• Ultraviolet@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    21
    ·
    1 year ago

    Unions are much stronger in Europe. In the US they’re a lot more limited in what they can do, if a strike would be too disruptive, which is, you know, the whole fucking point of a strike, the government can just forbid it.

    • Facebones@reddthat.com
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      20
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      That conversation gave me such a headache around the rail strike.

      “They need sick days and proper pay”

      “I recognize that”

      “that’s why they’re on strike”

      “well if they’re allowed to strike the economy shuts down”

      “if they’re so important they should probably get fair pay and benefits shouldn’t they?”

      “Well yeah”

      “that’s why they’re on strike”

      “well if they’re allowed to strike the economy shuts down”

      🙄

      • Emerald@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        11
        ·
        edit-2
        1 year ago

        Fuck the economy. The fact that capitalist society runs on nothing but greed and the desire for infinite growth is an issue, not the economy being “bad”

        • Facebones@reddthat.com
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          3
          ·
          1 year ago

          What I hate is the only measure of “the economy” is the stock market.

          The stock market measures nothing but the theft of economic value. Pick any other metric and it’s FUUUUUCKED

      • Ultraviolet@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        6
        ·
        1 year ago

        That’s why what we really need is for unions themselves to unionize to threaten a general strike. It’s an absolute last resort as it would be a complete economic killswitch, but it’s a threat that can’t be ignored.

      • petrol_sniff_king@lemmy.blahaj.zone
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        1 year ago

        It drives me crazy how people almost always fail to see the other answer.

        “well if they don’t get sick days and proper pay the economy shuts down”

        Like, you’re not even having a debate about which framing makes the most sense, they just don’t see one of them.