The Laborious Year In Labor, 2024!
Cheers for the good strikes, jeers to the Trumpy Teamster leader.
It’s been a strange year when it comes to labor and workers’ rights — not necessarily in terms of the actual movement, but because of all of the people who ostensibly fell for MAGA’s embrace of working class aesthetics over actual pro-worker actions. We’ve had a lot of success in recent years that, unfortunately, is likely to be set back just as soon as Team Trump dons their favorite flannels and their other Working Class Barbie clothing and accessories in order to implement National Right to Work. In fact, the National Right to Work committee just started bragging this weekend that Republicans elected more sponsors of Right to Work For Less legislation than ever.
How exciting for them!
We started out the year on a disappointing note, with Trader Joe’s not only discontinuing the coconut cashews, but also joining (ugh) Elon Musk’s SpaceX in trying to get rid of the National Labor Relations Board entirely, on the grounds that it was “unconstitutional” — after they got in trouble with the NLRB for a bunch of gross union-busting activity.
They failed, of course, because it’s not.
Unfortunately, workers at the chain’s four (out of 600) unionized stores have yet to get a contract. Hopefully TJ’s will do better this year (and also bring the coconut cashews back), though it’s not looking good.
We got some good news in February, at least, when Washington state’s House of Representatives voted to allow striking workers to collect unemployment benefits. Sadly, we haven’t seen much movement on this since it was sent back to the House’s rules committee, but let’s hope they keep trying!
In April, “Kay Ivey (Alabama), Brian Kemp (Georgia), Tate Reeves (Mississippi), Henry McMaster (South Carolina), Bill Lee (Tennessee), and Greg Abbott (Texas) — issued a joint statement against the UAW and the unionization of auto manufacturing plants in their states, on the grounds that companies will leave if cruelly forced to pay their workers enough to live on.”
Last week, Teamster President Sean O’Brien did an interview with Tucker Carlson — an unsurprising development given his trajectory since speaking at the Republican National Convention in July.
I guess we can assume he’s given up on trying to get the PRO Act passed, because his new pals are not going to be too happy about that one.
Of course, while O’Brien got scabby in Milwaukee, the UAW’s Shawn Fain, with whom I am madly in love, came down to Chicago for the DNC, and we got to meet him and it was glorious.
Later that August, 99.99 percent of United Airlines flight attendants voted in favor of authorizing a strike. While it hasn’t come yet, United flight attendants held a demonstration at airports across the country on December 19, and, for now, still plan to strike when released by the National Mediation Board.
In September, Amazon drivers in Queens, New York, voted to join the Teamsters — which is still a good thing to do, even if Sean O’Brien is the worst. Last week, those drivers were among the drivers who went on strike to protest for better wages and benefits.
Speaking of which, O’Brien made some media rounds in September, after the DNC declined to offer him a spot on their speaker’s roster, trying to explain his bad choices. It did not go well!
In October, 45,000 International Longshoremen’s Association dockworkers down the Eastern Seaboard and the Gulf Coast went on strike, hoping for a 77 percent wage increase over the next six years and a stronger promise to not automate the ports. After striking for three days, they got a tentative contract, which included a 62 percent wage increase over the next six years (more than the 50 percent they were originally offered) and an agreement to discuss the automation situation further, while their current contract will remain in effect until January 15.
Unfortunately, we ended the year in part by having to watch Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema fuck us all over one last time, by refusing to confirm Lauren McFerran for a second term as chair of the National Labor Relations Board — which would mean that Trump wouldn’t have had a Republican majority on the board for the first two years of his presidency. Now he’ll get to appoint an anti-union chair of the board, which will surely be great for all of the working class voters who are so sure he won’t completely fuck them over (which he will).
Over Christmas week, when we weren’t around, Amazon drivers went on strike demanding higher wages and better benefits. Starbucks workers went on strike as well, over allegations of unfair labor practices and stalled contract negotiations. Workers at nearly 300 stores walked out and 60 stores were forced to close because they didn’t have anyone to work there.
Unfortunately, both strikes ended without getting any concessions from management. Still, these mini-strikes should help Starbucks and Amazon understand that workers are not messing around.
All in all, we’re still on an upward trajectory when it comes to labor and unionization. A much bigger problem is the fact that we’ve got a whole lot of people who want better wages and benefits and for some reason think that Donald Trump and friends are going to bring them those things, when they have absolutely no intention of doing so. Unfortunately, any lessons they learn next year will be ours to bear as well.
Just turned midnight here-
Happy new year!
Things aren't going great for yr faithful Thrustwell. I can pehaps go into some details later. But there may be some hope and/or silver linings yet. Happy New Year, you DILFs, MILFs, GILFs and SPILFs*, and may the odds be ever in your favor.
*Single People I'd Like to Firmly handshake.