Striketober: American workers take to the picket lines

[Harpy Eagle]

https://econ.st/3ndRka6

THE PANDEMIC has been very good for cornflakes, and very busy for those who make them. With so many people spending so much time at home, cereal consumption has boomed. Kerry Williams, an instrument technician, says this has translated into almost constant overtime shifts at his Kellogg’s plant in Pennsylvania, sometimes as long as 16 hours a day. That would be hard enough. But what makes it that much harder, he says, is seeing Kellogg’s, one of the world’s biggest producers of ready-to-eat cereals, pull in giant profits even as his pay has barely increased. “We feel it’s time that this money trickles down to us because without the workers on the floor there would be no Kellogg,” he says. Mr Williams and about 1,400 colleagues at Kellogg’s factories around the country, from Tennessee to Michigan, have been on strike for two weeks.

They are far from alone. On October 14th about 10,000 employees of John Deere, a manufacturer of agricultural machinery, walked off the job in five states. More than 20,000 nurses and workers in California and Oregon with Kaiser Permanente, a health-care company, have voted to strike. Some 60,000 behind-the-scenes film and television workers were also set to head to picket lines, having voted 99% in favour of a strike, but a last-minute deal on October 16th averted that. Headline writers are referring to the wave of industrial action as “Striketober”


This article gives a good look at what is going on in America with the labor market.

I would ask that people read the article before the knee jerk "Biden sucks" post and realize this is a continuation of what we saw happening in 2018 and 19.

 

[Manonthestreet]

https://econ.st/3ndRka6

THE PANDEMIC has been very good for cornflakes, and very busy for those who make them. With so many people spending so much time at home, cereal consumption has boomed. Kerry Williams, an instrument technician, says this has translated into almost constant overtime shifts at his Kellogg’s plant in Pennsylvania, sometimes as long as 16 hours a day. That would be hard enough. But what makes it that much harder, he says, is seeing Kellogg’s, one of the world’s biggest producers of ready-to-eat cereals, pull in giant profits even as his pay has barely increased. “We feel it’s time that this money trickles down to us because without the workers on the floor there would be no Kellogg,” he says. Mr Williams and about 1,400 colleagues at Kellogg’s factories around the country, from Tennessee to Michigan, have been on strike for two weeks.

They are far from alone. On October 14th about 10,000 employees of John Deere, a manufacturer of agricultural machinery, walked off the job in five states. More than 20,000 nurses and workers in California and Oregon with Kaiser Permanente, a health-care company, have voted to strike. Some 60,000 behind-the-scenes film and television workers were also set to head to picket lines, having voted 99% in favour of a strike, but a last-minute deal on October 16th averted that. Headline writers are referring to the wave of industrial action as “Striketober”


This article gives a good look at what is going on in America with the labor market.

I would ask that people read the article before the knee jerk "Biden sucks" post and realize this is a continuation of what we saw happening in 2018 and 19.

But but Trump......pretty sure wages saw strong growth in Trump economy.

 

[Harpy Eagle]

But but Trump......pretty sure wages saw strong growth in Trump economy.

Did you hurt your lip with your knee jerk reaction?

I did not mention Trump at all....why the fuck is everything in the world about the POTUS to you people? The POTUS is not a god, they do not control all things.

I just do not understand

 

[Manonthestreet]

Did you hurt your lip with your knee jerk reaction?

I did not mention Trump at all....why the fuck is everything in the world about the POTUS to you people? The POTUS is not a god, they do not control all things.

I just do not understand

Obliquely you did. Ya also sidestepped fact

 

[Harpy Eagle]

Obliquely you did

Nope not at all. Unlike you I know that the POTUS is not a god and does not control all things.

Ya also sidestepped fact

Nope, I did not. They are all tied together. Wages were going up in due to the tightening labor market, happens every time companies have to compete for employees, but that same tightening labor market is what gives the employees the power to do what is talked about in the article, which you were too fucking lazy to read.

 

[Blues Man]

I've always been of the mind that if a person walks out on a job they agreed to do for a specific rate they should be fired.

 

[Oldestyle]

https://econ.st/3ndRka6

THE PANDEMIC has been very good for cornflakes, and very busy for those who make them. With so many people spending so much time at home, cereal consumption has boomed. Kerry Williams, an instrument technician, says this has translated into almost constant overtime shifts at his Kellogg’s plant in Pennsylvania, sometimes as long as 16 hours a day. That would be hard enough. But what makes it that much harder, he says, is seeing Kellogg’s, one of the world’s biggest producers of ready-to-eat cereals, pull in giant profits even as his pay has barely increased. “We feel it’s time that this money trickles down to us because without the workers on the floor there would be no Kellogg,” he says. Mr Williams and about 1,400 colleagues at Kellogg’s factories around the country, from Tennessee to Michigan, have been on strike for two weeks.

They are far from alone. On October 14th about 10,000 employees of John Deere, a manufacturer of agricultural machinery, walked off the job in five states. More than 20,000 nurses and workers in California and Oregon with Kaiser Permanente, a health-care company, have voted to strike. Some 60,000 behind-the-scenes film and television workers were also set to head to picket lines, having voted 99% in favour of a strike, but a last-minute deal on October 16th averted that. Headline writers are referring to the wave of industrial action as “Striketober”


This article gives a good look at what is going on in America with the labor market.

