OK then. Biden 2020.

CANON_Grow

Well-Known Member
I have no trouble with questioning Biden’s actions. It’s part of a healthy democratic discourse.

I do have trouble with the ongoing exoneration of management. If they created an atmosphere so adversarial to basic worker entitlements like sick days that labor believed it could only get results by threatening disaster, their decency is not in evidence.

I’m all for unions and the power that collective bargaining confers. However in my view this situation became paralyzed by grievance to the degree we have seen in Ireland in our lifetimes*. When opposition crosses from reason to dogma, something like an act of fiat such as Biden performed is necessary and a kindness to both parties.

*if you’re an old cruster like me
Does management have full say on on how the railways operate, or are they subject to rules set by the Federal government?

We've seen the union workers blamed for shit that they have warned was going to happen with how the railways are being run. Management's job isn't to set the laws that govern the railways, their job is to maximize money going to the corporations, while abiding by the laws governing employment and safe operation of the rail roads. During negotiations these issues were brought up and the government was directly involved. The PEB ignored the issues that union members were willing to stop working over and decided that they should simply split the difference on the pay increase from what both sides requested.

I get that some think the union's were just trying to be greedy, granted they have been negotiating with no raise for a few years while employment has been reduced, and corporations have made record profits.

I get that management can be seen as being evil, that's part of the job description. I don't subscribe to that theory as long as they were playing by the rules.

Biden had the chance to address the concerns brought forward, he could have easily threatened to step in an force an agreement that no one would be totally satisfied with. He could have addressed the over work concerns and made sure that wouldn't lead to safety issues. But he didn't.

What has been said: Greedy union's, shut up and work. Evil management, be better. Awesome job Joe, a man of the people!!

I have trouble seeing how the Biden administration is the only one that did something right here.
 

CANON_Grow

Well-Known Member
Well, I guess I'm confused as well. If saying that Unions may not show the same support in the next election, and showing support for labour makes for a right wing radical, good luck to the Democrats.

Toodeloo
 

BudmanTX

Well-Known Member

doublejj

Well-Known Member
Yep the Biden Administration strikes again. But it's Trump's fault of course, :lol:

cant fix all of trumps f*ck-ups in 2 years.....hell we won't be able to fix them in our lifetimes.
 

doublejj

Well-Known Member
Well, I guess I'm confused as well. If saying that Unions may not show the same support in the next election, and showing support for labour makes for a right wing radical, good luck to the Democrats.

Toodeloo
show me some pro-union legislation from the republicans.......
 

CANON_Grow

Well-Known Member
show me some pro-union legislation from the republicans.......
Why? I have never stated repubs support unions, or that the unions would support repubs. I stated that members will demand their resources be directed to issues that directly impact them, so local issues.

But feel free to look up Defending Keystone Jobs Act that repubs brought forward. Not saying I support it, but most certainly the pipe fitters union would. Repubs and unions will work together when it benefits both the parties.

Want to make sure I am not misunderstood, I am not against the Democrat party. I believe unions need the democrats as much as the democrats need the unions. They will both get further to their stated goals working together, and really hurt but survive if they don't. Does history repeat?
 
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PJ Diaz

Well-Known Member
There sure is a lot of funny talk here from Dems who claim to support unions, while also supporting the removal of Union power.

It seems like many here like the idea of unions, but dislike the reality of how unions hold power, or maybe they just don't like the unions to hold power when it inconveniences them.
 

doublejj

Well-Known Member
There sure is a lot of funny talk here from Dems who claim to support unions, while also supporting the removal of Union power.

It seems like many here like the idea of unions, but dislike the reality of how unions hold power, or maybe they just don't like the unions to hold power when it inconveniences them.
Back when I worked at Boeing in Seattle and was a member of the Aerospace machinists union, employees were more afraid of the union steward than their boss. All job evaluations and disciplinary actions from your boss went to the union steward first and they handed out promotions, demotions, and all performance evaluations. There were few union grievances against Boeing this way as everything was dolled out by the union itself. I thought is was a pretty smart way to handle it.
 
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PJ Diaz

Well-Known Member
Back when I worked at Boeing in Seattle and was a member of the Aerospace machinists union, employees were more afraid of the union steward than their boss. All job evaluations and disciplinary actions from your boss went to the union steward first and they handed out promotions, demotions, and all performance evaluations. There were few union grievances against Boeing this way as everything was dolled out by the union itself. I thought is was a pretty smart way to handle it.
Smart of the employer, yes. Stupid of the Union. There are a lot of stupid union leaders too though, I know several personally.
 

PadawanWarrior

Well-Known Member
Exactly. At a time when inflation is the major concern in America due in large part to covid supply chain issues, it would have been political suicide for Biden to allow the railways to be shut down.

That doesn't change the fact that Biden is a friend to labor and that the GOP default position is the opposite of that. The GOP going back at least to Nixon have courted labor voters with Culture War issues. For Nixon, it was the hippies and blacks who were the cultural enemies of the time. Today its much the same with different labels. On the actual issues, though, the GOP is opposed to unions and the way they shift power away from shareholders. Unions are bad for business but the Culture War issues are the GOP's version of Dug's distraction by squirrels. Support for unions and labor is built into the political DNA of the Democratic Party. The GOP calls it socialism.
So you don't think this record inflation rate has anything to do with Biden's reckless spending of money we don't have?
 

PJ Diaz

Well-Known Member
The only good news to the crazy inflation is that it pushes up the CPI, which is what many annual COLA's are based on. I'm looking at an over 8% COLA this year.
 
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