Union Busting: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

John Oliver discusses the mechanics of union busting, why the companies who do it face so few consequences, and what it really means when your manager wants to talk to you about “your attendance.”
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[@frocco7125]

Unions are a lot like condoms. If someone is weirdly stubborn about how you don't need one, you *definitely* need one.

[@t.h.8475]

Truer words were never spoken.🤣😅🤦‍♀️

[@GG-43]

And they protect you from some big problems

[@david2869]

and extensions to your car repair insurance

[@lowwastehighmelanin]

HAHAHAHA vivid but accurate

[@stevenp25100]

Yep. Because the risk of protecting all the bad dicks out there far outweighs better and more pleasurable sex for the rest of us. Actually a great description for unions.

[@madtonesbr]

At my last job our union dues were 1.4% of our salary a year, flat rate. They then negotiated a 30% raise for us to match the industry standard we'd been asking for for years lol. Well worth it

[@Michael0697]

This is the kind of thinking that people don't seem to get. A union gives you negotiating power. It gives you the collective power of the labor force to earn its worth. It costs money to allow such a group to exist, but in virtually all instances these groups fight to earn wages and benefits far higher than their non-unionized counterparts. Speaks volumes if basic fees dissuade individuals.

[@alastairhewitt380]

@@Michael0697 Yes, apply this logic to any social democratic policy as well. If the increase in taxes you pay is less than your savings from healthcare, transportation, housing, & education, then you should vote for those policies!

[@Sentient_Blob]

@@Michael0697 Short sighted people that for some fucking reason can’t understand paying a small amount of money to get more money later on

[@ericrosen6626]

While I agree that having a group to negotiate on your behalf is good, if I worked at a company that paid ~70% of the "industry standard", I'd probably have chosen to go to another company in that industry before waiting for years for the possibility of the status quo changing.

[@kitcoffey7194]

Like how universal healthcare wigout copays, premiums, etc., would actually LOWER most people's healthcare costs.

[@Entity-of-Justice]

That "Buy video games instead of unions" bit could've been the perfect time to bring up how exploited and in need of unions the video game industry is.

[@Wubsy96]

Plus, it perpetuates the negative stereotype that video games are childish / for children.

[@redjed100]

@@Wubsy96 Well, that video games are nothing more than escapist entertainment for all parties as opposed to made by people who worked their ass off, sometimes under less-than-ideal conditions. (And that’s the best case scenario.)

[@kazuma7232]

New episode maybe?

[@codzboy74]

Activision-Blizzard is trying to unionize, solidarity to them

[@whiskey_pink_42]

With Union wages, you could afford 3 or 4 Xboxes a year…and probably have better medical care.

[@hm2448885]

Congrats to the Staten Island Amazon warehouse for unionizing!

[@Nathan-dt2tu]

yup! now there's no reason for any one person to perform well, because they will never stand out as a person who deserves to make more than the rest of the team. Unions benefit the lazy fucks, and do nothing for the people who actually make a company run.

[@clayvision]

Guess what happened with it...

[@Thenoobestgirl]

@@clayvision bro don't leave us hanging...

[@dustyrose192]

@@Thenoobestgirl so far i cant find anything negative about it

[@Thomas998822]

@@clayvision ...its thriving, that's what

[@Hyde_Hill]

On a side note for anyone thinking about going to HR with any issues like this they are facing, always remember: "HR works for the company, not for you!"

[@WobblesandBean]

Yup. I got fired for reporting some harassment I was receiving. This is why I don't understand why so many blue states still have at-will employment. It's just a curtain of plausible deniability that companies hide behind to justify this BS.

[@MrFancyFingers]

I dated a head of HR for a large engineering company for three or four months and she told me every secret that she was told by employees. I was a contractor at that building and I knew everybody, it was so cringe.

[@godofdun]

This.

[@randomjunkohyeah1]

@@WobblesandBean “I don’t understand why so many blue states still have at-will employment.” It’s because Democrats as a whole still ultimately serve only corporations and the wealthy. They are a pro-capitalist party through and through. Even if not as brazen as the other side.

[@radnukespeoplesminds]

I dont know how HR workers live with themselves. Half their job is undermining fellow workers.

[@eastunder55]

"DID I SAY STOP WAVING?" That actor nailed the WalMart boss character.

[@jeffb158]

The Michael Shannon school of acting

[@kathywestergren1372]

Heh. I find it rather annoying to hear the argument about helping customers outside of your department. It’s never happened for me at Walmart.

