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Amazon Sends ‘Vote No’ Instructions to Unionizing Employees

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Re: Amazon Sends ‘Vote No’ Instructions to Unionizing Employees

#621

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People read what they want to hear. I’ve posted comments that make it clear I support stuff, but because I (essentially) argued devil’s advocate, I was downvoted. I can only assume it’s because I’m supposedly showing sympathy to the other side (even if I’m not).

To somebody who believes in a black and white “with us or against us” world, “sympathy" and “support” are the same thing :(

[deleted]

Re: Amazon Sends ‘Vote No’ Instructions to Unionizing Employees

#622

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Union shop is illegal federally. Some people say union shop when they mean agency shop though. The Wikipedia article says agency shop is a form of union security agreement.

Are you sure you aren't thinking of a closed shop? My understanding is that closed shops where you need membership to apply are illegal, but union shops (post-entry closed shops) are legal in states without right-to-work.[1] That said, I was wrong before and may be wrong again. It is really hard to understand the specifics of union law as many sources are sloppy with their terms and there are state-to-state differenc…

"Full union membership thus no longer can be a requirement of employment. If a new employee refuses formally to join a union and subject himself to its discipline, he cannot be fired. Moreover, no employee can be discharged if he initially joins a union, and subsequently resigns."[1]

[1] https://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-supreme-court/473/95.html

Re: Amazon Sends ‘Vote No’ Instructions to Unionizing Employees

#623
post #397

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People will lose their jobs en masse regardless of unions. The concentration of wealth and capture of surplus that we will see in the coming decades will probably make feudalism look like child's play

If you are unhappy with the terms or products of a company, you are free to shop or work elsewhere. That is the difference. "Capture of surplus" is hate speech - without those companies, there would be no surplus to begin with, that anybody could capture. If you believe those companies will capture so much surplus, you could also buy some of their stock and participate.

Could you explain a bit more why it ought to be classified as hate speech?

Re: Amazon Sends ‘Vote No’ Instructions to Unionizing Employees

#624

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Perhaps you are unaware that the Pinkertons have a long history of union busting behavior. The most infamous being their involvement in the 1892 Homestead Steel Strike. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homestead_strike

Thanks I've spent more than a decade working with civil society groups including union organising. The comment was made to highlight that Pinkerton are working with Facebook (amongst others) thus Facebook may also be concerned about union organising. Esp with Pinkertons past record.

Love how all these people rushed to tell you who Pinkerton are and what they do.

Re: Amazon Sends ‘Vote No’ Instructions to Unionizing Employees

#625

Earlier quoted context omitted.

/me looks at GameStop

There's tens of thousands of publicly traded companies worldwide, and one company having some weird fluctuations for a period of a few days at a time is a tiny little rounding error. This is the exception that proves the rule. All the other metrics proposed by Retric have worse edge cases than this, which they pointed out.

Market cap has several issues. Most companies are private. The market cap is likely to tank before any major fine. Company size is a proxy for how much stuff their doing so a minor fine for an individual restaurant is wildly overkill applied all of McDonalds revenue.

Finally, it promotes using lots of subsidiaries to firewall risks from fines which adds a lot of pointless overhead to the economy.

Re: Amazon Sends ‘Vote No’ Instructions to Unionizing Employees

#626

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To add to that, fines can and do bankrupt small businesses. I cannot remember the last time a big company went bankrupt by fines. Breaking the law poses existential threat to small businesses, not large enterprises.

Fines should be proportional to income. They're supposed to be a deterrent, not a revenue source.

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Re: Amazon Sends ‘Vote No’ Instructions to Unionizing Employees

#627

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks I've spent more than a decade working with civil society groups including union organising. The comment was made to highlight that Pinkerton are working with Facebook (amongst others) thus Facebook may also be concerned about union organising. Esp with Pinkertons past record.

Love how all these people rushed to tell you who Pinkerton are and what they do.

Helpful. Like savants.

Re: Amazon Sends ‘Vote No’ Instructions to Unionizing Employees

#628
post #429

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean all the anecdotes I have come from electricians and county paid groundskeepers and who also happen to be my close friends so I'd have to say your assertion if not false in totality is false in this case for certain. Edit: Oh and a general contractor or two.

My mistake. I thought you were upper-middle class.

I am, but my friends are not and they are where I've formed my opinion on unions. I don't sort myself on my money, that is a poor way to choose all of your friends.

Re: Amazon Sends ‘Vote No’ Instructions to Unionizing Employees

#629
post #625

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's tens of thousands of publicly traded companies worldwide, and one company having some weird fluctuations for a period of a few days at a time is a tiny little rounding error. This is the exception that proves the rule. All the other metrics proposed by Retric have worse edge cases than this, which they pointed out.

Market cap has several issues. Most companies are private. The market cap is likely to tank before any major fine. Company size is a proxy for how much stuff their doing so a minor fine for an individual restaurant is wildly overkill applied all of McDonalds revenue. Finally, it promotes using lots of subsidiaries to firewall risks from fines which adds a lot of pointless overhead to the economy.

I'm not saying it's perfect, I'm saying it's the best we have. What alternative are you suggesting? The problem of private companies applies to every metric you can think of, as none of those metrics are private!

Re: Amazon Sends ‘Vote No’ Instructions to Unionizing Employees

#630

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not knowing what country you are in, I would bet that the situation of unions there ultimately is a result of the global labor movement of the 19th and 20th centuries, which came to be via strikes and grassroots union organizing activities.

Is that not the case in the US as well?

Of course, yes, I am trying to say that what you are describing as US-style unionization is closer to how unions have historically worked. It would be your country's situation that is exceptional, because apparently workers there have won so much power, that militant/grassroots organizing is less necessary.
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