• blargerer@kbin.social
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      2 years ago

      Its a lot easier to support the UAW than the rail workers. Not because of the justice of the positions, but because rail workers striking paralyzes the entire country.

      • FuglyDuck@lemmy.world
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        2 years ago

        Biden could have forced the companies into more concessions. I mean, things like sickdays and having adequate coverage is just… good business…

        Or if the company refused to play ball, nationalized the companies under certain defende acts, instituted the reform (both in staffing, and safety compliance, and a few other areas,). But no. He elected to shaft labor- because the oligarchs couldn’t have that.

        • assassin_aragorn@lemmy.world
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          2 years ago

          Biden could have forced the companies into more concessions.

          Genuinely, what further actions could he have taken that wouldn’t just be virtue signaling? It looks like he did successfully force the companies to capitulate several months later.

      • ryathal@sh.itjust.works
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        2 years ago

        Id rather support rail workers, the UAW is a pretty shit tier union that’s far too large for it’s own good.

      • Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world
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        2 years ago

        Not because of the justice of the positions

        Because that was never a concern.

        but because rail workers striking paralyzes the entire country.

        Sounds like the railroads are too consolidated then. The remedies should be breakup or nationalization. But strikebreaking is easier.

    • NoneOfUrBusiness@kbin.social
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      2 years ago

      I mean tbf he then gave them their demands, just without paralyzing the economy.

      Edit: Apparently he didn’t.

      Edit2: Apparently he did.

      • FuglyDuck@lemmy.world
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        2 years ago

        no… he didn’t. the unions wanted paid sick days. Like. you know. pretty much every one except walmart and fast food workers. yes, only 4 unions were holding out, but all the unions wanted sick days. Also, keep in mind, the people in question are highly skilled with masters degrees. That’s part of the reason why it’s ‘hard’ to recruit for those positions- that and the absolutely batshit crazy working conditions.

        The things they were asking for would have been considered standard for almost any other sector at that level of skill… and really is just basic good-business-sense to give. But, like most stupid and greedy corps, they’re more worried about short term profits being hurt by the overhead of actually staffing adequately than they were about… employee health, the safety of their operations and literally everyone in the public nominally adjacent to their rail ways and yards. The paid sick days would barely even register on their quarterly reports.

      • Cryophilia@lemmy.world
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        2 years ago

        They actually did get their sick days. Biden continued pressuring the railways after the media coverage was over and the railways gave the unions everything they wanted.