All of these strikes and carry-on, makes a good argument for automation and AI.

Also makes the case that the American people should refuse to bail out these companies anymore in the future and cut their welfare.

I got no love for the striking auto workers, looking at what they make and any footage I've seen they work an easy bitch job, get lost get out of my news feed get a real job.

Fun line from an interview with the CEO of Salesforce this week, one of the people who first demanded people return to the office.

"I'm a remote worker. I've always been a remote worker my whole life. I don't work well in an office, it just doesn't work with my personality."

Most execs never returned to the office, claiming similar things that their jobs is just easier being done remotely.

///

Also tech companies now looking to rehire everyone they fired at the start of the year to drive up their stocks.

Sept 16, 2023 0:32:23 GMT Neo Zeed said:

I got no love for the striking auto workers, looking at what they make and any footage I've seen they work an easy bitch job, get lost get out of my news feed get a real job.

I do, fuck the man. Always.

MAJOR software platform Unity likely to collapse entirely in the near future. They did a standard max short term corporate profit strategy by trying to add a per install charge for using their platform. Execs sold stock beforehand so they knew this was a bad idea, but tried to ram it through anyway. Devs are revolting, some moving games they are working on to new platforms, others saying they will remove existing games using the platform from the market before the fee goes through. Thousands of mobile games deactivated their ads through the platform in protest as well.

Employees are also pissed with one sending a death threat to the CEO, and dozens quitting in protest.

Publishers have openly stated that they may no longer publish games made in Unity as well.

Company is not profitable as it is, and this should be the deathblow of it. Mark the end of an era, as Unity in the end was what killed Flash. Alternatives rising are Unreal 5 and open source platforms, with Unreal 6 coming.

Reports are the big three automakers will be laying off non-union members during the strike. The people striking will be safe from layoffs since they are union.

Tell me again why unions are bad?

Even the shitty retail unions are better than none at all.

"They just take our dues and do NOTHING. Besides all they do is protect shitty workers!"

So they do nothing but also protect jobs... which is it?

Most of the anti-union people I come across aren't involved, don't read the contract, don't attend meetings, refuse to file grievances or do anything off the clock and just tap out if their steward isn't doing a good job. Not saying doing all of that will gift you 100k/32 hr work week from jump... but it's not helping.

It frustrates me to no end walking in and seeing management doing clerk work, they won't file grievances and then shocked pikachu face when the same clerks cry about needing more bodies. You can't make this shit up.

The contract + precedence saves a lot of jobs because it requires management to back things up in writing and they are either too lazy/arrogant to do. They count on ignorance and sadly they're winning...

Yup, almost without fail too union jobs are paid more than non-unions jobs in the same field and area. Contracted fixed pay increases pay a lot more than open performance based ones.

Sept 8, 2023 9:11:36 GMT mikec said:

Sept 8, 2023 5:33:45 GMT Gyro LC said:

Was not coming in because of illness framed in a self-centered way or was it more for the well-being of the office. I wouldn’t go in if I was sick because I didn’t want to get others sick. Me losing one or two days was better for the company that me getting multiple people sick and them being out.

It was definitely framed from his point of view. He was talking about someone who had come in with a cold because she had assignments to complete and he was like “nope the work will just have to get done without me”

Speaking as an older millenial who is going through some changes at work, I completely get that guy. We're in do-more-with-less cheerleader mode and when someone calls out sick and so we're down yet another body, my stance is 'manage your expectations accordingly' -- I'll do what I can to bridge the gap but I ain't getting white hairs so this place can save some bucks.

Sept 17, 2023 0:24:09 GMT Michinokudriver said:

Sept 8, 2023 9:11:36 GMT mikec said:

It was definitely framed from his point of view. He was talking about someone who had come in with a cold because she had assignments to complete and he was like “nope the work will just have to get done without me”

Speaking as an older millenial who is going through some changes at work, I completely get that guy. We're in do-more-with-less cheerleader mode and when someone calls out sick and so we're down yet another body, my stance is 'manage your expectations accordingly' -- I'll do what I can to bridge the gap but I ain't getting white hairs so this place can save some bucks.

I may not have articulated that well. He was saying he wouldn’t have come to work with a cold like the other woman had done.

Sept 16, 2023 21:53:23 GMT @ness said:

Even the shitty retail unions are better than none at all.

"They just take our dues and do NOTHING. Besides all they do is protect shitty workers!"

I can only speak on Australian unions and yes, this is very much how a lot of people feel about unions. 

I'll get to that in a sec.. 