[@johnswanson2600]

I worked for a company of about 500 people. We used to joke that if you ever needed the one of the owners/COO for something all you had to do was say in your outside voice "We ought to form a union!" And he'd immediately appear out of no where.

[@ethancook7943]

That’s perfect

[@albeon_draken]

"Union dues are around $700/yr." Oh no. The horror. For those who aren't mathematically inclined, that works out to about $0.35/hr assuming a 40 hour work week. If you manage to form a union and it gets you a raise of just $1.00/hr, it's already paid for itself nearly 3x over. Unionizing is just better. Period. I work at a hospital where the nurses have a union, but nobody else does. The nurses get 11 paid holidays, we only get 7. The nurses get to negotiate their salaries every few years, we get what they give us. The nurses are actually protected from the "thrown under the bus" trick, we aren't. Hell, the nurses' union even tried to negotiate a pay raise for ALL staff because they saw us being underpaid and overworked. Unions are good. The end.

[@SanFran51]

But they can get greedy. 😉

[@Cheshirestog]

Solidarity. That's what they fear. If everyone had a union, and we see another industry or store not doing right, we could strike in Solidarity till they get what they need. That is the nightmare for employers.

[@norishimogawa6125]

Out of interest, what is it that unions do to raise worker wages?

[@Cheshirestog]

@@norishimogawa6125 negotiate the contracts and terms of employment for the members. Put pressure on employers and if they have to strike. Though in recent years some unions are not run the way they should be. Unions also represent employees at meetings if needed, and any counseling..and represent them when issues of safety and health or going against terms of the contract happen. But again..some don't represent their members as well as they should. Smh.

[@deawinter]

@@SanFran51 Do you know of an example where unionized employees ended up worse off after collective negotiation? Because I don’t. Sometimes the gains aren’t as big as promised, yeah. And DEFINITELY some union reps are obnoxious. But the corporations are paying millions to make sure you doubt the very obvious truth: collective bargaining is better.

[@emmycarlstromulvling4997]

Never forget the time the American company Toys “R” Us came to Sweden and refused to sign with the union, expecting to be able to treat their employees as bad as they had in the US and instead ended up being boycotted by 70 countries because the Swedish retail union organized a strike. The union made sure they got no shipments to or from their stores, no money transferred via the banks, and no possibility to advertise in local or national media. They ended up being forced to sign the agreement giving workers better wages and safety. And *thats* the power of the unions.

[@kenpanderz672]

thats a damn hero story if ive ever seen one.

[@AnimeReference]

This is why Amazon can't make it here. That and Amazon drivers are paid like 50% of what local couriers make.

[@JordanMilly]

A very similar thing happened with Walmart in Germany - due to a mix of trying to engage in anti-competitive behaviour that was cracked down on by the courts, trying to force US-style customer relations training on their employees (which creeped out customers, because retail workers pretending to be your friend and smiling at you all the time is very strange to Germans), poor employee relations and trying to argue and fight with the unions constantly (where, in Germany, businesses and unions traditionally have very close relations, with unions being involved in most big decisions by the company), and basically not adapting to the German culture at all, they ended up making $1 billion in losses and had to pull out of the country.

[@reem3266]

WOW, what a powerful example of solidarity

[@hulagu3068]

Toys “R” Us also went bankrupt? so what was the point of that story?

[@mystbunnygaming1449]

The video I watched starting a job for Walmart told me that Unions could potentially negotiate a lower wage for me, and I'm like "um.... I work... minimum wage O.o"

[@evandavis7]

"But they could go down."

[@eideticex]

They could also go out to a football field and plant a literal tonne of sunflower seeds. Could does not equal will, does or even has any interest in doing so.

[@dontbanmebrodontbanme5403]

And as John pointed out, you'd want to say to them, "Wait, shouldn't you be for that then? You don't want me to join a union because...it would make you more money?"

[@paranoid9678]

well walmart did fail in germany i wonder why

[@wynnsworld]

Bruh... can't get any lower than MINIMUM wage smh 😂

[@manuelleluciani9208]

It’s baffling as a European . I just went online and signed up for my union and my employer could do jack shit about it . Actually they started treating me better once they knew I was in the biggest union representing our industry

[@joelthorstensson2772]

The reason I suspect we Europeans are so lax with unions is because there was a *massive* fear from 1917 onwards in regards to a communist revolution if the unions weren't negotiated with.

