Officially, the activists with degrees don’t exist. Unofficially, the “salts” helped lead the only successful revolt against the world’s most powerful tech giant.
"This emerging working class of college graduates is also more likely to transcend the racial and gender boundaries that the ownership class had traditionally used to keep workers divided."
I am not a man of the Left and look askance at unions generally, but in the case of Amazon I fully support the efforts to unionize the workforce.
I have a passion for occupational safety and health (OSH). When it became clear years ago that the majority of complaints Amazon workers had and still have today are OSH-related, and Jeff Bezos has since the time he was the world's richest man ignored these complaints even if it would not cost him much (relative to his net worth) to improve working conditions across his company's facilities globally, I took an interest in the agitation and hoped it would succeed.
It is worth exploring why the unionization drive in Alabama failed so that going forward mistakes are not repeated. As far as I have observed these drives focus mostly on wages, which I find unfortunate from a strategic point of view because Amazon is careful to pay above state minimum wages so it is a tall order to argue for increase in wages to match rise in inflation, increase in fuel/energy costs, etc. OSH would be a good unionization strategy that legislators would readily support. In addition things like adequate leave, emergency time off, stock options for all workers, etc. can also be fought for.
The rise of AI should also be closely monitored by workers. Robots are going to be doing more and more jobs, so worker training for this eventuality is also paramount.
Unions only perpetuate bad organizations. Left wing idiots always like unions because they make money from them. Stupid young people think they get free rides from not having to work. Stupid young journalists think they are building some new barricades against people who have made something that does work.
Are you familiar with French sociologist Robert Linhaert's memoir The Assembly Line? It's an account of him taking a job at a car factory in the 1970s. It is a brutal critic of work conditions there and then, but also a reflection on how an outsider can and cannot understand the living and working conditions of people who will be doing this their whole life and are not just passing by.
“Over the past generation or so, there’s been a loosening between the relationship between work and identity,”
I don’t buy this at all. People are more likely to change companies, but that doesn’t make their work any less a part of their identity. The company may not be part of their identity - loyalty both to and from an employer is a rare and special thing - but the work is still a giant part of the identity. Without religion and family in the picture for a lot of younger people, work is almost the entire identity.
“We can have the revolution we deserve, and we can win a better world, a free socialist world for everyone,”.
What kind of stupid reality is she living in? “A free socialist world for everyone” Since when in the history of time has socialism been successful over time. As Margaret Thatcher said: “Eventually, you run out of other people’s money”. I think it was her that said those words of wisdom.
THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A FREE LUNCH !! - Richard Maybury (Early Warnings Report).
I’m still not sure what the point of this article is. Was the writer setting us all to feel bad for her son or all the employees at Amazon ? Or was she trying to make people understand that when we all want to buy cheap stuff made in China, there are “casualties” to our actions. (The sweat shops suddenly move in to North America. - and we are now supposed to care because now the “terrible” working conditions are in our back yard). Give me a break !!! You can’t talk from both sides of your mouth.
People have to come to the understanding that cheap labour equals cheap prices. The opposite is higher labour costs equal higher prices. Pick one and stop complaining.
I largely agree with your points here. I will say that I’ve never really been one to order much from Amazon. My wife, however, loves ordering. It’s the modern-day catalog that has everything.
When Covid hit, I decided that Amazon, Walmart, et Al had made enough money when their lobbyists got every little retailer shut down. I started doing all of my Christmas shopping, for example, at our local old town shopping sector. It’s not much of an impact, but it matters to me I guess. Everything is locally owned, high quality, and unique. It’s not for everyone, but I enjoy it.
That’s awesome. When we’re able to afford to do that, I believe it is our duty to shop local.
My buddy is trying to build a company up here in northern Ontario Canada called One Red Maple. The concept they are working on is instead of using Amazon, you type what you’re looking for in this search engine and it will find the local store that has the product you’re needing / wanting. I’m a small investor in the startup company that is in the infantry stages. He’s goal it to take Amazon down. I hope he succeeds so we can build back our local economy.
For about two and a half years I ran IT for a company with several hundred warehouses around the US. In the two places I spent the most time - Hartford CT and Minneapolis, Amazon paid above the minimum wage, the prevailing wage, and above the "$15/hour" living wage. And all for jobs that did not require a college degree. In some places Amazon and UPS paid warehouse workers more than I was allowed to pay knowledge workers in IT, as much as $27/hour.
Healthcare benefits started day one. At my company, even during the start of the pandemic, they began after 60 days. I paid for a couple of COVID tests for new hires out of my own pocket.
And they paid for college and offered a clear way out of the warehouse to people who wanted it. I did recruit from our warehouse workers but it was not an official program and while we offered some minimal benefit for college courses I could never obtain them for anyone on my team. They seemed more theoretical. Finally, when I worked for Amazon, they offered healthcare for anyone working over 20 hours a week, a 401k, and stock options. In the old days stock made you an owner...
