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Amazon Installs Sign in Warehouse Urging Workers Not to Sign Union Cards (engadget.com) 129

Posted by EditorDavid from the sign-sign-everywhere-a-sign dept.
Engadget reports that Amazon has installed a slick, high-tech sign in its warehouse in upstate New York with a message for employees: don't sign a union card: The carousel of anti-union posters went up Friday and cycles between approximately seven different slides, each actively discouraging workers from signing a union card. "It's on a constant loop while people punch in and punch out of their shifts," [one employee] said, "[when] they go on their breaks, or they go on their lunch. Any time that we're going to be up towards the front." Amazon has been known to post signage meant to discourage unionization at other facilities. As Vice reported in March, workers at JFK8 in Staten Island, New York were treated to an array of posters with circumspect slogans like "Is union life for me?" and "Will the [Amazon Labor Union]'s voice replace mine?" The signage at ALB1 appears to represent the most forceful tack the company has taken in expressing its disdain for an organized workforce. The company also has a track record of breaking labor laws and frustrating organizing efforts: firing or otherwise retaliating against workers, preventing workers from handing out pamphlets, and interfering with a union election. Behind closed doors, the company also planned a smear campaign against a prominent organizer.
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Amazon Installs Sign in Warehouse Urging Workers Not to Sign Union Cards More

Amazon Installs Sign in Warehouse Urging Workers Not to Sign Union Cards

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  • "Will the Union's voice replace mine?" (Score:5, Insightful)

    by AmazingRuss ( 555076 ) on Sunday July 17, 2022 @06:33PM (#62710546)
    You don't have one now, so no.

    • Re:"Will the Union's voice replace mine?" (Score:5, Informative)

      by splutty ( 43475 ) on Sunday July 17, 2022 @07:46PM (#62710720)

      I always find these threads/discussions highly amusing. Because all the arguments I see people posting against unions need an asterisk "In the US".

      People from the rest of the world are basically looking at that and going "Sorry what?"

      • In my readings about union relationships around the world, I think that somehow, the USA has managed to earn its asterisk.

        Basically, I think that unions in the USA have some bad powers and cultures. I'm not entirely sure what it is, talking about the powers and goals of many different unions and differing laws regarding them around the world gets complicated.

        Though I think one of the critical ones is the "closed shop", where it is mandated that you join the union if you work there(at least in select job ty

        • We do have that, we call it right to work, and progressives hate it. They call it a "free rider problem" even though union contracts and wages are separate from non-union contacts and wages within the same company, so I'm not sure exactly what kind of "free ride" they're getting.

          I live in a right to work state, and there are still unions here, so I'm not sure why Democrats are hell bent on demanding that ALL employees pay dues to a union, regardless of whether they're a member or benefit in any way from a u

          • Free ride problem (Score:4, Interesting)

            by Firethorn ( 177587 ) on Monday July 18, 2022 @02:05AM (#62711248) Homepage Journal

            From what I've heard, the "free rider" problem is that said people tend to get the same benefits union members get. So if the union fights for pay, for example, people who aren't in the union tend to see the pay increase as well. If they successfully fight for better work breaks or lunch periods, then the non-union workers tend to get that as well. Same with healthcare, retirement programs, etc...

            But then, a lot of this stuff is offered anyways, where when they do analysis of union vs non-union shops, they end up a lot closer together, especially once you deduct the union dues non-union workers don't need to pay. Also consider that a lot of the above is mandated by federal and state laws anyways.

            Ergo, the union likes to claim that they got their workers benefits that they would have gotten anyways. So it can get complicated.

            Personally, I think that unions should re-invent themselves to be more about supporting the worker in ways independent than maintaining an adversarial relationship with the employers.

            For example, what if the union(with criminals removed) handled retirement benefits in the worker's best interests? So, for example, companies couldn't raid the pension funds, because the union has them? I've heard complaints that businesses don't like training people any more. So what if the union did that? What if hte union provided the medical care options? Etc...

            • Re:Free ride problem (Score:4, Insightful)

              by ShanghaiBill ( 739463 ) on Monday July 18, 2022 @04:56AM (#62711472)

              For example, what if the union(with criminals removed) handled retirement benefits in the worker's best interests?

              We've already don't that. The result was that the criminals were not removed, and the unions didn't look out for the worker's best interests. The pensions were plundered and used to build casinos in Las Vegas.

              Pensions should be managed by financial professionals with a fiduciary duty to be responsible, not by unions.

