Striketober

[Skynet]

Whether it’s in a foreign country or within the American heartland, labor strikes often go ignored by the mainstream cable press in comparison to more salacious and headline-catching tales. Last year the nation of India experienced an unprecedented labor strike with around 250 million workers participating, but nary a peep of it was covered in most English-language media outlets.

I don’t know if this thread is going to be a one-time thing or a long-runner, but nonetheless I figured to start one. Many of these labor strikes involve similar issues; in spite of job shortages due to the pandemic, working conditions and wages haven’t improved to entice people back into the job market. In the US and elsewhere, minimum wages have remained stagnant in spite of inflation making living standards more expensive. There’s also the fact that during the pandemic it was shown that large companies had the money and ability to let their employees work from home among other incentives despite the economy taking a hit. And these same companies received generous bailouts, which they promptly used to enrich their already-rich shareholders and CEOs while laying off thousands of workers.

Related to labor strikes and rights, the Right to Repair movement has been covered in detail by the Daily Show and other places. Basically laws in the USA prevent laborers from repairing their own machines in various industries, particularly in the farming, medical, and fast food fields. In fact, the machines are intentionally designed to be difficult to repair so that companies can charge inflated prices to do this service.

In the United States alone over 100,000 people in various industries and states have gone or are going on strike.

Here’s Another article on the same issue.

The John Deere company experienced catastrophic results when attempting to replace union workers on strike.

Back in August over a thousand Nabisco workers went on strike. One of the things that prompted this strike were changes to employee hours from 8 to 12 hour shifts with no paid overtime.

Over 60,000 workers in Hollywood went on strike.

In Alabama coal miners were on strike for several months. The strike has its roots back in 2016 where new ownership of a prominent coal mining company saw cutbacks in hourly wages, paid time off, and medical leave.

Around 80,000 South Korean workers launched a general strike, rallying for better working conditions for irregular workers (who account for around a third of salaried workers in the country) and a minimum wage increase.

[Skynet]

Taxi drivers in New York City undertook a hunger strike to protest debt brought on by the failed medallion program.

When Aliyu first purchased his $100,000 medallion at a New York City auction in 2004, he said, it felt like he had achieved his dream. “Life was beautiful,” he said of the first few years after he bought it. By making money with his own cab, he was coming out of poverty, and the high price tag of the medallion seemed worth it. But that bliss was short-lived.

As Uber and Lyft grew in popularity, Aliyu began to lose business. At the same time, bankers, brokers and investors in the city artificially drove up the taxi medallion prices, creating a bubble that peaked at over $1 million. He said he didn't realize at the time that the loan he had signed was risky and loosely regulated, and his dream became a nightmare. He now owes $630,000 to lenders.

Purchasing medallions, or certificates to own and operate an independent cab, was once what drivers like Aliyu saw as a ticket into middle-class life in America. But the inflated loan amounts proved devastating, and drivers who bought medallions from the city were buried in debt.

The average driver with the program owes $500,000 to lenders, and many say their circumstances are dire. They’ve gone without health insurance or retirement plans and have even been pushed to the brink of homelessness, they say. And despite working extreme hours for below minimum wage, the debt has left many with no option.

[Skynet]

Last week Wisconsin passed a bill that would let 14 year olds work as late as 11 PM, ostensibly to make up for the labor shortage.

Wisconsin's Senate approved a bill on Wednesday that would allow 14 and 15-year-olds to work until 11 p.m. on some days — much later than current laws allow.

Supporters of the bill say it could help plug the state's labor shortage.

Wisconsin currently sticks to federal child-labor laws, which stipulate that people under the age of 16 can only work between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. from June 1 to Labor Day, and between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. for the rest of the year.

The proposed bill would allow this group to instead work from 6 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on days before a school day, and 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. when the next day isn't a school day.

It has now been sent to the Wisconsin Assembly for approval.

[Oniya]

Somewhat relevant - if you haven't used up your free articles on Slate Plus (or have actually paid for it)

Employers are now complaining about job seekers ghosting them.

As the author notes:

For years I’ve fielded questions from job seekers frustrated at being ghosted by job interviewers. They would take time off from work, maybe buy a new suit, spend time interviewing—often doing second, third, and even fourth rounds of interviews—and then never hear from the employer again. They’d politely inquire about the status of their application and just get silence back. Or they would make time for a phone interview—scheduled at the employer’s behest—and the call would never come. When they’d try to get in touch about rescheduling … crickets. It’s been so endemic that I’ve long advised job seekers to expect never to hear back from employers, and to simply see it as an unavoidable part of job searching.

[Skynet]

McDonald's workers plan a one-day strike to protest sexual harassment of employees.

McDonald's workers in several cities are planning a one-day walkout on Tuesday to protest what they say is continued sexual harassment of employees and to call for the workforce to unionize to help address the problem.   

Employees in at least 10 cities including Chicago, St. Louis and Tampa, Florida, intend to strike in response to the alleged rape of a 14-year-old McDonald's worker in Pittsburgh by her manager, and other allegations of harassment at the fast-food giant's restaurants, according to Fight for $15 and a Union, a group of fast-food and other low-wage workers that's organizing the walkout. 

The action would be the latest in a series of strikes taking place across the country as workers use leverage gained from a nationwide labor shortage to demand higher pay, better benefits and stronger workplace protections.

“I do believe that we’re in a moment where workers are standing up more for their rights,'' says Jamelia Fairley, a McDonald's employee in Sanford, Florida, who is a main plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit alleging McDonald's has created a hostile work environment that allows sexual harassment and violates the Civil Rights Act. "I have met others who have experienced sexual harassment. ... We want  a union to prevent it from happening.''

[Skynet]

John Deere is doubling wage increases and boosting retirement benefits in an offer to workers on strike.

An outline of a new contract between the company and the union released Sunday afternoon shows that 10,100 striking UAW members will receive 10% wage increases, compared to what they made earlier this year. That's up from a 5% or 6% increase that Deere offered in an earlier proposal, which nine out of 10 union members rejected Oct. 10.

The company will also continue its pension program for new hires, which Deere was going to cut under the prior agreement. And, compared to that agreement, the new proposal pays a higher rate for future retired workers. A 25-year employee would see an extra $150 a month.

The company also added lump sum payments that can reach six figures for future retired employees.

Chris Laursen, a 19-year painter at Deere's Ottumwa plant and the former UAW Local 74 president, said he expects to vote in favor of the contract after rejecting the Oct. 10 proposal.

"It's a hell of a lot better than what (the union) got us the first time," he said. "After two weeks-plus of strikes, we definitely made some gains on this."

[Skynet]

An Alabama Judge issued a restraining order preventing picket lines from forming outside Warrior Met Coal.

A Tuscaloosa County circuit judge has issued a restraining order against picket line activity by the United Mine Workers of America at Warrior Met Coal.

Circuit Judge James H. Roberts Jr. issued the order Wednesday afternoon.

It prohibits picketing “or other activity” within 300 yards of 12 different locations owned by Warrior Met Coal in Tuscaloosa County, including mines and offices.

The three-page order also prohibits “in any manner interfering with, hindering or obstructing, by threats, intimidation or acts of violence, the conduct and operation of Warrior’s business and supporting activities.”

That includes delivery of supplies, workers entering property, lying in front of entrances, or using obstructions. Other activity prohibited includes tailgating cars coming to or leaving the company property, use of flashlights to distract, or using objects to damage vehicles.