"Don’t be mad when union workers make a good living. Instead, get a union of your own, and join them."
I lived in Flint, Michigan, for about 25 years from the late 70s to the early 2000s, and the amount of resentment towards UAW wages that I heard from non-auto workers was stunning. All I could say was "How do you think this works? What do you think happens if all of these people don't get paid this well?" Well, ultimately, and sadly, Flint found out.
For a country that celebrates *some* people making a lot of money, we sure seem to get upset when regular working people scratch out something decent for themselves.
If a union's demands were not based on reason, there would not be a strike. It takes guts and tons of support within the union to get to that point. All strikes are necessarily justified imho.
The stupid bureaucratic process combined with the missed paychecks, yeah it's not an easy decision to go on strike, good for them to be willing to pull the trigger when it got to that point.
It's funny that a fair price is what someone will pay, until the price is on labour. In the story someone said "We deserve this" but that's not the rule when it's a luxury brand. Or fuel.
After reading about Matewan, Sid Hatfield, and Blair Mountain a couple days ago (and then digging in); I sorely needed to see and read this piece. Thank you so much.
After seeing a bunch of negative posts about how these locomotive engineers are so highly paid and “made more than Gov. Hochul last year!” I had actually searched last night to see if you had written about the LIRR strike yet. Thank you for this!
"Don’t be mad when union workers make a good living. Instead, get a union of your own, and join them." This! Always Be Making Things Better, not tryna pull others down.
Hi Hamilton. Always appreciate the pro-union stands. It's a shame Bruce Springsteen lacks the same. In the dewy days of the early 90's, when he was worth a mere $40 million, he crossed a union picket line in Tacoma, WA, to play a date at the Tacoma Dome. Few liberals want to confront this reality, nor does the Zinn Education Project, which lists him as a pro-union voice. But the Pope's girlfriend only had that one abortion, so WGAF?
My mom worked for the Musician's Local here (as an employee) and stuff like this drove her up a wall. John Mellencamp paid his dues regularly to the Louisville Local. Not as good, I know.
I saw someone online commenting that the LIRR workers make $200k in total comp and to ask for more was greedy, which got me thinking about the role of public comp reporting in these negotiations. That $200k (if accurate) includes their pensions and healthcare, but most people would look at it and assume take-home pay, then compare to their own salary. But most people have no clue what their company pays to offer them health insurance. Private employees are comparing their take-home to a public worker's total comp and end up feeling resentful.
I'm not sure the best way to address this - require private employers to disclose everything that goes into annual comp? better educate the media in hopes of more fair reporting? (lol) - but it seems like a real problem.
One that would be solved with single payer healthcare!
Thank you for writing this coverage. So much discussion of the negotiations has been dominated by those interested in mass transit - a very important issue itself but one that has led so many to take the side of the LIRR and MTA since labor is just a cost to these authorities, and gets treated as a road bump on the way to the city we need. The labor press and socialist left has been weirdly quiet on this strike it seems, or at least that is my perspective from someone who has had to live outside the NY area for the last several years.
"Don’t be mad when union workers make a good living. Instead, get a union of your own, and join them."
I lived in Flint, Michigan, for about 25 years from the late 70s to the early 2000s, and the amount of resentment towards UAW wages that I heard from non-auto workers was stunning. All I could say was "How do you think this works? What do you think happens if all of these people don't get paid this well?" Well, ultimately, and sadly, Flint found out.
For a country that celebrates *some* people making a lot of money, we sure seem to get upset when regular working people scratch out something decent for themselves.
If a union's demands were not based on reason, there would not be a strike. It takes guts and tons of support within the union to get to that point. All strikes are necessarily justified imho.
The stupid bureaucratic process combined with the missed paychecks, yeah it's not an easy decision to go on strike, good for them to be willing to pull the trigger when it got to that point.
It's funny that a fair price is what someone will pay, until the price is on labour. In the story someone said "We deserve this" but that's not the rule when it's a luxury brand. Or fuel.
After reading about Matewan, Sid Hatfield, and Blair Mountain a couple days ago (and then digging in); I sorely needed to see and read this piece. Thank you so much.
After seeing a bunch of negative posts about how these locomotive engineers are so highly paid and “made more than Gov. Hochul last year!” I had actually searched last night to see if you had written about the LIRR strike yet. Thank you for this!
Another piece of good writing/reportage!
And great last two sentences!
Should be a slogan for some new union organizing org.
well said -- I'll be sharing this with some railroader friends...
"Don’t be mad when union workers make a good living. Instead, get a union of your own, and join them." This! Always Be Making Things Better, not tryna pull others down.
In case anyone missed the piece about Matewan etc,
Here it is:
https://appodlachia.substack.com/p/i-visited-a-shrine-to-class-war-located
Looks like you read each other some, so figured would be ok to share. If not I apologize.
Hi Hamilton. Always appreciate the pro-union stands. It's a shame Bruce Springsteen lacks the same. In the dewy days of the early 90's, when he was worth a mere $40 million, he crossed a union picket line in Tacoma, WA, to play a date at the Tacoma Dome. Few liberals want to confront this reality, nor does the Zinn Education Project, which lists him as a pro-union voice. But the Pope's girlfriend only had that one abortion, so WGAF?
https://www.upi.com/Archives/1992/10/14/Springsteen-defies-blue-collar-image-crosses-picket-line-to-perform/7638719035200/
My mom worked for the Musician's Local here (as an employee) and stuff like this drove her up a wall. John Mellencamp paid his dues regularly to the Louisville Local. Not as good, I know.
Mellencamp's the real thing; class is a constant reality in the US.
The workers were those that ran the Tacoma Dome. Is scabbing why he's called The Boss?
I saw someone online commenting that the LIRR workers make $200k in total comp and to ask for more was greedy, which got me thinking about the role of public comp reporting in these negotiations. That $200k (if accurate) includes their pensions and healthcare, but most people would look at it and assume take-home pay, then compare to their own salary. But most people have no clue what their company pays to offer them health insurance. Private employees are comparing their take-home to a public worker's total comp and end up feeling resentful.
I'm not sure the best way to address this - require private employers to disclose everything that goes into annual comp? better educate the media in hopes of more fair reporting? (lol) - but it seems like a real problem.
One that would be solved with single payer healthcare!
Thank you for writing this coverage. So much discussion of the negotiations has been dominated by those interested in mass transit - a very important issue itself but one that has led so many to take the side of the LIRR and MTA since labor is just a cost to these authorities, and gets treated as a road bump on the way to the city we need. The labor press and socialist left has been weirdly quiet on this strike it seems, or at least that is my perspective from someone who has had to live outside the NY area for the last several years.
m_dison sq_are g_rden doesn't pay their property taxes..