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Swedish dockworkers are refusing to unload Teslas at ports in broad boycott move

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Re: Swedish dockworkers are refusing to unload Teslas at ports in broad boycott move

#41

Post by JohnFen »

djbusby wrote: post #26
beached_whale wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Illegal or just fireable? It’s freedom of expression and gather. Also, can’t fire everyone if they all work together. The air traffic controllers where left put to dry by every other union and Regan had the military to fill in.

Solidarity Action https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solidarity_action In Australia, Latvia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, the United States, and the United Kingdom, solidarity action is theoretically illegal, and strikes can only be against the contractual employer.

How does that even work? I am, and should be, free to not show up to work for any reason I choose. If I'm legally required to work, isn't that forced labor?

Re: Swedish dockworkers are refusing to unload Teslas at ports in broad boycott move

#42

Post by whalesalad »

ge96 wrote: post #23
japanuspus wrote: post #16

Important context which I could not find mentioned in TFA: A key reason for the sympathy strikes is that Tesla brought in scabs which is a big no-no in Scandinavian labor markets.

What is a scab? (not the wound)

a derogatory term for someone who crosses the picket line and works anyway

Re: Swedish dockworkers are refusing to unload Teslas at ports in broad boycott move

#43

Post by AlexandrB »

orangepurple wrote: post #37
bashinator wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean, if unions are cartels, then so are corporate boards.

Unions span across corporations within business sectors whereas corporate boards do not.

What about Blackrock? Their representatives sit on many boards in a single industry. Same with large VCs. It's not as structured as unions, but each board is not a completely independent entity either.

Re: Swedish dockworkers are refusing to unload Teslas at ports in broad boycott move

#44

Post by JohnFen »

orangepurple wrote: post #32
gaze wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The employer benefits the employer. The union benefits the employee, thus providing a balance in the power between employer and employee.

This is the theory. In America, the union benefits the union first, the employee second, and the employer a very distant third if at all.

This isn't true as a blanket statement in the US. There certainly have been, and probably still are, bad union organizations (just like anything else), but that's an indictment if those particular organizations, not unions in general. There are also good ones.

Re: Swedish dockworkers are refusing to unload Teslas at ports in broad boycott move

#45

Post by RandomLensman »

MrBuddyCasino wrote: post #19
changoplatanero wrote: post #2

What's the argument for how unions benefit both parties? What do unions do to benefit the employer?

Sadly, HN isn't a place to ask questions about second-order effects in politics anymore. Unions are basically legal cartels / mafias, and people will honestly think there are no effects on labour markets, prices or employment and everything is pure upside, wealth generated out of thin air.

Unions are legal and social constructs the same way as, for example, limited liability corporations are.

The impact of organized labor has been analysed a lot - have a look at the literature, it isn't trivial.

Re: Swedish dockworkers are refusing to unload Teslas at ports in broad boycott move

#46

Post by NotACop182 »

n8cpdx wrote: post #10

Good thing Musk invented TeslaBot. I saw it at a showroom, so I assume it is totally real and totally cool. More seriously, seeing labor in other countries is waking me up to the need for NLRA reform in the US. It was great in 1935, but we can do better.

NLRA is neutered there is not much bite behind them. Unions are gaining popularity as things get tough so there is a bright spot.

Re: Swedish dockworkers are refusing to unload Teslas at ports in broad boycott move

#47

Post by rileymat2 »

fodkodrasz wrote: post #30
zyang wrote: post #15

Sweden GDP is roughly equal to Tesla market cap. It's a fair fight.

This illustrates how ridiculously overvalued Tesla is.

Not really, gdp is a snapshot of current activity, but the market cap is a guess of the amount of money the company will throw off in total, adjusted for time and risk.

Re: Swedish dockworkers are refusing to unload Teslas at ports in broad boycott move

#48

Post by ben_w »

changoplatanero wrote: post #2

What's the argument for how unions benefit both parties? What do unions do to benefit the employer?

I've not heard that claim before today (though it is in the article), but I guess one benefit to the company is that the general population can more easily afford the products the company makes.

Re: Swedish dockworkers are refusing to unload Teslas at ports in broad boycott move

#49

Post by simlevesque »

mikestew wrote: post #36
ge96 wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What is a scab? (not the wound)

Also, in less derogatory terms, "strikebreaker": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strikebreaker

There's no reason to use that term.

Re: Swedish dockworkers are refusing to unload Teslas at ports in broad boycott move

#50

Post by aurelwu »

orangepurple wrote: post #37
bashinator wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean, if unions are cartels, then so are corporate boards.

Unions span across corporations within business sectors whereas corporate boards do not.

Business associations do however.
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