BeTheirOwnAuthorityVille
As per a recent post about the Achille's heel of our multinational corporate overlords, the following, as reported by Jeanne Whalen and Lauren Gurley in the Washington post, is a most interesting, and hopeful, development:
Volkswagen workers in Chattanooga, Tenn., passed a historic vote to join the United Auto Workers on Friday, making the auto factory the first in the South to vote to unionize since the 1940s.
Nearly three-quarters of 3,613 workers voted yes in a three-day election that drew high turnout, giving the union an impressive first win in its campaign to organize the factories of a dozen automakers in the South...
Which is great for those folks in Chattanooga and potentially even greater more widely:
...Local “right to work” laws in Southern states, as well as political and cultural traditions, have made it difficult for unions to expand. That could change if the UAW’s momentum continues in the region, Rutgers University labor professor Rebecca Givan said.“There will be an opportunity to raise standards across the South,” Givan said. “Other employers will not be able to compete for workers in a tight labor market if they don’t keep up. We’ll likely see organizing in manufacturing and areas where there already have been campaigns — everything from Starbucks to hospitals.”...
Somewhere, the spirit of Crytsal Lee Sutton, the real life Norma Rae, is smiling.
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Image and subheader?...This (for the historical) and...This (for the warbled acoustical, non-Mellencampian cover).
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5 comments:
Thank you for the information. When I became of aware of "right to work laws" in the South, it was more like "you get to live in poverty with no rights". Didn't know if I'd ever see the day head way would be made in the south. Well its a very good start.
If the cost of living goes up and low wages won't cover your expenses, you can either move or Unionize. Having moved more than a few times, Unionizing is so much easier.
When you speak to people from the American South, it's remarkable the amount of brainwashing and indoctrination they have been through, suddenly you realize it's just Slavery 2.0
A true family story from the "Southern South".
Back in the 1960's a relative of my dad who was a graduate forester, as was the relative, was sent to either Alabama or Mississippi ( I was like 10) to check on problems with a small plywood plant his company purchased.
Relative and family went for a month, making a holiday out of it, and rented a cottage for a month.
The Plywood plant was non union of course but it was also racially divided.
After a week of fact finding he decided to have a small host company hot dog roast with plenty of sodas just to get a feeling of the work force.
None of the white workers came and a few black workers came to tell him to pack up and get out while you still can.
Dumbfounded he was told that "you ain't safe here no more".
Relatives wife got nervous when the wife of one of the black workers told her, this house won't be standing tomorrow, please leave.
They did and went to a motel a fair distance away.
The next day going to the plant the house they rented was burned to the ground and when he arrived at the plant he was told there "was a phone call waiting for you".
It was Canada telling him to "get the f***k out.
He went back to the motel and got the family and drove literally all day and all night, till they thought they were safe.
Upon returning to Canada, he was read the riot act for causing all sorts of problems and even the company seem to have sided with the plant management.
He duly wrote his report (which basically said if a black employee touched anything, the white employees would not go near it. Blacks were hired solely to produce goods for the black market only) and he quit soon after, but it was noted that the company he worked for, sold the plant fast and never again looked at any sort of operation in the American deep south.
They do things differently in the Southern States, always have done and always will.
Then there was my friend who worked in the oil industry and his disastrous stay in Texas, but that is another story.
It is also worth noting that Boeing builds their 737 bodies in Kansas (far cheaper wages and anti-union legislation)and ships them by train to Everett for final assembly. A lot of bumping and bouncing for bolts to come off certain doors.
https://simpleflying.com/boeing-737-fuselage-delivery/
You can only kick a dog so many times before it bites you!
And thus divide and conquer finds its match.
I find it odd that within the USA and other jurisdictions it is OK for co-operation at the boardroom level but not for the workers?
TB
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