Workers describe tens of thousands of packages delayed—and a strong sense of empowerment within warehouses—after Amazon workers with the Teamsters launched the largest strike to date against one of the world's most powerful companies.
Everything I’m hearing about these strikes is that they are going poorly. Truck driver that tried to pick up a trailer there a couple days ago said there were like 3 people striking. I’m sure in some areas there is strong support but overal it doesn’t look good for the teamsters.
Just anecdotally there were a lot of Amazon boxes going around at my family’s Christmas gathering last night and no one mentioned any problems getting stuff on time.
I mean the strike started really close to Christmas, by that point I had already gotten the things I ordered online. If anything the only people this strike would have affected is the last minute people who live near unionized facilities or facilities with good union support.
When strike breaker Harris abandoned the working class, what did you expect, exactly? Workers aren’t beholden to party, and since you people will never vote third party, sometimes you have to go with the generic neoliberal instead of the one with marketable aesthetics.
In a binary system, when one choice has abandoned all facade of supporting the largest union in the country … What do you suppose they do?
Trump is a simple creature, his last admin proved you can get downright progressive results by kissing his ass in a way that generates good publicity or profits. As a reminder Trump pardoned more nonviolent black prisoners than Biden has, because a set of rappers recognized his game and played it. Hell there’s a good chance Republicans are going to be the ones to legalize marijuana, not reschedule it, legalize it because they recognize how frustrated people are with Dems and it’s an easy, cheap, and ideologically consistent win.
So the question I have is - are people just scared to strike? Or are the conditions overblown and most workers don’t see it the way it’s reported?
I’d think if it was really that bad then there would be more solidarity and strikes.
I’m not saying it isn’t bad, but I’m trying to piece how bad it actually is if people aren’t willing to strike. I realize there are financial implications to striking, but isn’t that also why dues are paid? Aren’t there funds or things to give them some help/reason to strike?
People don’t strike anymore because they can’t. Wages are so bad and strike funds are so low that people will lose everything if they strike for more than a day or 2. Most strike funds these days pay out a couple dollars an hour your on the line.
Well I think atleast with Amazon the unions arent very pervasive yet, there’s very few unionized facilities since Amazon does everything in their power to stop it from spreading. The solution would be to unionize all the facilities so that the collective support of them all would be enough to really make a dent in Amazon. Also probably starting the strike earlier so it really affects people, maybe make it start right around black Friday to have a real big impact since I’ve seen that’s the busiest day for Amazon drivers atleast.
Combination of people fearing losing their job due to strike, and the poor conditions being normalized. There’s a lot of that in retail and fulfillment where it’s just treated as normalcy to not have the human rights of a reasonable work environment and access to a restroom whenever needed.
I get that all of that, but that’s what the unions and the strikes are about though, right? Like, if you’re NOT exercising that option then you’re never going to get it and isn’t there an option to sue for losing your job over it?
I’ve never joined a union so I have NO idea, just what I’ve seen in comments and on Tv.
A ton of what you see is through an anti-Union filter, and as you try to start one corporate will feed EVERYONE lines saying how much worse it’ll be with a union while actively making the workplace less accommodating, or talking about dues but not how much more sustainable wages would be even with them.
It’s a flood of misinformation and manipulation tactics.
And then places like Starbucks will leave online orders on for a location that’s closed and striking so even customers just get mad at the workers as a reason to fire everyone.
I appreciate your response. I hate these companies and the shit they are pushing. I have been trying to ween off of these types of places (like Amazon) as much as I can.
I appreciate the discourse! It’s hard to be clear of them because they tend to be the big chain stores or brands that end up ‘important’ or hard to escape. Literally all of them do it in different ways and it normalizes the behavior among workers and consumers alike which makes it harder to practice ‘salting’ which is reminding those groups they’re mad at the employer/company not each other.
Everything I’m hearing about these strikes is that they are going poorly. Truck driver that tried to pick up a trailer there a couple days ago said there were like 3 people striking. I’m sure in some areas there is strong support but overal it doesn’t look good for the teamsters.
