I shared this image on facebook today.
A brief but good discussion ensued in comments:
April Unions made it illegal for children to work in the factories. But have unions lived past their usefulness? Remember, unions live off the working class. My brother paid Union dues when working in Canada.Excelsior!
Ronald I think the last time it might have been valid to ask about unions outliving their usefulness was in the 1970s, the point in history when global shipping became much more cost effective than it had been, which heralded in the massive wave of downsizing and offshoring effectively breaking labor's back.
Reagan firing PATCO was only symbolic. The days of labor were already numbered.
The question we should ask now: how long until we lose what labor won for us all before the 70s? We've already lost a lot. I mean, the forty hour week is something of a joke now. So what's next?
April Technology is next. Pretty sure transportation employs the most people in America. Within a few short years all delivery vehicles will be driverless.
Ronald This is true. And unions can do nothing about it. Really, I think we're headed in a direction such that the economy simply cannot provide enough jobs for people who want to work. What happens then? I mean, "get a job" or "get a better job," that's always good advice. But we're screwed when it's just impossible for millions.
We're moving into a new economic paradigm, if we're not already there, and the conventional wisdom on work is simply not up to the task of understanding it.
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