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by jlar ( 584848 )

              For example, what if the union(with criminals removed) handled retirement benefits in the worker's best interests? So, for example, companies couldn't raid the pension funds, because the union has them? I've heard complaints that businesses don't like training people any more. So what if the union did that? What if hte union provided the medical care options? Etc...

              In my country pension funds are never controlled by companies (I think it may be illegal since it never happens). They simply transfer the agreed pension rate to the pension fund every month. But you are the actual customer of the pension fund (which also provide some insurance services). That is a much better solution than letting unions handle your pension funds.

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by whitroth ( 9367 )

              So, you actually don't know anything about unions, do you? You don't know that they *have* pension plans?

              • I know *some* of them have pension plans.

                That was part of my statement - I know unions, including what they do, is all over the place.

                I'm sure some have pension plans. Many don't, at least in the USA.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by whitroth ( 9367 )

            That would be a right-to-be-fired state. And do you even understand why union members would be pissed off at you, scum, for being a free rider?

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by shanen ( 462549 )

              Pretty sure you're feeding a troll, but it seems to have been the comment that came closest to the apparently forbidden word "scab". The notion of "right to scab" is broken, but maybe "right to be selfish scum" would work?

              But don't look at me. I'm looking for sustainable equilibriums and win^n solutions, but these days all the smart money is gambling on unicorns crashing into (or out of?) gold mines.

            • Do the unions get pissed off at the non-Union workers because it disproves their assertion that employers will always pay the very least they can get away with, and in this case employers are not doing that (since they could easily pay non-union workers less)?

              • I remember when they looked at union auto workers in Detroit and non-union auto workers down south, and the non-union workers were making more money on average.

                Because the factories there were more productive, not needing to worry about strikes crashing productivity for weeks/months, they could afford to pay more.

            • Because I've never worked in a union shop, I make a lot more money than the typical union employee, and the one time I applied for a job that was at a union shop they told me they couldn't offer more than they were because the union contract forbade it for "junior" employees, so I went somewhere else without a union that paid more?

              Yeah, if I were a union boss, I'd be pissed at me too for not accepting their lower contracted rate and not allowing them to skim off of the top of my pay.

        • Meh unions do screw up stuff down here from time to time. (Belgium) But so does management. I think they call it taking a well calculated risk. It is not an exclusive privilege for the upper management.
          Right now, my union is doing a campaign against work pressure, which I think is undeserved. I actually had quite a discussion about this with a rep. Can't blame management for something that is out of their control. But management screwed up the communication about the topic. Big time. Then on the other han

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by whitroth ( 9367 )

          Because we've had 40+ years of extreme anti-union propaganda... gee, just like Amazon is doing with these signs.

          And you're trying to tell me unions are worse than employers, with currently (after inflation) falling wages, while the execs and vulture capitalists profits, bonuses, and salaries soar?

          • Did I actually say that unions are worse than employers? Or did I say that the actual situation is complex?

            Remember, I didn't say that unions are bad, merely that they have a bad power balance in the USA. Like anything, proper optimization is a must, and I think the USA has reached a bad optimization; unions are not as good as they could be.

            Note that I phrased it in a way that they need to please workers more.

      • Re:"Will the Union's voice replace mine?" (Score:4, Interesting)

        by bloodhawk ( 813939 ) on Monday July 18, 2022 @12:54AM (#62711146)
        In Australia here, Union thuggery and screwing of its members is not just a US thing.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by 3247 ( 161794 )

        I always find these threads/discussions highly amusing. Because all the arguments I see people posting against unions need an asterisk "In the US".

        People from the rest of the world are basically looking at that and going "Sorry what?"

        It's the same in Germany when people want to form a works council. Well, maybe not that blatantly, but employers still discourage it.

      • From all the stories I hear from Europeans about US worker rights versus those in Europe, I am confused why Europeans would need unions.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by splutty ( 43475 )

          A lot of worker laws are *because* of unions. And that job is really never done.

          Also funny fact about most of the EU. Both employers and employees have unions.

    • Yeah this is fucked up and it makes me wonder who is stupid enough to fall for this. If you're warehouse worker 3478 why did you think you had a voice. Amazon expects you will be either worked until injury or find a better job within a year or so. Their attrition rate is 150% annually! 3% of the workers quit weekly.