Just anecdotally there were a lot of Amazon boxes going around at my family’s Christmas gathering last night and no one mentioned any problems getting stuff on time.
I mean the strike started really close to Christmas, by that point I had already gotten the things I ordered online. If anything the only people this strike would have affected is the last minute people who live near unionized facilities or facilities with good union support.
I guess their leader shouldn’t have decided to cuddle up to Trump.
When strike breaker Harris abandoned the working class, what did you expect, exactly? Workers aren’t beholden to party, and since you people will never vote third party, sometimes you have to go with the generic neoliberal instead of the one with marketable aesthetics.
I expected him to not kiss Trump’s ass, but I guess that’s asking far too much of a fucking labor leader.
In a binary system, when one choice has abandoned all facade of supporting the largest union in the country … What do you suppose they do?
Trump is a simple creature, his last admin proved you can get downright progressive results by kissing his ass in a way that generates good publicity or profits. As a reminder Trump pardoned more nonviolent black prisoners than Biden has, because a set of rappers recognized his game and played it. Hell there’s a good chance Republicans are going to be the ones to legalize marijuana, not reschedule it, legalize it because they recognize how frustrated people are with Dems and it’s an easy, cheap, and ideologically consistent win.
Call for a general strike.
Great way to reduce membership numbers in a pretty violent way, also union membership isn’t high enough to be a real general strike.
So the question I have is - are people just scared to strike? Or are the conditions overblown and most workers don’t see it the way it’s reported?
I’d think if it was really that bad then there would be more solidarity and strikes.
I’m not saying it isn’t bad, but I’m trying to piece how bad it actually is if people aren’t willing to strike. I realize there are financial implications to striking, but isn’t that also why dues are paid? Aren’t there funds or things to give them some help/reason to strike?
People don’t strike anymore because they can’t. Wages are so bad and strike funds are so low that people will lose everything if they strike for more than a day or 2. Most strike funds these days pay out a couple dollars an hour your on the line.
Ugh, then doesn’t that mean that unions are just, in general, ineffective and a waste?
What the fuck is the solution?! Full Luigi?
Well I think atleast with Amazon the unions arent very pervasive yet, there’s very few unionized facilities since Amazon does everything in their power to stop it from spreading. The solution would be to unionize all the facilities so that the collective support of them all would be enough to really make a dent in Amazon. Also probably starting the strike earlier so it really affects people, maybe make it start right around black Friday to have a real big impact since I’ve seen that’s the busiest day for Amazon drivers atleast.
Combination of people fearing losing their job due to strike, and the poor conditions being normalized. There’s a lot of that in retail and fulfillment where it’s just treated as normalcy to not have the human rights of a reasonable work environment and access to a restroom whenever needed.
Thank you for the answer.
I get that all of that, but that’s what the unions and the strikes are about though, right? Like, if you’re NOT exercising that option then you’re never going to get it and isn’t there an option to sue for losing your job over it?
I’ve never joined a union so I have NO idea, just what I’ve seen in comments and on Tv.
A ton of what you see is through an anti-Union filter, and as you try to start one corporate will feed EVERYONE lines saying how much worse it’ll be with a union while actively making the workplace less accommodating, or talking about dues but not how much more sustainable wages would be even with them.
It’s a flood of misinformation and manipulation tactics.
And then places like Starbucks will leave online orders on for a location that’s closed and striking so even customers just get mad at the workers as a reason to fire everyone.
I appreciate your response. I hate these companies and the shit they are pushing. I have been trying to ween off of these types of places (like Amazon) as much as I can.
I appreciate the discourse! It’s hard to be clear of them because they tend to be the big chain stores or brands that end up ‘important’ or hard to escape. Literally all of them do it in different ways and it normalizes the behavior among workers and consumers alike which makes it harder to practice ‘salting’ which is reminding those groups they’re mad at the employer/company not each other.