[@shronkler1994]

@@joelthorstensson2772 thats actually a really good theory. boy oh boy i wish america was on the doorstep of a communist revolution now :(

[@blackbird_entropy]

@@joelthorstensson2772 you make unions sound like a bad thing

[@joelthorstensson2772]

@@blackbird_entropy Believe me, I am *extremely* pro-union.

[@EmeraldLavigne]

I mean, the United States is not a civilized country.

[@sethmizrachi8337]

Rewatching one week before I go on strike with UPS for a fair union contract.

[@Hitesh.]

Good luck bro.

[@sethmizrachi8337]

@Hitesh. about an hour after I wrote that, Teamsters and UPS reached an agreement.

[@perteraboofolympus150]

Teamsters working under the shipping industry are awesome. Could use stronger leadership in our grocery side though start making Kroger and safeway ect. start to sweat.

[@WoodlandTrotter]

Hi bro. How did it go?

[@Mats-Hansen]

Being told to contact your supervisor because you hear the words "living wage" being mumbled in your workplace is the most American thing I've heard in while.

[@jackcovey1832]

Don't you mean "un-American"?

[@markoproloscic4492]

@@jackcovey1832 No, he probably means American, as in “America is likely the only developed county where you can hear that". Therefore "American"e

[@shannonhensley2942]

I remember telling my boss I'm leaving my less then $10/hr job for a $16/hr job. The quitting process went from I'm giving you a week notice ( training was starting and I wasn't going to miss it) to I get a week break before starting a new job. They tried to talk to me( a legal adult ) like I was 15 just learning how jobs work "you need to put in 2 weeks so that its safe to come back. Everyone comes back and you can't if you don't put your two weeks in." They shut down less than a year later. Lot a people lost their retirement.

[@massivetree7937]

@@jackcovey1832 No, they definitely mean American. And they're right.

[@JeremyCuddles]

Is this the cool "please give me a like" comment people use in Last Week Tonight videos? It's in literally every one and y'all love to give them likes. I am not even American but I find the "America sucks, haha" comments very tiring.

[@TimboCalrissian]

When you’re being hunted and are presented with the option of spears or arrows, choose the spears. They’re less likely to hit you and they’re throwing you a weapon to use.

[@Jamesthemerciless]

This is the comment I was searching for. The thought of being hunted by other humans really distracted me from the point of the video. It put some of my complaints and concerns into perspective. "At least I'm not being hunted!"

[@damatar]

@@Jamesthemerciless ...yet

[@TimoRutanen]

Not to mention the range being far shorter.

[@ChadBenjamin]

Arrows also have a much further range.

[@lucasoscar]

yeah arrows are also more cost effective and have better rate of fire

[@jamesburk8145]

"We're a family and you employees are children" is exactly how I view it if in an interview the employer says "we're a family here". It's a huge red flag, because in the hierarchy of a "family" they will see themselves as knowing what's best even when it's wrong and not listening to the newer or lower rated people in the staff. They view it as a "you live in my house you follow my rules" kind of way, and pretend to care about you.

[@ThisNameIsNotTaken99]

"We're a family" means "I expect you to put up with abuse and do shit for free"

[@basedeltazero714]

"We’re like a family, a dynamic famously without intense power differentials and with no tendency toward drama!"

[@CyberController-]

I love how the U.S has huge controversies over things the rest of the world just does automatically.

[@ALIGwedew62]

Are you sure about that, The US is the only country that i know where Union is popular among all worker yet in my country is frowned upon.

[@CyberController-]

@@ALIGwedew62 In my country, Unions are required if you have more than a certain amount of employees.

[@ALIGwedew62]

@@CyberController- Well thats UR country not my country , here if you want lets say higher wages in the places that you worked the only way that it can happened its just wait for promotion from higher up.

[@CyberController-]

@@ALIGwedew62 That sounds rough, you have my sympathies.

[@juicyfruit8640]

wHICH COUNTRY?

[@Pilot597]

Companies: “We can’t give you that $1/HR raise you asked for.” Also companies: We are going to spend $300 million hiring an union busting firm.

[@Godtierlee]

Icing on top, it cost like 1/hr to pay Union dues and you'll end up better for it.

[@ulti7100]

It's not the money, It's worker's rights.