  • Uhhh ... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Freischutz ( 4776131 ) on Sunday July 17, 2022 @06:33PM (#62710552)
    Dear taker, always remember that little old you, all by your lonesome, have a much stronger negotiating position against my soulless mega corporation than you and thousands of your pathetic taker friends would have if you pooled your resources and negotiated together.
    -- Jeffrey Preston Bezos

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by fermion ( 181285 )
      It is like back when the country needed coal to run. It was critical that workers sacrifice their lives for the good of country. And as the average coal miner chose to forgo an education for a quick paycheck, and there was always a new supply pf 18 year old boys to replace the dead 30 year old workers, there was a natural rhythm. Then, of course, coal miners started living longer, and unions.

      Now we need cheap fulfillment workers. I mentioned when I was young UPS managed some of this, loading trucks, by pa

      • ... sacrifice to the free market.

        Working for minimum wage, dying young and leaving a family penniless, means the "free market" destroyed more than one life. Originally, it wasn't the boss paying that bill but other miners. Making everyone responsible means your choices are baby-killing and ritualistic suicide, child-slavery and prostitution, or compensation for loss of husband/father and income.

        • ... sacrifice to the free market.

          Working for minimum wage, dying young and leaving a family penniless, means the "free market" destroyed more than one life. Originally, it wasn't the boss paying that bill but other miners. Making everyone responsible means your choices are baby-killing and ritualistic suicide, child-slavery and prostitution, or compensation for loss of husband/father and income.

          And none of that is relevant, even the pathetic social safety net of the USA prevents that. You merely cite a past history.

          What the workers of the era you speak of considered to be their problems, their solutions were effectively codified into law over the decades. What they considered problems were solved. Unions then changed without a real mission. Today's unions strive to serve union management, not the workers, according to my grandfather who was a 40+ year IBEW member. He referred to the old histori

        • Mmm... is child-slavery and prostitution still available?

          What? Why is everyone looking funny at me? That's the options, and the other ones don't sound too appealing to me.

      • It is like back when the country needed coal to run.

        No it is not. In those days unions served a purpose. However the unions won that long ago war, all the important labor stuff has been codified into law for decades. But the non-worker professional management and professional staffers did not want to find new jobs. So the mission of the unions became to protect and promote the unions. According to my grandfather who was a 40+ year IBEW member, the unions no longer represent the workers, they represent the union leaderships own interests only. That the unions

        • It is like back when the country needed coal to run.

          No it is not. In those days unions served a purpose. However the unions won that long ago war, all the important labor stuff has been codified into law for decades. But the non-worker professional management and professional staffers did not want to find new jobs. So the mission of the unions became to protect and promote the unions. According to my grandfather who was a 40+ year IBEW member, the unions no longer represent the workers, they represent the union leaderships own interests only. That the unions were just another racket no better than corporate management. Today's unions are not the unions of the 1930s and earlier, that's just the myth they sell. Buyer beware.

          Then get off your ass, take the union back, turn it back into what it should be. Don't just sit on your butt and whine. As long as there are people who are working three jobs and still can't even afford basic medical insurance there is still a role for worker unity and exercising mass bargaining power when dealing with soulless mega corps run by sociopathic Any Rand fans who think their net-worth makes them a superior class of human being.

          • It is like back when the country needed coal to run.

            No it is not. In those days unions served a purpose. However the unions won that long ago war, all the important labor stuff has been codified into law for decades. But the non-worker professional management and professional staffers did not want to find new jobs. So the mission of the unions became to protect and promote the unions. According to my grandfather who was a 40+ year IBEW member, the unions no longer represent the workers, they represent the union leaderships own interests only. That the unions were just another racket no better than corporate management. Today's unions are not the unions of the 1930s and earlier, that's just the myth they sell. Buyer beware.

            Then get off your ass, take the union back, turn it back into what it should be.

            Again, the important things that workers fought for were codified into law. The union's mission ended in victory at that point.

            Don't just sit on your butt and whine.

            I am not whining. I am pointing out the false image portrayed by referring to working conditions of about a century ago. Yes, unions were critical then. By the 1970s, no, they became parasites, politicians.

            As long as there are people who are working three jobs and still can't even afford basic medical insurance ...

            That's not a union problem, not a workplace problem, rather its a societal problem. Societal problems are resolved by elected government officials. Also you falsely portray the cu

          • ... exercising mass bargaining power when dealing with soulless mega corps run by sociopathic ...

            You think union leadership is any less sociopathic today? Generally, unions are not worker run in the USA. We have for decades had a professional class of union leadership. Their job, like the CEOs, is to enrich themselves off the workers and also to perpetuate the organization and their political power. They are every bit the power seeking sociopaths as politicians.

