Slate: Why protest failed - unions won't risk bloody masacre (paging OS)

[formerlurker]

To create a situation in which politicians fear creating a bloody massacre, the workers have to be motivated and prepared to risk a bloody massacre. That's a high bar.

But in today's circumstances, even if you had the motivated workforce and relatively sympathetic elected officials you'd face a still bigger problem. Today's labor unions have something to lose. If the United Food and Commercial Workers organizes an illegal takeover of a facility, you don't need to hit back with a violent attack on the striking workers. The union is an up-and-running enterprise with pension funds and real estate assets and professional staff and thus is subject to all kinds of bloodless financial penalties that anyone would be loathe to undergo.

Unions aren't sufficiently accepted into American economic life to make the organization of one at a large employer a routine matter, but they're far too accepted to engage in the kind of flagrant civil disobedience that helped build them in the first place.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2012/11/24/depression_union_organizing_sit_down_strike_in_flint_michigan.html

Seeing as

1) the self-proclaimed king of all things unions refused to get off his lazy ass to forward the cause in his own city; and,

2) Nads of Arc who fancies herself a reporter, like for real, would only crawl out of her on-a-disability bed at noon to go take some meaningless shots of misfits at the wrong Walmart;

then I would have to say the chances of them engaging in a bloody massacre is absolutely zilch.   Not happening.    The only massacre they engage in is the bullypit on the land of the misfit toys which is heavily steeped in class warfare, self-deletes, and the facist jury system of oppression.

Rise up misfits.   Rise up!!   

 

[DumbAss Tanker]

Pervasive security cameras have certainly put a damper on the bloody massacre business.

 

[SSG Snuggle Bunny]

Some day -- sooner rather than later, I should think -- the one of the big unions is going going to be smacked by a well-deserved, easily proven RICO suit.

Some will push back and there may be clashes but the rest will go into protective mode. The union leaders have it far too cushy.

The days of 20,000 brakemen being killed each year are over. All they fight for wages that are unsustainable in a competitive market and useless jobs to pad the union coffers.

When a person's every motivation is money and materialism, they -- before anyone else -- will be bought-off.

[NHSparky]

Don't kid yourselves--the unions exist for one thing, and one thing only--to support the union leadership.

Several years ago, UFCW struck at several SoCal grocery chains (I mentioned this earlier) because they wanted better wages at Ralph's/Albertson's/etc., and did not want to make a $5 co-pay for doctor visits, among other demands.

Six VERY contentious months later (where union thugs were assaulting CUSTOMERS) the UFCW idiots ended the strike, having received virtually NONE of their demands.  They were getting something like $100/week in strike pay, while the union leadership kept getting their $300K salaries and union-paid vehicles

IBEW around here stands for, "I'm Broke Every Winter."  Good luck being a good hand and moving up in a closed shop state, kids--not until you get lots and lots and lots more seniority.

[thundley4]

IBEW around here stands for, "I'm Broke Every Winter."  Good luck being a good hand and moving up in a closed shop state, kids--not until you get lots and lots and lots more seniority.

Every winter electricians are laid off from our local.  The ones with seniority have the year round jobs at the big companies as contractors.   To get into the apprenticeship program takes knowing someone within the union.

[98ZJUSMC]

2) Nads of Arc

 

That's.  Funny.

[Airwolf]

Pervasive security cameras have certainly put a damper on the bloody massacre business.

 

One of the local Wal Marts near here have a police station built into the side of the building. Kind of hard to have a bloody protest if the cops are already on site.

[98ZJUSMC]

IBEW around here stands for, "I'm Broke Every Winter."  Good luck being a good hand and moving up in a closed shop state, kids--not until you get lots and lots and lots more seniority.

Same thing around here.  All the expensive toys went up for sale and it was bargain hunting heaven every winter.

The days of 20,000 brakemen being killed each year are over

Exactly who is it that wants to take us back in time?

[DLR Pyro]

Some day -- sooner rather than later, I should think -- the one of the big unions is going going to be smacked by a well-deserved, easily proven RICO suit.

I just don't seeing that happen with this current administration

[RobJohnson]

The unions have destroyed more jobs at Wal Mart then they have ever protected.

I remember the good old days when Wal Mart had their own in house meat cutters. Then one store voted in the union.......

"I have always believed," Sam Walton wrote, "that we don't need unions at Wal-Mart." His company has gone on to demonstrate that preventing workers from having an organized voice is worth shutting down a department, worth shutting down an entire store, worth paying eight years of legal bills. Wal-Mart reportedly called the axing of the meat cutters "the ultimate union avoidance strategy."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/al-norman/walmarts-meat-wars-with-u_b_91757.html

[Chris_]

The unions have destroyed more jobs at Wal Mart then they have ever protected.

I remember the good old days when Wal Mart had their own in house meat cutters. Then one store voted in the union...

That was probably before that horrible brined meat showed up.  Thank God they finally got with the program and started buying beef that is edible a couple years ago.

[SSG Snuggle Bunny]

I just don't seeing that happen with this current administration

I'm thinking state AG.

[GOBUCKS]

The unions have destroyed more jobs at Wal Mart then they have ever protected.

I remember the good old days when Wal Mart had their own in house meat cutters. Then one store voted in the union.......

I see nothing wrong with how WalMart has their meat cut.

The selection, size, thickness, freshness of the cuts looks good to me.

If the price is a few cents cheaper by the current method, that's even better.

It would be nice if they had fresh seafood like other stores.

And it would be nice if they gave their grocery employees smocks or something - they look like homeless bums.

[Carl]

Unions failed when they became political power brokers and extortionists.
Suck on it DUmbasses,both you and they are too stupid to see it.

[Skul]

Nice little story a freind sent...


A union boss walks into a bar next door to the factory and is about to order a drink to celebrate Obama’s victory when he sees a guy close by wearing a Romney for President button and two beers in front of him. He doesn't have to be an Einstein to know that this guy is a Republican. So, he shouts over to the bartender so loudly that everyone can hear, "Drinks for everyone in here, bartender, but not for the Republican."

Soon after the drinks have been handed out, the Republican gives him a big smile, waves at him, then says, "Thank you!" in an equally loud voice. This infuriates the union boss.

So the union boss once again loudly orders drinks for everyone except the Republican. As before, this does not seem to bother the Republican. He continues to smile, and again yells, "Thank you!"

So just to make his point one more time, the union boss once again loudly orders drinks for everyone except the Republican. But, as before, this does not seem to bother the Republican. He continues to smile, and again yells, "Thank you!"

Frustrated, the union boss asks the bartender, "What the hell is the matter with that Republican? I've ordered three rounds of drinks for everyone in the bar but him, and all the silly ass does is smile and thank me. Is he nuts?"

"Nope," replies the bartender. "He owns the place.

[DLR Pyro]

I'm thinking state AG.

can a state AG initiate a RICO case?  I thought it was only done at the federal level.

[Chris_]

can a state AG initiate a RICO case?  I thought it was only done at the federal level.

If the state has their own RICO laws, yes.