After World War 2, industrial unions were the economic backbone of the middle class. Since then, vast numbers of blue-collar jobs have been eliminated by offshoring of manufacturing and automation of what remained, and concerted conservative political attacks against organized labor, starting with R[...]
Posts Tagged ‘Unions’
March 3rd, 2022 - 8:13 pm § in Business
Holy rockfall, REI employees vote for a union!
“The rock-climbing, canyon-crossing, river-rafting workers at outdoor gear giant REI” may love their jobs, but not so much their bosses. “Overcoming stiff corporate opposition and a slick anti-union campaign, staff at the company’s New York flagship store voted Wednesday to union[...]
February 20th, 2022 - 9:36 pm § in Misc.
Seattle’s “Beauty and the Beast” musicians’ strike
This month marks the 25th anniversary of Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theater musicians’ strike. The labor movement has always found strength in numbers. This strike stands as one Seattle history’s most dramatic examples of union solidarity and strength in numbers. In February 1997, a tiny[...]
Kellogg’s to hire strikebreakers
“Kellogg’s plans to start hiring permanent replacements for some of its 1,400 striking cereal plant workers after negotiations broke down again,” ABC News reported on Tuesday, November 23, 2021 (story here). Unionized Kellogg’s workers have been striking since early October o[...]
Biden signals support for unions
During the fall campaign, President Biden promised to be “the most pro-union president you’ve ever seen.” Those weren’t empty words. He immediately fired the National Labor Relations Board’s general counsel and deputy general counsel, both Trump appointees. On Sunday, February 28, [...]
January 29th, 2020 - 10:52 am § in Misc.
WHEN UNIONS CROSS THE LINE
SEIU199 is on strike against Swedish Hospital Can someone tell SEIU they are in violation of the law! I am not talking about the strike, but about this form, I received yesterday by email! Frankly, I was surprised that SEIU1199 would do this. I had been contacted before the strike about joining th[...]
September 26th, 2018 - 11:06 pm § in Politics
Do unions help workers get higher wages?
It’s practically an article of faith that union jobs pay better. Do they? This graph (from Nate Silver’s “538” blog, based on BLS data) indicates they do. (Note: Public sector wages average more because of higher educational requirements and steady work schedules; most govern[...]
October 1st, 2017 - 10:27 pm § in Misc.
The Unforseen Perils of Self Driving Trucks
These are likely to put thousands of working girls out of a job![...]
September 12th, 2017 - 12:12 am § in Misc.
Why We Need a War on Educashun
Question: The war on drugs brought us more drugs cheaper, the war on terror bred terrorists. When are we having a war on education? Answer: Actually we do have war on education. As with drugs, the kids lose.[...]
May 24th, 2017 - 11:47 am § in The Ave Scene
BREAKING NEWS: Seattle
Seattle court strikes blow to Seattle’s effort to unionize Uber drivers. U.S. District Judge Robert Lasnik has issue a temporary injunction against the city of Seattle’s ordinance permitting Uber drivers to unionize. The lawsuits came from the US Chamber of Commerce and the Freedom [...]