  • A footgun? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by jenningsthecat ( 1525947 ) on Sunday July 17, 2022 @06:33PM (#62710554)

    If I was an Amazon warehouse worker and had obvious examples of propaganda being crammed down my throat on every shift, I would definitely sign that union card.

    • If I was an Amazon warehouse worker and had obvious examples of propaganda being crammed down my throat on every shift, I would definitely sign that union card.

      I'd hack the digital signage to play Rick and Morty episodes.

      Probably get fired for it, but it would totally be worth it.

      • Re: (Score:3)

        by redback ( 15527 )

        hack it to display pro-union versions of the same slides. see how long it takes for them to notice.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by XXongo ( 3986865 )

      If I was an Amazon warehouse worker and had obvious examples of propaganda being crammed down my throat on every shift, I would definitely sign that union card.

      The very strong implication of that message is "don't sign the union card or we will fire you." Maybe you're sitting back, with a good job and money in the bank, and say "nah, they can't, you could fight that and they'd lose in court. Go ahead and sign it."

      Not everybody has that privilege.

      And... don't be so sure you'd win when you get fired. They will have an excuse that seems plausible. And they have more lawyers than you, and more expensive lawyers.

      • And... don't be so sure you'd win when you get fired. They will have an excuse that seems plausible. And they have more lawyers than you, and more expensive lawyers.

        I'm sure they do, but do they have more lawyers and more expensive lawyers than the National Labor Relations Board [wikipedia.org] does?

      • Right now, yes, everyone has that privilege.

        We may or may not head into a recession, but right now there is still a lot of places hiring that don't require any kind of advanced education that pay at least on par with Amazon. If there has ever been a time when someone who has to take the job as package packer at Amazon doesn't have to worry too much about their employment situation, it's right now.

    • and had obvious examples of propaganda being crammed down my throat on every shift

      The great thing about propaganda is the people pushing it have quite a significant control over the agenda and the people subject to it are often none the wiser.
      The great thing about propaganda pandering to the blue collar class is they are not usually smart enough to get wise about it.

      It only looks obvious to us.

      • and had obvious examples of propaganda being crammed down my throat on every shift

        The great thing about propaganda is the people pushing it have quite a significant control over the agenda and the people subject to it are often none the wiser. The great thing about propaganda pandering to the blue collar class is they are not usually smart enough to get wise about it.

        It only looks obvious to us.

        I was about to disagree based on my own experience of blue-collar workers, but I decided to check those Amazon signs first. You have a good point - the one that says "By signing a card or filling out an online authorization form, you are authorizing the ALU to speak on your behalf" would even make me pause. I think I would quickly realize that speaking on my own behalf would get me jack shit and/or fired and I would then sign anyway; but I can imagine that someone vulnerable who has been fed a lot of crap a

    • If I was an Amazon warehouse worker and had obvious examples of propaganda being crammed down my throat on every shift, I would definitely sign that union card.

      Was about to post exactly this. (Except the "footgun" part -- that's a new word for me. I like it! :-)

  • You would imagine anyone who works for Amazon and is not sure if they should sign up to join a union would be convinced now.

  • Photo of $500, 48" LCD screen on a wall. Engadget must have low standards these days.

  • correct me if I'm wrong (Score:5, Insightful)

    by argStyopa ( 232550 ) on Sunday July 17, 2022 @06:59PM (#62710620) Journal

    ...but isn't Amazon entitled to try just as hard as union organizers to lobby against unionizing?

    Afaik there's nothing illegal about a company asking its workers to vote against unionization.

    And not every info blast about the problems of unions is a "smear campaign"...in fact, calling it so is itself a smear campaign, isn't it?

    • Re:correct me if I'm wrong (Score:5, Informative)

      by jacks smirking reven ( 909048 ) on Sunday July 17, 2022 @07:05PM (#62710640)

      I mean, companies have taken it pretty hard against union oranizing in history: Battle of Blair Mountain [wikipedia.org]

      For that reason there are rules, some of them quite specific, for both sides in these matters with good reason to have them. Admittedly the rules are more restrictive for the employer but they do have the imbalance of power in these situations and they have earned over it over the decades.

      I am not sure if this way is illegal but there are certainly illegal ways for an employer to go about lobbying workers to stay out of a union. [nlrb.gov]

      • Yet this is no battle of Blair mountain, is it? Not. Even. Close. In fact, invoking that is comparable hyperbole to LeBron claiming he's "like a slave".