Most big business, especially the big retailers I can talk to, have all their ducks in a row so well that policy is almost pro-employee. These big companies are doing so much to be seen doing absolutely everything they can around supporting team, well-being, equality, diversity. In addition to paying them above the industry standard award rates and entitlements. Legally, they're rock solid. 

So, usually the only time you see a union delegate is when you're performance managing, reprimanding or firing a bad employee - and for along time they'd sit there and die on a hill defending some of the worst human-beings in the world by arguing semantics, pivoting, deflecting, quoting bullshit propaganda ( common-law.. Nuremberg trials... I've heard it all ) and throwing bait - hoping you'd slip up. The game-plan is to remind them, that the role of a support person - regards of whether they represent a union - is to remain silent, speak when spoken to, support the worker, and that they are not to act as an advocate. It's like watching your dog at the back door trying to get in on a cold winter's night. Their goal is just to pro-long the talks as much as possible to wear you down, and because no-one likes doing this sort of stuff, it can sometimes lead to weaker leaders looking for an easier solution rather than the correct one.

The big trade union in Australia - The CFMEU, especially the Victoria branch is a corrupt group of thugs headed by a quasi-underworld figure who has lead strike action against builders for such things as " CFMEU stickers not being allowed on building sites "

Currently, the CFMEU is facing more than 30 cases for alleged coercion and illegal strikes that could expose it to millions of dollars in penalties after a High Court judgement that bigger fines were needed to stop the union’s continued lawbreaking. 

The people it swears to protect - oh well, they did nothing during the Covid lockdowns, when the building and construction industries were shut down unnecessarily. In Victoria, you could visit a prostitute, but you couldn't work outside in the open air, usually by yourself and well outside the 1.5m social distancing requirements. You could go to a supermarket that allowed over 400 people in any building at any one time, but you couldn't attend a building site... Look at the images below. They'll strike over stickers on lunchboxes, but actually supporting their workers... nope. 

www.9news.com.au/national/coronavirus-victoria-construction-workers-protest-outside-melbourne-cfmeu-office-over-covid19-restrictions/c9cd743b-5334-4ebe-ab85-c1658adc4406

It might have something to do with the fact they're the militant arm of Labor's socialist left faction. A member of said faction since he joined the party in 1993 is none other than Premier Daniel Andrews. 

Union demands also shut down processing plants here locally, with excessive entitlement demands. Long story short, the parent-company of a nearby plant decided to kill the site off rather than be extorted. Vocal local idiots blamed the owners for killing off part of the local economy. The other 98% of people locally blamed the greedy sons of bitches making these demands for putting so many people out of work. 

Many people feel that way in the states too. But I am all for people fighting for their right to make less at their jobs. They want to make 10% to 15% less, have no retirement plan and be a fire at will employee more power to you.

Sept 17, 2023 10:37:10 GMT c said:

Many people feel that way in the states too. But I am all for people fighting for their right to make less at their jobs. They want to make 10% to 15% less, have no retirement plan and be a fire at will employee more power to you.

NATH45 is more than 100% correct about unions being self serving pieces of crap with no interest in any of their workers and only seek to advance their own interested.

But... I do see unions as a necessary evil, they serve as a balance to corporate excess.
They have too much power now though.

US Flight attendants moving towards a strike. Some have authorization and just need to start the Railway Act's 30 day advance notice period. Which would mean a strike during the holidays grounding entire airlines.

This is the cusp of either a massive recession... or... massive inflation.

This is where trade unions display their ignorance, where's the economic model on the impact to pricing?

They jack up the prices and it causes a recession the US taxpayer will just let them fail when demand craters. It does not cause a recession and just creates inflation, we jack up interest rates more. Companies want to fuck around, they need to be absolutely prepared to find out because the government is too fractured to do a bailout and people are more than prepared now to let them fail if needed.

If they need to cut labor costs than maybe they should look at the people making 9 figures a year first.

Talking with a person striking at a Ford plant, they said the non-union workers were all laid off. It a temp layoff, they the company may hire them back after the strike, but it is not guaranteed. Down the line the non-union people were laid off on the same temp layoff stuff but the union people not striking are not, and will be getting partial pay for the duration of the strikes.

So if you are union you are not working and getting pay from the union or partial pay from the plant. If you were not union you were laid off and will need to reapply for your old position when the strike is over. Believed if they come back they will be rehired with pay cuts since they have no leverage whatsoever.

