185 points

Billionaires the original welfare queens.

permalink
report
reply
174 points

What the UAW is doing here is fighting for all workers. This sets precedents that ripple across all industries. What formed the UAW back in 1937 took some balls, and so does this.

It’s not communism to fight for dignity and a living wage. We’re practically fighting for some more table scraps, but the rich are acting like we’re threatening social fabric.

Go and get it Shawn, this is exactly what we all need right now. Support the UAW.

permalink
report
reply
55 points

In the last 20 years, we’ve seen the most rapid rise in productivity since the industrial revolution, and just like in the wake of the industrial revolution, there was massive worker exploitation that led to reforms and eventually unionization that ushered in a golden age of labor in America where workers were fairly compensated for the work they provided, so much so that it was easy for a salaryman to support a nuclear family on his single paycheck.

Since then, the business owner class has been working hard to dismantle unions while refusing to pay their fair share of the massive profit windfalls to the bottom rung workers. We are long overdue for sweeping multi-industry unionization effort. Only then will we start seeing something more than just table scraps.

permalink
report
parent
reply
18 points

Fighting for dignity actually is literally communism. It’s capitalist propaganda that has you convinced otherwise.

permalink
report
parent
reply
7 points

Communism provides a theoretical framework to advocate for those things, but it is not the same as doing those things. I think the distinction is important because it allows you to have a plurality or support

permalink
report
parent
reply
-1 points

That’s like saying physics only provides a framework for experiment.

permalink
report
parent
reply
2 points

I mean, I can see a utopian vision of Communism where dignity is forefront, but I’ve also seen where it’s dystopian. Correct me if I’m wrong but the basis is to each according to their need and from each based on their abilities. Dignity isn’t mentioned, but the happiness and contentment of all is the goal so I suppose it’s inferred but not specified.

Either way, it doesn’t have to be viewed with any kind of social opposition. If we keep following the slippery slope of late game capitalism, who’s to say companies don’t just purchase legislation that re-establishes full on slavery? We have a fucked up oligarch system, and moments like this where workers unite is a good thing in any system. Free market my ass, and this is a moment where arguing for semantics is a side-discussion, for now it’s us against the oligarchs.

permalink
report
parent
reply
11 points

I think a better way to describe the essence of communism is an end to dominance hierarchies. Authoritarians often use leftist rhetoric to gain power, which is why so many of them have called themselves socialist or communist, while being the exact opposite of the ideals they claim to support.

You are 100% correct, it is us against the oligarchs. That’s also the entire basis of communist theory, btw. Regardless of terms used though, we are on the same side of this fight, and I am glad that we are.

permalink
report
parent
reply
-1 points

You don’t seem to understand that your distinction between the theory of communism, and communism as practiced, are both equally valid and accepted uses of the word. One is a theory, one created reeducation camps and killed millions of their own people. It is not capitalism that convinced me of this.

permalink
report
parent
reply
23 points

Your comment is fair, but please allow me to deflect for a moment with a few questions:

The nazis called themselves national socialists, do you believe they were socialists?

The north korean government has called their country a democratic republic, do you believe that?

I’m guessing you answered no to both. If that’s the case, why do you believe the ussr and the ccp when they say they were/are practicing communism?

Additionally, who benefits more than capital if you believe socialism and communism equal authoritarianism?

permalink
report
parent
reply
9 points

Reminder that some unions have merch you can buy to help support their workers during strikes. This one doesn’t, unfortunately. But always check. I have some damn cool looking tshirts for other labor movements (Rail, Starbucks, Truck haulers, etc).

You can sign their petition here:

https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/big-3-ceo-petition-1?source=standwithuspage

permalink
report
parent
reply
6 points

I work at the corporate headquarters of a company that provides contract services to industrial plants. Not related to the car industry, but I literally just had a meeting today with some folks from HR to add a way to our central system to track what plants our employees have unionized at. The general tone was “oh crap we have union workers now, how do we not accidentally break the law because we’re quickly seeing more and more of our workforce unionize”

permalink
report
parent
reply
1 point
Deleted by creator
permalink
report
parent
reply
161 points

Fuck yea, love to see militant labor fighting for what they need

permalink
report
reply
139 points

Even China knows this. Give the hard working people a better job than mom and dad had and they won’t rebel.

The people who are rolling in their next billion have forgotten what happens when you take that away.

permalink
report
reply
58 points

China is about to find out as well, they have something like a 30% new-grad unemployment rate, and Pooh Bear is on a bootstraps kick saying that social protections encourage laziness.

They’re on even thinner ice than the US.

permalink
report
parent
reply
16 points

I mean we all know what “didn’t” happen last time students got together in protest. Whatever became of the Hong Kong protest btw?

permalink
report
parent
reply
2 points

This is a good question. Last time I brought this up on Lemmy, someone said they were better off under the CCP than British rule. 🤔

permalink
report
parent
reply
22 points

They are in the economic industrial boom that already happened to western countries decades ago. The problem is that eventually all booms end

permalink
report
parent
reply
33 points

That is just buying into accepting the current model where the rich can have it all at the expense of the poor. The model is the problem not the amount we have to distribute.

permalink
report
parent
reply
11 points

That has been the US and western Europe strategy. Give back just enough so that people don’t think they have enough to win by changing the existing order

permalink
report
parent
reply
3 points

Apparently these billionaires vote & elect the folks who want to arm all of these workers you speak of. Sound logic if you ask me

permalink
report
parent
reply
1 point

Well nothing has happened, what is being asked of them is less than what they’ve taken. Worse case scenario is they give back some of the stolen goods.

But this is the same as a fine for breaking the law, they made more than they lost as a result so this is all factored in.

permalink
report
parent
reply
115 points

Holy based, I didn’t know there were any unions with a backbone left in America

permalink
report
reply
33 points

The UAW has always been pushing for Americans as a whole. Hats off to them.

permalink
report
parent
reply
24 points

Yeah, but Fain is the first democratically elected UAW leader (prior leadership was chosen by delegations and was fraught with racketeering and embezzlement) and it shows.

permalink
report
parent
reply

Work Reform

!workreform@lemmy.world

Create post

A place to discuss positive changes that can make work more equitable, and to vent about current practices. We are NOT against work; we just want the fruits of our labor to be recognized better.

Our Philosophies:

  • All workers must be paid a living wage for their labor.
  • Income inequality is the main cause of lower living standards.
  • Workers must join together and fight back for what is rightfully theirs.
  • We must not be divided and conquered. Workers gain the most when they focus on unifying issues.

Our Goals

  • Higher wages for underpaid workers.
  • Better worker representation, including but not limited to unions.
  • Better and fewer working hours.
  • Stimulating a massive wave of worker organizing in the United States and beyond.
  • Organizing and supporting political causes and campaigns that put workers first.

Community stats

  • 3.2K

    Monthly active users

  • 964

    Posts

  • 17K

    Comments