I would ask that people read the article before the knee jerk "Biden sucks" post and realize this is a continuation of what we saw happening in 2018 and 19.

With the rate of inflation we're seeing right now...workers are going to need substantial raises or their disposable income is going to be seriously affected. The problem is...continued inflation will negate any gains they make and everything Washington is doing at the moment is going to cause more inflation. It's a hard cycle to get out of.

 

[Harpy Eagle]

I've always been of the mind that if a person walks out on a job they agreed to do for a specific rate they should be fired.

Which is easy when there are 1000 people waiting to take their job. Not so much when that line is empty

 

[Blues Man]

Which is easy when there are 1000 people waiting to take their job. Not so much when that line is empty

It doesn't matter if the guy's not showing up.

Maybe it's time to automate and get rid of the deadwood

 

[Harpy Eagle]

It doesn't matter if the guy's not showing up.

Fair point, but at the same time the guy not showing up has been trained and has experience. Paying them a couple percent more so that they are happy seems better than closing your doors for good.

Maybe it's time to automate and get rid of the deadwood

Not everything can be automated. Try automating a nurse and see how that works out.

 

[Dekster]

https://econ.st/3ndRka6

THE PANDEMIC has been very good for cornflakes, and very busy for those who make them. With so many people spending so much time at home, cereal consumption has boomed. Kerry Williams, an instrument technician, says this has translated into almost constant overtime shifts at his Kellogg’s plant in Pennsylvania, sometimes as long as 16 hours a day. That would be hard enough. But what makes it that much harder, he says, is seeing Kellogg’s, one of the world’s biggest producers of ready-to-eat cereals, pull in giant profits even as his pay has barely increased. “We feel it’s time that this money trickles down to us because without the workers on the floor there would be no Kellogg,” he says. Mr Williams and about 1,400 colleagues at Kellogg’s factories around the country, from Tennessee to Michigan, have been on strike for two weeks.

They are far from alone. On October 14th about 10,000 employees of John Deere, a manufacturer of agricultural machinery, walked off the job in five states. More than 20,000 nurses and workers in California and Oregon with Kaiser Permanente, a health-care company, have voted to strike. Some 60,000 behind-the-scenes film and television workers were also set to head to picket lines, having voted 99% in favour of a strike, but a last-minute deal on October 16th averted that. Headline writers are referring to the wave of industrial action as “Striketober”


This article gives a good look at what is going on in America with the labor market.

I would ask that people read the article before the knee jerk "Biden sucks" post and realize this is a continuation of what we saw happening in 2018 and 19.

Well first they are lying. If they are working 16 hour days then they are banking a lot of over time.

Second, just because a company had a good yer doesn't mean they can afford to pay people inflated wages for the next five years.

Third, let them go on strike. The battle of wills seldom favor the worker

 

[Harpy Eagle]

Third, let them go on strike. The battle of wills seldom favor the worker

Depends on the number of people waiting to take their place.

 

[Oldestyle]

Depends on the number of people waiting to take their place.

Historically speaking...strikes tend to lead to manufacturing being "relocated" to a place where labor is both cheaper and more reliable. Not a great thing for workers in the area that loses jobs. Just saying...

 

[Harpy Eagle]

Historically speaking...strikes tend to lead to manufacturing being "relocated" to a place where labor is both cheaper and more reliable. Not a great thing for workers in the area that loses jobs. Just saying...

That is always a risk. I find it hard to fault workers for trying to get more.

 

[Blues Man]

Fair point, but at the same time the guy not showing up has been trained and has experience. Paying them a couple percent more so that they are happy seems better than closing your doors for good.



Not everything can be automated. Try automating a nurse and see how that works out.

The guy puts cereal in boxes how hard can it be?

 

[Harpy Eagle]

The guy puts cereal in boxes how hard can it be?

I would imagine that is not the only job there. Also, most things that can be automated have been already.

 

[Oldestyle]

That is always a risk. I find it hard to fault workers for trying to get more.

I'm not faulting anyone, Gator. I'm simply pointing out a hard reality. Textile workers in New England demanding higher wages caused that industry to relocate to the Carolinas. Then over time textile workers in the Carolinas demanded higher wages and those jobs relocated to places like Vietnam. As a worker you have to know these things.

 

[Dekster]

Depends on the number of people waiting to take their place.

Not really unless they have a factory somewhere else. The problem with food manufacturing strikes is that companies can have co-packing deals---basically they have someone else make some or all of their products.

 

[Harpy Eagle]

I'm not faulting anyone, Gator. I'm simply pointing out a hard reality. Textile workers in New England demanding higher wages caused that industry to relocate to the Carolinas. Then over time textile workers in the Carolinas demanded higher wages and those jobs relocated to places like Vietnam. As a worker you have to know these things.

I suspect they do know these things. They are taking advantage of the current situation. Now is not really the time to be moving production off shore....long line to get shit unloaded.

 

[Harpy Eagle]

Not really unless they have a factory somewhere else. The problem with food manufacturing strikes is that companies can have co-packing deals---basically they have someone else make some or all of their products.

That is a short term fix. And also that assumes that "someone else" is also not having labor issues. This is a pretty nationwide problem right now