[@lisandroestevez-inoa2405]

it’s all about consolidating power and honestly, let them do it, so they can turn around and say “why are most my workers quitting on a whim”

[@danitho]

@@lisandroestevez-inoa2405 but theyre not going to quit. The few that do are easily replaced with someone else who needs a job.

[@jerms_mcerms9231]

I know this is off topic but is any one else bothered by an (any u word)? It just seems so weird even if it's correct.

[@biscotchi1539]

As a union member, I can confirm that the ~700 usd a year for union dues is about correct (it's ~600 usd for me), but employers tend to leave out the part that for many unions, the cost of your healthcare is INCLUDED in those dues. I pay LESS for union dues that include BETTER healthcare than the cost of my WORSE healthcare when I previously worked for Amazon, without union dues. Edit: For those asking, the union I'm currently employed under is the Teamsters Union. At my current job, we pay a monthly due based on our hourly wage, which covers membership AND our healthcare.

[@UnderTheLuxury]

I am curious, assuming you have some knowledge. I started working night shift at a kroger almost 3 months ago. As of December ill be a full member of the union. I applied full time, work 40 hours minimum each week, when getting through orientation, paperwork and stuff they filed me as part time on some paper. But I've worked full time, haven't called off and even come in sometimes when they need a hand because schedules and management are kinda wack ive been told. I was told around the time of starting by a friend and family member that they are required to provide insurance and such if you work full time, while another told me that I was probably listed as part time to negate insurance. I myself don't know the rules in depth so any relevant info would be appreciated

[@northbound5493]

@@UnderTheLuxury tell your shop steward and manager whats going on and wait to see if either group cares about retaining you. the norm these days is to fire people without cause while in a "probationary" period

[@reinette_croissant]

@@UnderTheLuxury your friend and family member are right. If you're working full-time but legally listed as part-time, that is highly sketchy, and you should definitely talk to your union rep about it.

[@GroundZer0Mike]

This!!!

[@Daddykins303]

I worked in The Sheet Metal Workers Union in 5 different states over the last 15 years. Best insurance I ever had. Worst bosses I've ever had too.

[@Ani-rq7wv]

Watching this again durning the actor & writer strike. All I can think of is the executive who admitted on the record that their plan for the strike was to let people starve and lose their housing so they’d be forced to accept a bad deal. If/when I enter the job market after college I am joining a union. And if there isn’t a union to join I will fight to get one set up.

[@jasoncinema]

I worked in Electronics at Target from 2007-2008, and they showed us this exact video right before the 2008 presidential elections. We ALL walked out laughing at the stupidity of the video - like you would refuse to help a customer, even if it wasn’t your department! 😂 We were even saying, as we got back on the sales floor after the meeting, “Yeah, they hate unions because they help US - the workers.”

[@prashantsarkar821]

Imagine spending 300 million dollars on making workers' lives shittier instead of just using that money to pay them a reasonable wage.

[@donl1846]

"Only In America".

[@namonamo494]

well increase in wage cost wayyyyyy more just like some other thing; if they do it, it's not because it cost them the same/more ;)

[@Praisethesunson]

@@namonamo494 First thing you said. Correct. Second thing you said. Wildly off. It's more about power than it is cost. Keeping workers weak and unorganized doesn't just save money. It keeps power entrenched in a small pool of already wealthy ghouls. Ghouls that actively don't want to be held to account by the rabble who make the money they claim for themselves. Companies will run themselves into bankruptcy than yield their ill gotten grasp of power. That's how a class war works

[@potmki6601]

ikr. it's like they hate their workers. they'd rather make it worse for themselves then make it slightly better for workers. they are at war

[@Praisethesunson]

@@potmki6601 A war between the working class and the ownership class. Sounds like a war of classes. A class war of some kind.

[@nmarrs8539]

“Living wage” shouldn’t scare anyone. The fact that it does is sad on every level.

[@adrielsebastian5216]

It's like you're drowning and instead of rescuing you, someone threw you a paddle and shouted "keep swimming!" before going home for dinner. That's what "living wage" is, only good enough so that you won't die, because that will make your employers look bad in the news.

[@kayd9405]

@@adrielsebastian5216 they dont even care if we die. i watched someone get carted out of my warehouse and learned the next day he was actually crushed TO DEATH and we were forced to keep working. Noone got time off for it and the factory didnt shut down for the day. This is in the usa too.

[@cc-cc4499]

And the fact that it does in the richest country in the world is extra sad.

[@richardhedd3080]

Damn right!!

