I’m going to sidestep much of what you posted, not because I don’t think it’s a valid argument (in fact I agree with most of what you’ve written), but because I think it points to a fundamental misunderstanding of American work culture.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m going to assume you’re European. It is often forgotten, even by Americans, that the American government almost went full fascist in the late 1910s under President Wilson. This devastated unions and the labor movement as a whole. Conditions worsened throughout the 20th century as Walmart brand politicians successfully brainwashed millions into believing that labor unions were secret fronts for communist spies and cut any protections for unionized workers. Businesses began raising prices, cutting wages, and laying off workers whenever they tried to unionize. Fast forward to today and vast swaths of the population have been conditioned to associate unions with hard times and financial abuse.
Outside of specific regions like New England, unionizing is career suicide. People who act supportive of labor protections of any kind are ostracized pushed out, and God forbid you actually to start a union. A few people tried to at my old job, and they were all “cut due to budgetary reasons” the week before the first negotiations. A few people who were friends with them got sacked too, just to make the message clear. A man at another job tried to start the conversation and he was stonewalled and mocked by our coworkers until he quit. Mix that with a near complete lack of a social safety net or unemployment benefits and it becomes nearly impossible to get any kind of workers’ movement off the ground.
That’s not to say we don’t try. My brother is studying labor law and I’m moving to a different state that has some semblance of workers rights because I refuse to give my labor to one that doesn’t. I support labor movement everywhere I work, but sometimes I would rather not risk becoming homeless.
Ultimately though I have no objections with anything you’ve said, I’m just a sad American socialist pining for better days.
I’m going to sidestep much of what you posted, not because I don’t think it’s a valid argument (in fact I agree with most of what you’ve written), but because I think it points to a fundamental misunderstanding of American work culture.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m going to assume you’re European. It is often forgotten, even by Americans, that the American government almost went full fascist in the late 1910s under President Wilson. This devastated unions and the labor movement as a whole. Conditions worsened throughout the 20th century as Walmart brand politicians successfully brainwashed millions into believing that labor unions were secret fronts for communist spies and cut any protections for unionized workers. Businesses began raising prices, cutting wages, and laying off workers whenever they tried to unionize. Fast forward to today and vast swaths of the population have been conditioned to associate unions with hard times and financial abuse.
Outside of specific regions like New England, unionizing is career suicide. People who act supportive of labor protections of any kind are ostracized pushed out, and God forbid you actually to start a union. A few people tried to at my old job, and they were all “cut due to budgetary reasons” the week before the first negotiations. A few people who were friends with them got sacked too, just to make the message clear. A man at another job tried to start the conversation and he was stonewalled and mocked by our coworkers until he quit. Mix that with a near complete lack of a social safety net or unemployment benefits and it becomes nearly impossible to get any kind of workers’ movement off the ground.
That’s not to say we don’t try. My brother is studying labor law and I’m moving to a different state that has some semblance of workers rights because I refuse to give my labor to one that doesn’t. I support labor movement everywhere I work, but sometimes I would rather not risk becoming homeless.
Ultimately though I have no objections with anything you’ve said, I’m just a sad American socialist pining for better days.