A year that started out with bleak prospects, including a widely predicted recession, shaped up to be a boon for the average American worker — and one of the most triumphant for organized labor in a generation.
More than 525,000 workers in the United States walked off the job in 2023, according to Bloomberg Law’s database of work stoppages, making it one of the three biggest strike years since 1990. Many of those strikes led to big concessions from employers, such as the landmark deal reached by the UAW in October.
It’s not enough
Certainly not.
The failure of Starbucks and Amazon workers is truly frustrating, as is the continued confused, nervous chuckles that even wage workers have when a 4-day work week is discussed.
That said, having a president actually supports unions has been very good for us. I’ve lived through Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush, Obama and Trump. None of them backed workers the way Biden has.
Removed by mod
This is what I’m talking about. When I say we should be working four days a week, my co-workers immediately respond “I don’t want to work 4 tens.” Then I say 4 eights and they say “I don’t want to earn less” and “we’d lose our benefits” then I say same pay, same benefits and their brains drip out of their ears. They act as if paying them the same amount for less work is somehow unethical. It’s maddening.
They act as if paying them the same amount for less work is somehow unethical.
It isn’t that it’s unethical, but that it doesn’t make sense to do from a business perspective at first glance.
The only reason to do this, from a business view, is to maximize productivity and retention via improving work-life balance. Neither of those concepts is straightforward. If you haven’t read up on it, I’d understand not getting it.
Also worth noting the 32-hour week absolutely leaves out blue collar people. There’s no way manufacturing, farming, etc can get by at same costs with that structure. It’s service sector jobs only.
Or they just hire 5 people instead of 4. Or another part time/seasonal person.
How does it benefit everyone?
Don’t get me wrong, I would also love a 4 day work week. But I’d prefer 40 hours rather than getting 80% of my pay.
If inflation wasn’t through the roof maybe. As it is, some of them are making slightly less than they were 3 years ago instead way less. The only ones winning are the oligarchs.
Wages actually rose faster than inflation in 2023.
Not enough to make up for the three prior years.
Some plague doctors extended the lives of some patients.
Not feeling the love? Organize a union so you can join their wins
Oh I fully support almost every Union, I just think that their “victories” are attempts to slow the damage and limit the suffering. The number of strikes is a good sign labor is starting to stick up for itself, but it’s also a depressing sign of how bad things have become.
I feel you, this post is glorifying the union wins as a “boon” when in fact we are far behind in wages and these “wins” are still not enough.
Im happy unions are winning their fights, but they arent asking for enough imo. We need bolder unions with better leadership (or no leadership)