Sept 17, 2023 14:36:57 GMT c said:

They jack up the prices and it causes a recession the US taxpayer will just let them fail when demand craters. It does not cause a recession and just creates inflation, we jack up interest rates more. Companies want to fuck around, they need to be absolutely prepared to find out because the government is too fractured to do a bailout and people are more than prepared now to let them fail if needed.

If they need to cut labor costs than maybe they should look at the people making 9 figures a year first.

Nobody is talking about "cutting" Labor costs, you're talking about jacking them by 46% as if it was a good thing and competition didn't exist. This is why there is ZERO auto manufacturing industry in Australia now, the Unions literally killed the industry along with the Australian consumer who wasn't prepared to pay a premium for a poorly made Australian car.

You could halve executive salaries and have almost zero effect on the cost of a car, such is life.

As I been saying, they are free to leave the US if they refuse to pay 45% over 5 years. That is the current industry standard for all unionized groups, based on half of what executives get over a five year period.

Sept 17, 2023 22:26:26 GMT c said:

As I been saying, they are free to leave the US if they refuse to pay 45% over 5 years. That is the current industry standard for all unionized groups, based on half of what executives get over a five year period.

See that's where idealists lose credibility.
If the Left can point to gun laws in Australia for an example of effective gun control, then you must also consider our experience of unrestrained union power which decimated our Industrial sector.

The issue with Unions is not solely their unrealistic expectations on wages, but their continual war against productivity, performance based bonuses and removal of poor workers.

Unions asked once again for performance based bonuses for workers and it was once again considered a non-starter. Which is where the the current numbers came from, the performance based bonuses given to the execs.

Poor workers can be fired with cause from unions as well. It is a myth they cannot. Sole difference is union workers are no longer at will, which means they cannot be fired at will and need a cause for termination, with documentation and proper procedures followed.  May be different in Australia, but that is how it works here.

As for productivity, another myth made to counter safety protocols. Productivity rises every single year in both union and non-union places. We just no longer see people dying at the job site as acceptable costs of business.

Sept 18, 2023 0:08:54 GMT c said:

Unions asked once again for performance based bonuses for workers and it was once again considered a non-starter. Which is where the the current numbers came from, the performance based bonuses given to the execs.

Poor workers can be fired with cause from unions as well. It is a myth they cannot. Sole difference is union workers are no longer at will, which means they cannot be fired at will and need a cause for termination, with documentation and proper procedures followed.  May be different in Australia, but that is how it works here.

As for productivity, another myth made to counter safety protocols. Productivity rises every single year in both union and non-union places. We just no longer see people dying at the job site as acceptable costs of business.

abcnews.go.com/Business/day-workweek-46-raise-uaw-makes-audacious-demands/story?id=102926195

Where have they asked for their wage increase to be performance based?

The fact that they are asking for 40hrs of pay for 32hrs work suggests that they are advocating a pay rise and a 20% reduction in output
Which is the opposite of a performance based pay rise.

They asked that the workers salaries to be tied to performance like the execs are. Once they were told no, they simply asked for the same hours and wage increases the execs get instead.

Since the 1970's almost no company will return to pay per task performance related compensation as it drops labor output between 30 to 40 percent while costs increase about 200% at least in the Stufflebean studies. The people who do less work now, do even less under that system, as does the average person. Moreso your labor force explodes as you can only have people performing limited tasks with no interaction. So what a group of four normally does you now have 12 people doing. Also you need supervisors who solely check counts.

Finally modern manufacturing does not work on this model anymore as you do not want a person just producing a small set of items everyday. And it is very rare anyone does a product from base to final product anymore. So either you have someone producing an excess of parts not needed, or force them to not work, and thus not earn any income because they were working at a higher rate than the line.

So no that system does not work anymore and trying to return to it makes absolutely no sense.

All of this is just nonsense from people who believe that people do not deserve a fair income because they feel they are better than these lazy workers they never interacted with. Ford and GE are free to remove these plants, move to Australia and implement a per part wage system. But they do not because labour costs are far higher over there.

Sept 18, 2023 2:33:13 GMT c said:

They asked that the workers salaries to be tied to performance like the execs are. Once they were told no, they simply asked for the same hours and wage increases the execs get instead.

Since the 1970's almost no company will return to pay per task performance related compensation as it drops labor output between 30 to 40 percent while costs increase about 200% at least in the Stufflebean studies. The people who do less work now, do even less under that system, as does the average person. Moreso your labor force explodes as you can only have people performing limited tasks with no interaction. So what a group of four normally does you now have 12 people doing. Also you need supervisors who solely check counts.

