’t even come close to costing him the top spot. The bar is just so low.
No, the absolute fuck he didn't.
-A leftist.
Liberal *
So did biden actually take actons to stop the strikes?
"i am a god, dont piss me off or ill fuck you up" situation.did biden have lies published about him?
completely loose control of his public imageLies or not, was the news ment to scare union members?
Because I and others have herd things with the message "biden attempts to stop the strike."
Edit: calm down HelloHotel, dont be a jackass!
He had been negotiating on the unions' side since the summer. They actually had a deal that everyone agreed to in late Fall, but the union negotiators made a mistake and didn't understand their members priorities. There was like one sick day that had to be scheduled in advance on certain days, but they saw significant pay increases. That isn't where the members had their priorities though.
High comment.
I also believe they are stoned af
I fixed my comment, never post while angry
...and continued to work on it afterward.
Kind of... He gave them a small part of what they asked for and didn't touch the biggest stuff, like PSR. 4 days is better than 0, but still doesn't cover the breadth of what they could've gotten if the strike had been allowed to continue and they were allowed to negotiate without interference.
“We’re very happy about this. We’ve been trying to get this for decades,” said Artie Maratea, president of the Transportation Communications Union. “It was public pressure and political pressure that got them to come to the table.”
From that article. I'm going to trust that opinion over yours
Both opinions are not incompatable with eachother, taken together paints a well-rounded picture.
Stfu with your centralist bullshit
You're supporting biden and then calling others "centralists" xD literally no self awareness
Whataboutism. Definitely a low point of the Biden administration, but we'll take what we can.
Pointing out past actions isn't even close to "whataboutism".
It is, especially when they don't bring up everything he did afterwards to still help them out
You mean quietly getting them less than what they were fighting for after publicly undercutting their efforts against the companies?
Also, still not "whataboutism". It's literally pointing out what the same person did in the past regarding the same issue. Historical context is important and necessary to consider.
Whataboutism is literally bringing up other situations to either undercut or overlook a situation that happened. Biden is literally taking steps to further Union support, and people are saying "yeah well what about this time he wasn't perfect"
Idk dawg, seems like text book whataboutism to me
Test
Framing it as people whining about him "not being perfect" is utterly offbase. They are bringing up a pertinent act of his in a discussion about his position and standing regarding that very issue. If a person donated a lot of money to a charity, lets say animal shelters, but was also known to run a puppy mill, you would call it "whataboutism" to bring that up when people are excessively praising them for a one off donation?
He's going for a photo op. If he starts advocating on behalf of workers rights and taking actual, meaningful action to facilitate change, then we can start being charitable with his past.
Also, I like how you defend your whataboutism with a strawman fallacy. Keep up the good work.
Ooooh. You're the same user that's demanding 100% support of anything and everything Biden does with zero use of our brains. This discussion makes a lot more sense now.
wtf are you even talking about?
I dont dought he is, even if biden had a heart of gold (i dont really know) he is still bound by other forces that compete with compassion. These competing forces could be:
Biden can and will fight for workers to shut up. the above make sense as motivations. Biden will get you as much as you will accept in sick time. The reason for him to fight is to make you feel like you got enough. The above and mabe kindness makes sense as a motivation for why.
Biden would be fighting more if Republicans weren't literally trying to block his path every step of the way. Idgaf what you think you know, but Dark Brandon kicks ass and takes names. He's working for the people. He may not be perfect, but who the fuck is.
It is an insanely huge obsticle, but he is by no means the underdog.
all the presidents go there every election time
they all throw some scraps out that represent what they claim to be standing for and usually the flashier guy wins
both guys work for the same team but have two different uniforms either red or blue with different letters on them but always d or r
works great for whoever they actually are representing
if anyone else has a different opinion we can chain them to a chair MURICA!
https://www.democracynow.org/2012/10/17/green_partys_jill_stein_cheri_honkala