6mo ago

Unions don't owe their existence to labor laws. Rather, labor laws exist because once-illegal unions were formed in the teeth of violent suppression, and those unions demanded - and got - labor law.

pluralistic.net

Pluralistic: All bets are off (29 Jan 2025) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow

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- Depends. If people keep showing up for work, even though they're functionally serfs again, because they're too scared of losing their job or getting the shit kicked out of them for trying to organize a union, then they will get to make us serfs again.
  You are completely right about social democracy, and I also hope and believe that your outcome is the alternative. But it's not the only alternative.
- Compromising with capitalists is like making peace with Putin. They just waited to get stronger before trying again.
- Definitely seems to be going the latter way right now
The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggle.
Freeman and slave, patrician and plebeian, lord and serf, guild-master and journeyman, in a word, oppressor and oppressed, stood in constant opposition to one another, carried on an uninterrupted, now hidden, now open fight, a fight that each time ended, either in a revolutionary reconstitution of society at large, or in the common ruin of the contending classes.
Don't forget the blood sweat and tears it took to get here, including being bombed by the US government in an attempt to strike break.
Any word from O'Brien on the latest events?
- Thank you @realDonaldTrump for putting American workers first by nominating Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer for US Labor Secretary. Nearly a year ago, you joined us for a @Teamsters roundtable and pledged to listen to workers and find common ground to protect and respect labor in America. You put words into action. Now let’s grow wages and improve working conditions nationwide. Congratulations to @LChavezDeRemer on your nomination! North America’s strongest union is ready to work with you every step of the way to expand good union jobs and rebuild our nation’s middle class. Let’s get to work! #TeamsterStrong
  https://x.com/TeamsterSOB/status/1860118006820479289?lang=en&mx=2
  What an asshole.
  Edit: This is from a couple months ago, I’m not trying to make it sound like O’Brien is still licking Trump’s nethers as we speak. Although, it wouldn’t surprise me.
  
  TeamsterSOB
  Accurate username, teamster son of a bitch is trying to sell out his members.
  
  How did that little weasel come to lead the largest union in USA?
  
  Chavez-DeRemer was the only Republican co-sponsor and one of three congressional Republicans to support the Protecting the Right to Organize Act (PRO Act) strongly opposed by business groups. The act would give workers more advantages when organizing or joining unions and bargaining with employers, also weakening state right-to-work laws. She was supported by Teamsters President Sean O'Brien for the position of Secretary of Labor, who thanked President-elect Trump for the nomination, noting her support of the PRO Act. Her nomination was opposed by some business interest groups.
  Could be worse, but I'm still skeptical until proven otherwise.

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