[@adrielsebastian5216]

@@kayd9405 oh man so sorry for that

[@geekgirl_luv4262]

It’s really depressing how little it surprises me that companies are paying ridiculous amounts of money to avoid paying their workers

[@scifirealism5943]

Because they want to perpetuate poverty as to maintain control.

[@happyarmadillofarm9026]

So grateful for unions! My Dad was in a union job all his professional life and it provided me and my siblings stability and a comfortable upbringing. Life could have easily been way worse due to a season of drug addiction my mother went through. Thankfully, we had Dad and stability through his good paying/good benefits union job.

[@Ink30]

Great😊

[@PeterKinney-fs6qo]

Union paid for lot's of the drugs

[@nethkenm]

An excellent example of the function of a union: My husband is autistic. When he worked in a school who had a union for their classified employees, he had a boss who was horrible to him. He contacted his union. They helped to mediate the conflict and witnessed the terrible treatment by his boss. He is now working at a school that treats him way better.

[@Rin-jz4ul]

It’s really hard to work as an autistic worker so I’m glad he was able to get his workplace in a union, I hope I could get mine in one too

[@CrusifoxMedia]

Can confirm. Also autistic and work as a unionized cleaner for a hospital. I feel much more relaxed and have no fears of being suddenly fired for simply being Autistic. It has done wonders for my mental health to not fear every day

[@somebonehead]

"My husband is autistic" So there's hope

[@nethkenm]

@@somebonehead well, we're both autistic but mine is fairly newly discovered

[@slevinchannel7589]

@Gilles of Fontaines Unions, Work, and Food-Shortages were all covered by 'Some More News', but enough, lemme stop recommending a specific Channel and recommend instead a whole 'kind' of Channel: The Atheist-Channel, which tries to counter Extremism, Radicalization, Trumpism, all this and more. Holy Koolaid and Telltale Atheist for example, wanna work with all of us together to tackle Problems. Just like Second-Thought.

[@seandawson5899]

My boss says staying up late to watch John Oliver is why I'm miserable every Monday, but it's really because it's impossible to go to bed happy after learning what I do from this show.

[@landonharris3875]

So it seems your boss is right

[@MrGolu1991]

@@landonharris3875 Aur tu bhi.

[@Kavriel]

@@landonharris3875 it's the content that affects op and not staying up late, but since he stays up late to watch the content the boss is kinda right

[@MrGolu1991]

Tohari Amma ko nachau.

[@FrankBenlin]

Tell him to pay you more so you can afford HBO.

[@erikaradcliffe3436]

I moved from America four years ago to uk where unions are not made to look like a threat to a business. You could probably ask any worker in your local ASDA if joining the union was bad idea and they would reply "no because I get a good wage, rights, paid vacation, and if I get sick I don't lose my job." My mother work as an RN for 38 years in America and they basically fired her because she had to get surgery and the surgeon who worked at the same hospital told her she needed to stay off work for two week to recover. If I was my mother I would of told my boss "okay so instead of recovering you want me to work on a post operative floor and when my stitch bust open you want me to bleed to death in front of all our patients." You have to be a literal rock not to see how beneficial unions can be.

[@zhonguocha]

I love all the union enthusiasm in this comment section. We gotta form unions, join unions, and actively participate in our unions.

[@splendidcolors]

I'm forming a tenant union...

[@stefanhoimes]

I've been a union member for over 15 years, and it's turned into something that I'm insulted for by strangers on the internet lately. Unions are essential to keep capitalism in check.

[@Praisethesunson]

Those strangers are either bots, idiots who bought the propaganda they are constantly fed, or people who are literally paid to keep labor unorganized.

[@TimErwin]

Decades of business owners convincing guilible desperate poor people that unions ruin businesses will do that.

[@brentwalker3300]

Bingo.

[@dontbanmebrodontbanme5403]

@@Praisethesunson The last one you mention (paid people) is happening all too often, unfortunately.

[@Charlemagne89]

Unions are the reason we have two-day weekends and don't work 12-16 hour days by default. If they did not exist, workers would have even less.

[@gweegoop7781]

I used to think Unions were just a blue collar thing. I recently joined the National Writer’s Union and it’s been awesome. Whatever your profession is, do some research. There’s a Union for everyone.

[@kenpanderz672]

everyone who works can benefit from working together with others in their same position for their shared interests. this is true for literally all things people do, not just what you do for work.

[@scottprewitt1693]

your*

[@alme4561]

Absolutely, but I'm happy being Non Union.