        And yes, I'll agree that there are certainly illegal ways an employer can encourage (compel) employees to stay out of a union, but that doesn't mean this is one of them.

        And that's my actual point: the article is entirely aggrieved as if ANYTHING a company does to counter unionizing is gross malignance which simply isn't true.

        • I can agree the article certainly seems to wear it's biases on its sleeve but it does specify that it asked about legality with the NLRB.

          On the other hand Amazon is earning it's reputation for being anti-union and while it's not Blair Mountain for sure it has broken the laws before and some might think they would easily engage in worse behavior if the laws were not already in place. Point of a little hyperbole is the illustrate employers earned having themselves bein legally hobbled a bit in these scenario

          • Agreed with your points generally, for sure. This COULD BE illegal (I truly don't know), it just seems to me a pretty low bar "how dare they ask people to vote no?" as if the very idea of disagreeing with a union is absurd.

            "...At a certain point one would think they would address the complaints that seem to be common across all their warehouses..."
            As long as there's a line of people trying to work there, why bother?

            The fact is that Amazon employment is the ditch-digging job in a tech advanced society where

            • The thing with companies and their anti-organizing methods is if you give them an inch they'll take yards and yards. The historical examples are numerous.

              As long as there's a line of people trying to work there, why bother?

              While this is true for now it may not be true tomorrow. There was a story on here a few weeks ago about how Amazon may be predicting to run itself out of available workers in the next 12-36 months, especially with their policy of churning the bottom 10% every year just because.

              I hate to say it, but they're paid what they're worth.

              Maybe but that is exactly what we have been telling workers in warehouse jobs,

    • Re:correct me if I'm wrong (Score:5, Interesting)

      by fermion ( 181285 ) on Sunday July 17, 2022 @07:38PM (#62710708) Homepage Journal
      There are laws. Mostly from when the robber barons called in the Pinkerton to kill the union leaders.

      • We're way more civilized now. We don't just outright kill union leaders. Instead, we slander them, destroy their credit, destroy their life and have them kill themselves.

        Mostly 'cause it's cheaper.

    • Don't anthropomorphise corporations. The only rights you should automatically respect are the rights of people. (And other living beings.) The 'rights' of organisations only have meaning where they further the rights of people. In this case, the overwhelming majority of people involved are Amazon workers, so you should not recognise any rights for Amazon to act blatantly against their interests.

      A company asking its workers to vote against unionization may not be illegal in the US, but that is a bad thing, p

  • All you need to know... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by xlsior ( 524145 ) on Sunday July 17, 2022 @07:05PM (#62710638) Homepage
    If unions didn't give the workers more power, then the corporations wouldn't be trying to damn hard to keep their working from joining one.
    The more they fight against unions, the more obvious it is that you should be joining one.

  • You know what's really sad? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Rosco P. Coltrane ( 209368 ) on Sunday July 17, 2022 @07:26PM (#62710682)

    It's that kind of shenanigans is even allowed to happen in any company in the US. Try to pull shit like that as an employer in Europe and see how fast it lands you in court.

    Why is the US so fucking backward in so many respects?

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by redback ( 15527 )

      the delusion that they have more freedom than anyone else.

    • Our culture was formed by the religious nutballs that got run out of Europe for being too nutso.

    • Answer: History of covert class warfare (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Somervillain ( 4719341 ) on Sunday July 17, 2022 @09:42PM (#62710902)

      It's that kind of shenanigans is even allowed to happen in any company in the US. Try to pull shit like that as an employer in Europe and see how fast it lands you in court.

      Why is the US so fucking backward in so many respects?

      We have a long history class warfare in the USA. However, it is often well disguised. Our elite are smarter than those in Britain or India or the Middle East. They live amongst the plebes and assimilate well. You feel like the person exploiting you is just like you and feel a comradery. Most of our elites, particularly in the South and rural areas are smart enough not to be snobs. It allows them to exploit their workers much more fully. When you're the nice man with the nicest house on the block, going to the same church as everyone, they're much more forgiving of you treating your workers like absolute shit.

      For example, make people focus on border walls and not ask..."well, why are people willing to come here Illegally?"...never seen a border nut actually care about the many American employers, mostly white, who hire undocumented immigrants. If there were no jobs hiring them, they'd never come over. However, if you're distracted and angry about poor Mexican families living in the shadow of the law, you're not questioning why you're working harder every year for a company with record profits who is never raising your wages and barely paying enough for you to live off welfare.

