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FACT SHEET: Treasury Department Releases First-Of-Its-Kind Report on Benefits of Unions to the U.S. Economy (home.treasury.gov)

submitted 1 year ago by Ragdoll_X@lemmy.world to c/unions@sh.itjust.works

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Summary generated by ChatGPT:

The Treasury Department has released a comprehensive report on the role of labor unions in the American economy, as part of the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment led by Vice President Harris. The report highlights that unions help address middle-class challenges like stagnant wages, high housing costs, and reduced mobility, contributing to a stronger economy. Key findings include unions raising member wages by 10-15%, improving workplace benefits, and fostering civic engagement. Unions also reduce wage gaps and promote economic growth by reducing inequality. The Biden-Harris Administration supports unions and plans to advance their role through various actions, including passing the PRO Act and expanding the National Labor Relations Board's funding and enforcement activities.

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[-] QTpi@sh.itjust.works 32 points 1 year ago

I was just talking with my union rep today about ideas to be working for with our next contract. This is job is the first time in my career that my role has been included in a union and I love it.

[-] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago

I miss being union. Like I really don’t think people who’ve never had one really get just how nice it is to have a union rep. Any time there’s conflict with your boss you can pull in your witness who makes sure the rules are followed.

[-] danielton@lemmy.frozeninferno.xyz 9 points 1 year ago

I'm at my first union job too. Everything those anti-union propaganda videos say is bullshit. Crazy how I can still have a "direct working relationship" with my bosses without getting screwed over.

[-] prole@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 year ago

It's amazing isn't it? And if you've been somewhere that has been unionized for decades, so long that the culture is basically built-in at this point, there's no need to worry about your superiors pulling some shady shit, they all know better and because of the culture, it isn't ever even an option.

[-] danielton@lemmy.frozeninferno.xyz 3 points 1 year ago

My employer has been unionized since World War II. There have been some supervisors who are anti-union, but those supervisors haven't lasted very long. Unfortunately, I'm in a right to work state, but almost everybody who has been there long-term is in the union. I wanted to join as soon as I was eligible.

[-] ComfortablyGlum@sh.itjust.works 30 points 1 year ago

Funny this press release came out Aug 28, and not a single whisper in the news about it.

[+] Twentytwodividedby7@lemmy.world -21 points 1 year ago

Probably too busy reporting on how the UAW is negotiating like a toddler that missed their bedtime. They're asking for bullshit. For example, a 4 day work week is fine, but instead of 4 10s, they want 40 hours of pay for 32 hours of work. That's a huge increase in pay and an immediate 20% reduction in productivity and 25% increase in labor cost. How the fuck could the Big 3 realistically do that and stay competitive?

They also quote net profits entirely out of context. EBIT margins have been below target for years, below Tesla and Toyota, yet they want more raises and profit sharing. All it shows is they don't understand the business and it creates more incentive for the companies to move production elsewhere. This has already happened with GM and Stellantis moving more plants to Mexico. Ford also produces some in Mexico, but has a larger US footprint...and they in turn have the lowest quality and highest structural cost...probably because of the UAW.

They've already been offered 15% raises, COLA, and $6k ratification bonuses and Shawn Fain literally threw it in the garbage (his name bears a striking resemblance to the political arm of the IRA, so I guess we should have always expected economic terrorism from him).

It's all frustrating because the supply chain is still weak and this could cause more turmoil following years of insanity that the Auto industry has yet to recover from.

[-] Fecundpossum@lemmy.world 17 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Let’s have a round of applause for the ghost of Henry Ford folks, and don’t forget your anti-Semitic pamphlet on the way out the door.

[+] Twentytwodividedby7@lemmy.world -13 points 1 year ago

Fuck off, that has nothing to do with the analysis I offered. It's had nothing to do with Ford since the bastard died. It would have been actually more accurate if you had said the ghost of Harry Bennett, who actually did union busting for Ford back in the 40's and 50's, but you were too lazy for that.

There was a time and place for unions in Automotive, but where else are workers with no skills or education going to make $32/hr, overtime, retirement, and Healthcare (better than 90% of the industry according to Jim Farley)? The offer that they considered was trash was a 15% raise plus COLA and elimination of the tier system.

Meanwhile, the imports and Tesla do not have this setup and are now more competitive. In case you didn't notice, the Teamsters refused to consolidate the plethora of unions that were under Yellow, failed to reach and agreement, and then Yellow went out of business. That is a real threat. Ford alone makes up about 0.5% of the entire US GDP, and that's before you factor in the interconnected supply base and derivative industries they support. So, this is a much more serious issue than Lemmings here are considering it to be

[-] Fecundpossum@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

It was a joke bro. Breath deep homie it’s just the internet.

[-] Twentytwodividedby7@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago

This isn't a fucking joke. This is an existential threat to the livelihood of a huge sector of the American economy. The blind acceptance of "company bad, union good" here is ridiculous. I offer legitimate analysis based on an industry insider's perspective and I get down voted while your stupid attempt at a joke gets up voted. At least on reddit people would offer thoughtful responses occasionally. Have yet to experience that here

[-] Fecundpossum@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

Lol you’re still mad a week later. Go away anti union shill, you’re having a bad experience here because no one likes your shit opinions

[-] UnrepententProcrastinator@lemmy.ca 0 points 1 year ago

How did you establish that 20% less hours equals 20% les productivity?

Have you even read the studies on the subject?

[-] Twentytwodividedby7@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

Because in a factory you literally turn out widgets based on floor design and hours worked. If the workers work less hours, you have less throughput. So you either lose productivity or hire more workers. These are not white collar jobs where you have wasted time...they literally install widgets with the same motion all day. What papers have you read on factory productivity and industrial engineering that led you to believe that factory workers were sandbagging and could turn out 20% more if only they had another day off?

[-] Changetheview@lemmy.world 18 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

It’s so obvious that the imbalance of power in employment is causing all sorts of issues. Greed has swept across corporate leadership, through executives, board members, and investors. Throw in low income tax rates for these high earners, and what do you know… they continue to eat up every penny they can gobble down. Making low/middle class suffer tremendously just to sit on a bigger pile of goal. Greed. Sociopathic greed in many cases.

Collective bargaining doesn’t just help workplace behavior or give a little bump in wages. It helps balance the power between labor and capital owners with little to no regard for the actual wellbeing of their workers.

And it’s crucial at this time of growing wealth inequality, low/middle class stagnant income growth, and a host of shitty behavior that’s become customary for employers (abuse employees to drive quarterly figures up and keep the investors happy).

Join a union. Make a union. Talk about earnings with coworkers. Take a stand against shitty treatment. We can create a better life for the workers of the world. We just have to do it together.

this post was submitted on 09 Sep 2023

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