That said, while it is not a coal mine, warehouse work is not easy and at times it can be a little dangerous. There are large, heavy pallets, sharp moving machinery, and long hours. But it is a job and Amazon compensated well for it - above average. Here in the Northeast, Amazon could close down their warehouses in my state and still have easy access to us. Not only would we lose jobs and their tax revenue, without a physical presence we would lose sales tax revenue as well.
Oh, and nobody ever works eight hours without a break.
Great article. Incidentally, as a teacher, I am currently discussing this subject , albeit in a wider view approach than the Curriculum is offering in Social Studies (in CA) . I'm doggedly determined to always highlight all sides of a subject , have students listen to and question each other's viewpoints without interruption and exaggerated emotion . Young minds must learn to think on their own feet , learn how to think , not what to think and not parroting what the majority is saying, just to belong. Individuality in being and thinking is key. But, as always, my students had questions I couldn't answer and I couldn't find reliable information on.
What are the average dues that members of unions are paying?. Do the dues increase when member numbers increase? How much of the dues goes to the leaders/bosses and how much of it is spent on the next demonstrations and such to benefit other workers? Different by state/location? Can membership be stopped at any time? Are there "cancellation" fees? Does the all or nothing approach to membership mean you lose your job when you don't join? Thank you in advance for answering these for me .
Gotta tell ya, the quality of union goons has gone way down. No way one of these low-T pishers could break a leg, other than one of their own by falling off their Peleton.
This really relates to the prior article I read about the problem of over abundance. All these salts are essentially complaining about hard work. Which as the over abundance article succinctly identified is actually a source of confidence, happiness, and purpose. These salts and socialists are likely unhappy people who keep making sure they will remain unhappy by insisting that everything in life should be free and easy. Sad.
I hope that I get to see the destruction of all unions under the weight of increased automation and AI work. That includes the teacher's unions. All unions should be disbanded. Every last one of them.
This paragraph "It’s not a great surprise that twenty- and thirty-somethings—who came of age in the wake of the housing and financial crises, graduated with unprecedented debt into the so-called gig economy, and are less likely than older generations to marry or own real-estate—are ripe for organizing." is very true it was also true in 1990 when I was 20 and John Mellencamp sang "If you are a young couple today you can forget buying a house" Housing is a Huge problem in the country and has been for at least 30 years. The Republicans theory of let the free market handle it hasn't worked and the Democrats caps on rent haven't worked. Please someone in any party find a common sense solution to the this problem.
"This emerging working class of college graduates is also more likely to transcend the racial and gender boundaries that the ownership class had traditionally used to keep workers divided."
Wow! Not much objectivity here.
This is a great piece.
I am not a man of the Left and look askance at unions generally, but in the case of Amazon I fully support the efforts to unionize the workforce.
I have a passion for occupational safety and health (OSH). When it became clear years ago that the majority of complaints Amazon workers had and still have today are OSH-related, and Jeff Bezos has since the time he was the world's richest man ignored these complaints even if it would not cost him much (relative to his net worth) to improve working conditions across his company's facilities globally, I took an interest in the agitation and hoped it would succeed.
It is worth exploring why the unionization drive in Alabama failed so that going forward mistakes are not repeated. As far as I have observed these drives focus mostly on wages, which I find unfortunate from a strategic point of view because Amazon is careful to pay above state minimum wages so it is a tall order to argue for increase in wages to match rise in inflation, increase in fuel/energy costs, etc. OSH would be a good unionization strategy that legislators would readily support. In addition things like adequate leave, emergency time off, stock options for all workers, etc. can also be fought for.
The rise of AI should also be closely monitored by workers. Robots are going to be doing more and more jobs, so worker training for this eventuality is also paramount.
“Everybody hates a tourist.” Pulp, Common People.
Unions only perpetuate bad organizations. Left wing idiots always like unions because they make money from them. Stupid young people think they get free rides from not having to work. Stupid young journalists think they are building some new barricades against people who have made something that does work.
Are you familiar with French sociologist Robert Linhaert's memoir The Assembly Line? It's an account of him taking a job at a car factory in the 1970s. It is a brutal critic of work conditions there and then, but also a reflection on how an outsider can and cannot understand the living and working conditions of people who will be doing this their whole life and are not just passing by.
“Over the past generation or so, there’s been a loosening between the relationship between work and identity,”
I don’t buy this at all. People are more likely to change companies, but that doesn’t make their work any less a part of their identity. The company may not be part of their identity - loyalty both to and from an employer is a rare and special thing - but the work is still a giant part of the identity. Without religion and family in the picture for a lot of younger people, work is almost the entire identity.
This Justine Medina lady is wack job. She says:
“We can have the revolution we deserve, and we can win a better world, a free socialist world for everyone,”.
What kind of stupid reality is she living in? “A free socialist world for everyone” Since when in the history of time has socialism been successful over time. As Margaret Thatcher said: “Eventually, you run out of other people’s money”. I think it was her that said those words of wisdom.
THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A FREE LUNCH !! - Richard Maybury (Early Warnings Report).