[@kenpanderz672]

@@alme4561 as long as you're not being anti-union, im happy for ya

[@makingitlookeasy]

How bad of a writer must you be to need a union ? Most online articles are flawed enough to believe they are translations.

[@monkeymanbob]

I use to be a union rep. Lot of the younger work force said they didn't see the need - "I'm a good worker, hit my targets, never sick" It took 2 dismissals due to sickness before they started approaching me because they were on a Level 2. We represented over a dozen cases for dismissal due to sickness and had every case booted out due to the substandard recording of sick instances and lack of return to work support. Alternatively I work at a place that had a company council, no union, the staff were very anti-union. They never had a pay rise in the 2 years I was there despite lucrative government contracts being won, targets hugely exceeded. But it was always next year

[@kekinshtein4912]

Currently in the process of forming a union at my hospital, our admins immediately started trying to keep it from happening. Tried to force another facility in the company to go through a separate union vote because they weren’t “technically” connected to the hospital that they are in fact, connected to.

[@elbr3376]

"a level of fearmongering only found in an abstinence-only sex ed course" having gone through an abstinence-only sex ed course, this is absolutely true.

[@slevinchannel7589]

Unions, Work, and Food-Shortages were all covered by 'Some More News', but enough, lemme stop recommending a specific Channel and recommend instead a whole 'kind' of Channel: The Atheist-Channel, which tries to counter Extremism, Radicalization, Trumpism, all this and more. Holy Koolaid and Telltale Atheist for example, wanna work with all of us together to tackle Problems. Just like Second-Thought.

[@macaronsncheese9835]

I have definitely seen significantly less fearmongering abstinence-only sex ed

[@AdrianMurillo-er3wn]

​@@slevinchannel7589i😊

[@anonymouse9105]

Worker: "Living wage." Employer: "How dare you?!"

[@ronniehopper2726]

Define living wage

[@userlog2474]

@@ronniehopper2726 Enough to live in an apartment with enough money to pay for rent, utilities, food, and some equipment like cooking pans, and an additional thing occasionally, like an electronic device.

[@ronniehopper2726]

@@userlog2474 so Mickey D's if you lived in a red state.

[@userlog2474]

@@ronniehopper2726 Probably.

[@ambriaashley3383]

@@ronniehopper2726 nah. Red states have VERY low minimum wages. All states do. $7.25/hr for Mickey Ds is not enough for rent, food, utilities, or any electronic device.

[@crazydinosaur8945]

me a Dane laughs in over 70% union membership rate

[@voiceofdistortedreason5998]

I've been in the Teamsters/Grocery union now for 15 years, my dues are $55/mo but what I get for that is worth waaaaaaaaaaay more. I have zero complaints with my Union, we are about to merge Unions with another large Union and we'll then have over 55k members. There's power in numbers people!

[@thecampbellcat]

I joined the union back in 1957 when I was 16. It brought me access to a scholarship and dental coverage. I benefited especially since my parents couldn’t afford dental care and my teeth were in very poor condition. While not all of the care could rectify the damage, I still have most of my teeth at 82. I also was enabled to get my BA, which lead to an MSc. Thanks union 747.

[@ptanyuh]

I only wish your generation hadn't ruined it for the rest of us. Your generation was very, very good at pulling the ladder up behind you, and then voting to ensure that none of us enjoy the same things.

[@randibgood]

@@ptanyuh Gotta play that blame game, don't you? Is it that hard to just be happy for the success of others? The problems in this country really started to snowball in the 80's under Reagan. His tossing the Fairness Doctrine out the window and demonizing unions, when he himself benefited from one the majority of his life, was what sped the snowball up.

[@randibgood]

Congratulations on your 82 years and your dental health! The education benefits you received were awesome, as well. I know I benefited from my union membership when I had one. It amazes me how much things have changed since the post-war era on the disparity in wealth.

[@tonyp114]

@@randibgood and who voted for Reagan? Which generation treats the Reagan years like a golden age? The blame is rightfully put here my guy

[@randibgood]

@@tonyp114 I didn't vote for him. In the 1980 election, I was 12. Also, I was not a "guy". Not then and not now. Since you seem to have a comprehension issue, generally when an historically masculine name is bestowed on a female, the "y" at the end is changed to an "i" or "ie". Beyond that, those fucking "labels" everybody uses for the various generations is really getting old. Especially when you have NO IDEA the age of the person you are attacking on the internet.