      Before immigrants, it was black people blamed for why you're losing your job or being overworked and underpaid.

      Once the civil rights movement made racism unfashionable, they tried talking about freedom and communism. There are so many redneck shouting how socialism is so terrible, but none of them know what it is. No one does. It's a vague term that means something different in each situation. They don't know the boundaries of socialism or if it will make their life better or worse, they just know it's bad. Nearly all of opponents of it would see their life improved significantly.

      You see the same happening with right wing anti-union sentiment. The opponents know in their hearts it's bad. They just can't give you a good reason. They don't understand it. They have been conditioned from an early age to associate with people they don't like.

      We all know why employers don't want unions. It means someone will actually hold them accountable to following the law, like osha safety laws. It also means they can't easily get by with making their employees live in poverty while they have record profits. Anything else is a lie. Unions mean workers are treated reasonably and given a better share of profits, nothing more, nothing less. All other stories are lies and propaganda funded by the very wealthy.

      Americans have had so much propaganda drilled into our heads that each individual is exceptional. Most poor people here don't want to tax the wealthy because they think they'll start their own business someday and be just as wealthy (even the ones who never have, never will, nor even have an idea of what they'd do). Most see themselves as a lone-wolf instead of part of a community. Each thinks...well, I'm different than all my coworkers. I'm special. Unions, those are for the takers, the slackers...I'm special. I'll be joining Jeff B on a penis rocket any day now. I hope he saves me a seat!...fuck those scrubs I work with! Those "unions" will just hold me back!

    • Because freedom is paramount in the US. You should be free to choose if you want to eat or have a roof over your head instead of being forced to do both.

  • All unions do is democratise the workplace a little bit. What's Jeff Bezos got against a little bit of democracy in his warehouses?

  • Which workers are we talking about here? (Score:3)

    by King_TJ ( 85913 ) on Sunday July 17, 2022 @08:19PM (#62710776) Journal

    If you're one of the well compensated software devs at AWS, I really don't think unionization is for you.

    If you're working in their "rank and file" at warehouses, helping box up inventory or deliver it? Yeah, it's probably time you get on board with the union collective. You're doing a job where you're just a number in their system. You really have no "voice" or "say" - despite any Amazon propaganda.

    For that matter? If you're stuck doing their call center work, as a "support" person? Screw 'em .... unionize if they don't want you to unionize. Who cares? You're getting treated like expendable labor anyway. I say that as a generally anti-union guy. There are some of these big corporations where big portions of the labor is just a revolving door of "chew them up and spit them out" employment, helping support the higher paying, higher-regarded jobs. Unions are a bad deal when you have valuable skills you can go off and use elsewhere, or via self-employment. They're good at squeezing what you can out of the big businesses who know you're doing a "dead end" job that they still need warm bodies to do.

  • By signing a card or filling out an online authorization form, you are providing the ALU your personal information.

    That sign.

    I think the irony there is so thick, I could pour it on an oiled skillet and make Japanese fluffy pancakes [theproteinchef.co] with it.

    • How is this supposed to impress a population that does all that on every social media page they use without getting anything in return? People don't give half a shit about their privacy or private information.

  • So this is how you know unions work (Score:5, Insightful)

    by rsilvergun ( 571051 ) on Sunday July 17, 2022 @08:56PM (#62710836)
    Companies wouldn't spend as much effort fighting them if they didn't. They'd let the employees make one and wait for it to fail. They can't do that because if they did the employees would learn to get them better working conditions and wages

  • They did zilch for bread and butter issues like compensation, benefits, work hours, work from home flexibility, tangible performance evaluation fairness... Their sole focus seems to be abortion (in California, where its legal till viability) and making sure everyone gets a correct pronoun. For that, they are asking for 1% total compensation as dues. I would gladly accept being called "it" at work in exchange for 1% raise, so not impressed.

  • Amazon clearly wants their workers to form a union, everything they're doing is pushing them in that direction.

  • Unions are a band-aid to capitalism. Capitalism has inherent flaws. It optimizes to pay labor less, do more with fewer workers, and consume environmental resources that cannot be replaced.

    Unions are not going to fix these inherent problems. Unions do not do what they claim to be doing. But as long as these problems in capitalism exist, someone will be persuaded that unions are a good idea.

    I don't know how to "fix" capitalism aside from ending humanity. But I'm open to ideas.

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