I’m still not sure what the point of this article is. Was the writer setting us all to feel bad for her son or all the employees at Amazon ? Or was she trying to make people understand that when we all want to buy cheap stuff made in China, there are “casualties” to our actions. (The sweat shops suddenly move in to North America. - and we are now supposed to care because now the “terrible” working conditions are in our back yard). Give me a break !!! You can’t talk from both sides of your mouth.
People have to come to the understanding that cheap labour equals cheap prices. The opposite is higher labour costs equal higher prices. Pick one and stop complaining.
I largely agree with your points here. I will say that I’ve never really been one to order much from Amazon. My wife, however, loves ordering. It’s the modern-day catalog that has everything.
When Covid hit, I decided that Amazon, Walmart, et Al had made enough money when their lobbyists got every little retailer shut down. I started doing all of my Christmas shopping, for example, at our local old town shopping sector. It’s not much of an impact, but it matters to me I guess. Everything is locally owned, high quality, and unique. It’s not for everyone, but I enjoy it.
That’s awesome. When we’re able to afford to do that, I believe it is our duty to shop local.
My buddy is trying to build a company up here in northern Ontario Canada called One Red Maple. The concept they are working on is instead of using Amazon, you type what you’re looking for in this search engine and it will find the local store that has the product you’re needing / wanting. I’m a small investor in the startup company that is in the infantry stages. He’s goal it to take Amazon down. I hope he succeeds so we can build back our local economy.
For about two and a half years I ran IT for a company with several hundred warehouses around the US. In the two places I spent the most time - Hartford CT and Minneapolis, Amazon paid above the minimum wage, the prevailing wage, and above the "$15/hour" living wage. And all for jobs that did not require a college degree. In some places Amazon and UPS paid warehouse workers more than I was allowed to pay knowledge workers in IT, as much as $27/hour.
Healthcare benefits started day one. At my company, even during the start of the pandemic, they began after 60 days. I paid for a couple of COVID tests for new hires out of my own pocket.
And they paid for college and offered a clear way out of the warehouse to people who wanted it. I did recruit from our warehouse workers but it was not an official program and while we offered some minimal benefit for college courses I could never obtain them for anyone on my team. They seemed more theoretical. Finally, when I worked for Amazon, they offered healthcare for anyone working over 20 hours a week, a 401k, and stock options. In the old days stock made you an owner...
That said, while it is not a coal mine, warehouse work is not easy and at times it can be a little dangerous. There are large, heavy pallets, sharp moving machinery, and long hours. But it is a job and Amazon compensated well for it - above average. Here in the Northeast, Amazon could close down their warehouses in my state and still have easy access to us. Not only would we lose jobs and their tax revenue, without a physical presence we would lose sales tax revenue as well.
Oh, and nobody ever works eight hours without a break.
Great article. Incidentally, as a teacher, I am currently discussing this subject , albeit in a wider view approach than the Curriculum is offering in Social Studies (in CA) . I'm doggedly determined to always highlight all sides of a subject , have students listen to and question each other's viewpoints without interruption and exaggerated emotion . Young minds must learn to think on their own feet , learn how to think , not what to think and not parroting what the majority is saying, just to belong. Individuality in being and thinking is key. But, as always, my students had questions I couldn't answer and I couldn't find reliable information on.
What are the average dues that members of unions are paying?. Do the dues increase when member numbers increase? How much of the dues goes to the leaders/bosses and how much of it is spent on the next demonstrations and such to benefit other workers? Different by state/location? Can membership be stopped at any time? Are there "cancellation" fees? Does the all or nothing approach to membership mean you lose your job when you don't join? Thank you in advance for answering these for me .
Gotta tell ya, the quality of union goons has gone way down. No way one of these low-T pishers could break a leg, other than one of their own by falling off their Peleton.
Meanwhile, back in December in DC > Biden bails out the Teamsters by saying Covid.
WSJ: The $36 billion he delivered to the union’s pensions this week was sold as Covid ‘relief.’
Gangsters.
You want cheap merchandise AND high paying jobs? Good luck with that.
This really relates to the prior article I read about the problem of over abundance. All these salts are essentially complaining about hard work. Which as the over abundance article succinctly identified is actually a source of confidence, happiness, and purpose. These salts and socialists are likely unhappy people who keep making sure they will remain unhappy by insisting that everything in life should be free and easy. Sad.
I hope that I get to see the destruction of all unions under the weight of increased automation and AI work. That includes the teacher's unions. All unions should be disbanded. Every last one of them.
“We can have the revolution we deserve, and we can win a better world, a free socialist world for everyone,” Medina wrote.
Free socialist world? This is what you find in the dictionary under oxymoron.
This paragraph "It’s not a great surprise that twenty- and thirty-somethings—who came of age in the wake of the housing and financial crises, graduated with unprecedented debt into the so-called gig economy, and are less likely than older generations to marry or own real-estate—are ripe for organizing." is very true it was also true in 1990 when I was 20 and John Mellencamp sang "If you are a young couple today you can forget buying a house" Housing is a Huge problem in the country and has been for at least 30 years. The Republicans theory of let the free market handle it hasn't worked and the Democrats caps on rent haven't worked. Please someone in any party find a common sense solution to the this problem.