[@anonnymouse2402]

It's amazing how much money companies will pay to avoid paying their workers.

[@drylooped]

Not really, they employ entire HR departments in order to find legal loopholes to allow them to do what they want. Or pay money to politicians to strip down any real power Labour departments MAY have once had.

[@FirefighterBobby]

Pinkerton company is still healthy and functioning after all these years.

[@gomahklawm4446]

@@FirefighterBobby Just under a different name, same function.

[@spongeintheshoe]

Hiring union busters is a one-time deal. Paying workers is an ongoing expense.

[@MasterArchfiend]

The civil war was mainly fought because rich people didn’t want to pay the people who worked on their lands and that’s just one example. People with money will always do whatever they can to keep it. Despite, you know, no amount changing the fact that they become worm food like everyone else.

[@Lickity_Split]

I worked for Walmart like 10yrs ago. FIRST DAY of training there is a video they show you basically telling you if they hear ANY word of unionizing they will fire you and everyone involved for talking about it.

[@karlbassett8485]

Funny, I just posted above that in the UK I know people who work for Asda, part of Walmart. They have union reps in each store, a union noticeboard on the wall in the canteen, the union has meetings with the store manager etc.

[@LeviForWaifu]

​@@karlbassett8485wow. The country where everything outside London is as poor as Mississippi? (Yes. Look it up)

[@conquistadorrocket]

My dad told me that had to sign basically what was a yellow dog contract when he started working for Oracle back in the '00s. I was very surprised when down the line, my 11th grade history teacher started telling us that they were illegal. And today, so many people I encounter are against unions and demonize workers who are part of one (even though those very same people would benefit from being in a union themselves). It blows my mind

[@my3coins]

As a member of a union, I get paid $32 an hour to cook food. Free medical dental optical, 1 month paid vacation, and pto and esl. Dues are like $60 a month. Unionizing is always the correct choice.

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

Unions are only as good as the membership. If a person's union sucks, that's when you start participating in the process.

[@kitcoffey7194]

please describe your experience all over social media as often as you can. Americans need to hear this early and often. Unions are not taught about in history class at school anymore. please tell your story on social media as often as you can. thank you

[@dystopiaisutopia]

What city?

[@dystopiaisutopia]

I make $30hr as a concrete finisher in Colorado. Dollar raise every year until 2024.

[@my3coins]

@@dystopiaisutopia san francisco. Local 2

[@LauraIsPink]

I had to watch that Target video when I was training. It was so awkward because my dad was a union grocery worker. The reason we didn’t have crippling medical debt when my sisters would have seizures and be hospitalized, was because of the union medical coverage. Sooooo I was just like wtf???

[@RedHeadWolf117]

I left a store I worked at for many years that was unionized to work at Target as a manager. I used to be a union steward before so the switch was... abrupt for me.

[@aaronleverton4221]

"...our store..." Oh, yeah, I definitely recognise you from, which department was it you said you worked in again? Have seen you there every day I've walked through it on my way to the toilet, I'm sure. There's no way the actors used in these videos are SAG/applicable union members and even paid scale. More likely they're just on the books of whatever cheap, nondescript promo company was hired to produce the video for peanuts. Holy Crap! I was so totally wrong about that. How has the SAG not told its members not to take part in union-busting videos? Oh, right, because it wants its members to have work, even if that work is diametrically opposed to its own raison d'etre. Wait, how has the AFL-CIO not told the SAG that taking part in union-busting videos is the equivalent of crossing a picket line? Heck, was that script written by a WGA member? Because they've gone on strike twice that I can remember.

[@jnawk83]

who the fuck aside from hotels calls their customers "guests"?

[@ThirdLife86]

Naaah, you muricans don't need medical insurance, thats socialist and bad ! :D

[@kenpanderz672]

its almost like the company was lying for its own benefit. its so rare you never expect it. /s

[@8bitkitty222]

how do these giant corporations have time to force employees to go to anti-union meetings twice a week but not enough time to let their employees take a piss

[@Boomerang161286]

I've worked at a movie theater for almost ten years. We did our first successful secret vote to unionize in December 2013. The company dragged the whole thing for as long as they could. I quit my job in March 2019, and I never had that first contract. The funny thing is, 50% of their branches (including the other one in our city) had already unionized, and it had gone well, but they decided we were the last straw (probably because we were a top 5 branch in all of Canada) and fought with all their might to prevent us from unionize, or at least drag it long enough that most of the people that fought to unionize quit, so they wouldn't have to pay us... it was frustrating and sad.