Finally modern manufacturing does not work on this model anymore as you do not want a person just producing a small set of items everyday. And it is very rare anyone does a product from base to final product anymore. So either you have someone producing an excess of parts not needed, or force them to not work, and thus not earn any income because they were working at a higher rate than the line.

So no that system does not work anymore and trying to return to it makes absolutely no sense.

All of this is just nonsense from people who believe that people do not deserve a fair income because they feel they are better than these lazy workers they never interacted with. Ford and GE are free to remove these plants, move to Australia and implement a per part wage system. But they do not because labour costs are far higher over there.

There is no industry as suited to performance based pay as the automation industry.
You can thank Toyota for that with LEAN manufacturing.

So as per your last post it is correct that they are asking for a 46% payrise for 20% less work.
To be clear you think that is a good idea? Is that what you would do if you were in charge?

Speak of the devil and he appears, CFMEU boss and general union thug John Setka is on TV this morning threatening strike action.

Sept 18, 2023 3:14:40 GMT iNCY said:

Sept 18, 2023 2:33:13 GMT c said:

They asked that the workers salaries to be tied to performance like the execs are. Once they were told no, they simply asked for the same hours and wage increases the execs get instead.

Since the 1970's almost no company will return to pay per task performance related compensation as it drops labor output between 30 to 40 percent while costs increase about 200% at least in the Stufflebean studies. The people who do less work now, do even less under that system, as does the average person. Moreso your labor force explodes as you can only have people performing limited tasks with no interaction. So what a group of four normally does you now have 12 people doing. Also you need supervisors who solely check counts.

Finally modern manufacturing does not work on this model anymore as you do not want a person just producing a small set of items everyday. And it is very rare anyone does a product from base to final product anymore. So either you have someone producing an excess of parts not needed, or force them to not work, and thus not earn any income because they were working at a higher rate than the line.

So no that system does not work anymore and trying to return to it makes absolutely no sense.

All of this is just nonsense from people who believe that people do not deserve a fair income because they feel they are better than these lazy workers they never interacted with. Ford and GE are free to remove these plants, move to Australia and implement a per part wage system. But they do not because labour costs are far higher over there.

There is no industry as suited to performance based pay as the automation industry.
You can thank Toyota for that with LEAN manufacturing.

So as per your last post it is correct that they are asking for a 46% payrise for 20% less work.
To be clear you think that is a good idea? Is that what you would do if you were in charge?

If that is good enough for the highest paid employees, why is it not good enough for the lowest paid ones?  As I said, these demands are literally anchored on what the executives and corporate workers are getting.  The people at the offices for Ford and GM are on four day weeks and getting the same average rate of salary increases.  They also mostly work from home, unlike these workers.  

If you did not want the people asking for raises like this, and four day weeks, do not implement it for the rest of the company.  

///


Kaiser Permanente / healthcare strike is growing.  More places voted to strike if a deal is not reached.  Moving towards a national strike. 

Sept 19, 2023 23:39:43 GMT c said:

Sept 18, 2023 3:14:40 GMT iNCY said:

There is no industry as suited to performance based pay as the automation industry.
You can thank Toyota for that with LEAN manufacturing.

So as per your last post it is correct that they are asking for a 46% payrise for 20% less work.
To be clear you think that is a good idea? Is that what you would do if you were in charge?

If that is good enough for the highest paid employees, why is it not good enough for the lowest paid ones?  As I said, these demands are literally anchored on what the executives and corporate workers are getting.  The people at the offices for Ford and GM are on four day weeks and getting the same average rate of salary increases.  They also mostly work from home, unlike these workers.  

If you did not want the people asking for raises like this, and four day weeks, do not implement it for the rest of the company.  

///


Kaiser Permanente / healthcare strike is growing.  More places voted to strike if a deal is not reached.  Moving towards a national strike. 

Maybe because giving payrises to 5% of the staff makes more sense than giving a 46% payrise to 90% of the workforce.
As there is less manufacturing in the USA it is not difficult to attract and train process workers, where there is intense completion for the best managers and engineers. 

I don't blame the workers for asking as long as they're prepared to deal with the repercussions of their decisions. 

Companies leave Detroit they will also need to be prepared to deal with the repercussions of their actions. Taxpayers bailed them out three times in the past 15 years. They fuck the workers they will not get a fourth one next time the GOP trashes the economy.

One more day of talks than Canada joins the strike. Same deal there, they are upset that corporate went to four day a week and upset their pay raises are still at pandemic levels while corporate get massive increases. They strike it will be against Ford.

///

Ford and GM will be out a 100 million a week while the strike goes on.