Posted on Apr 26, 2022
The history of America's fight for fair labor
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The pandemic has prompted a lot of change.
One considerable shift? Workers telling bosses they’re not gonna take it anymore. The so-called Great Resignation hasn’t slowed so far in 2022. In February, over 4 million people quit their jobs. About 74,000 of those who left worked in retail.
In addition to quitting, workers are also taking back control via unions. In two recent high-profile moves, employees at Starbucks and Amazon voted to organize despite their respective employers’ best efforts.
Those workers are building on decades of strikes and challenges to a system that didn’t always have their best interest in mind.
Kim Kelly is the author of “Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor.” She takes a look back at America’s labor efforts from the Black washerwomen of Jackson, Mississippi, in the 1800s to today’s sex workers on OnlyFans.
We also hear from an organizer participating in the Warrior Met Coal strike. You can find Warrior Met Coal’s website on the strike here.
One considerable shift? Workers telling bosses they’re not gonna take it anymore. The so-called Great Resignation hasn’t slowed so far in 2022. In February, over 4 million people quit their jobs. About 74,000 of those who left worked in retail.
In addition to quitting, workers are also taking back control via unions. In two recent high-profile moves, employees at Starbucks and Amazon voted to organize despite their respective employers’ best efforts.
Those workers are building on decades of strikes and challenges to a system that didn’t always have their best interest in mind.
Kim Kelly is the author of “Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor.” She takes a look back at America’s labor efforts from the Black washerwomen of Jackson, Mississippi, in the 1800s to today’s sex workers on OnlyFans.
We also hear from an organizer participating in the Warrior Met Coal strike. You can find Warrior Met Coal’s website on the strike here.
The history of America's fight for fair labor
Posted from the1a.org
Jobs
Employment
Starbucks
Amazon
Mining and Metals
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 2
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I have seen both sides of this coin. I have been a UAW member before becoming a RN. I have also been a manager while in nursing.
Unions were great for decades and were needed. What I saw in the UAW was nepotism, cronyism, corruption, etc. I took an 18k cut in pay to leave the dysfunctional environment.
Unions were great for decades and were needed. What I saw in the UAW was nepotism, cronyism, corruption, etc. I took an 18k cut in pay to leave the dysfunctional environment.
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I like seeing whats going on. I know unions can be bad but it cant be worse than having to urinate in a bottle on a line or in a delivery truck because analytics can get you fired. The biggest issue is consumers are now used to buying something on Amazon and getting it the next day without realizing how crushing the numbers are for the employees. Drivers are pushed to be unsafe on the roads and warehouse workers are worked like machines instead of people. On the flip side CEOs pay has raised way more than workers salaries. Im not saying they should be making a million bucks a year but warehouse work, delivery drivers and truckers ARE NOT part time jobs meant for young people working through school. 15 bucks an hour is not even enough for a family to live on when prices are going up to keep companies profits stable. I get you wont become rich flipping burgers but if you put in 50 hours a week doing hard work you shouldn't have to worry about paying the mortgage while your CEO flies to space in a dick shaped rocket.
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