[@WoodlandTrotter]

Which company was this?

[@girlwithaguitar24]

That last segment with the team leader shouting "I didn't say you could take a bathroom break" is fucking terrifying for how close it is to reality. When I was working at Target's call center, I literally had to contact my primary care provider to sign an ADA form to justify me taking more bathroom breaks than usual because a drug of mine has it listed as a side effect. Otherwise they would hold that against my performance, despite, you know, me not being able to control how much I have to piss.

[@sethbritton6970]

No, your boss was saying that he wanted you to pee all over your workstation and the workstation of others.

[@ChloeDoe666]

Anyone who attempts to keep workers from the bathroom deserve ALL the piss and shit all over their shit.

[@CyberGenesis1]

Fun Fact - The company that holds the XBox Call Center contract is the same way. You're allowed X amount of time/day for piss breaks. Our call floor held 700 agents, and 1 bathroom...on the edge of the floor. Took half of us longer to walk to and from than it did to actually piss...

[@snikerz5886]

I was working in a polymer factory last year and had the same kind of "supervisor". I had been having a stomach issues (dont eat hot pockets from a vending machine) and had been running to the bathroom a lot that morning. My boss knew, his bosses knew, everyone around me knew and all of them said it was fine since we usually cover for each other anyway. Apparently that didnt stop this guy (newly promoted day manager) from another area coming over bitching about my 4th time having to go in a 2 hour period. Bitching led to yelling, yelling led to pushing, pushing led to me laying him out in the parking lot at lunch. We both got sent home but after the dumbass called the cops I just walked away from the job. I'm a long haired Native American and could pass as a Mexican most days. I'm not getting shot over a country boy with a complex.

[@x--.]

I'm pretty sure they were trying to tell you to use a cup.

[@PhoenixBlade]

In the Carpenters Union you get training and certified in dozens of different skills, between heavy equipment operation, welding, and basic building skills. You get better pay, good health care, college credits if you go through the apprenticeship, and you're trained to be safe.

[@lindatisue733]

The quality is so much better. I have lived in a union built apartment for twelve years. It hasn't needed a single repair.

[@allinone-qz2gi]

My husband is in the carpenters union, we have really good health coverage.

[@jashanestone]

And if you happen to lose your old job most Unions will actually help you find a new job rather than leave you out on your own to search for another. How most people do not know this is INSANE!! And even scary.

[@rickkay9548]

I wish all unions were this great!! Sadly some are absolute trash and corrupt as hell.

[@gotit4cheap368]

But they could go down

[@ethnobotanyboy]

I worked for Target while they were playing this exact video. We tried to unionize twice while I was there. The problem was that most of us were part time and we're not eligible to participate in the union talks

[@KMCA779]

I was in one of those "but your wages could go down" unions. The extra .50/hr we got was entirely devoured by union dues... I'm still pro-union. I remember getting someone fired once when they told me that I couldn't carry my asthma puffer on me. I told him I wanted it in writing for the union to have a look at. He backed down, I reported it and he still got canned for it. Turns out it wasn't the first time he'd pulled shit like that and the union remembered.

[@justadad6677]

Literally how I got fired. After having worked everyday for weeks, I asked when I was getting a day off, so I could get to the bank. The supervisor said, not in the next 90 days, they were very short on lab technicians, since 4 quit. I said "wow, wouldn't think the union would agree on that". Two days later I was fired. I called the labor department, and the woman was really rude, straight up angrily telling me "what is wrong with you people, businesses have a right to fire whomever they want to". So even though I had looked it up, and it was illegal to make me work for 90 days with no days off. I let it go, what could I do, if the labor department tells me I am not in any rights. I eventually got a new job. pretty much right after I had filed for unemployment. Then I get a letter from the court, telling me they have hearing about the unemployment, since my old work place had refused to pay. I went to tell my case, and when they were asked why I was fired, they claimed tardiness. Which I knew instantly was bullshit, so I asked about those tardiness times, and then judge agreed. It was 1 min here, 1 min here, two min there, 1 here ... I will never forget the look on that judge face, he was furious. Needless to say, I won, but nothing came of it, since I have a new job. But it shows they do get away with treating people like shit ALL the time.

[@saltking2715]

its a crying shame that people have to work around the clock all days of the week, should be illegal unless its a serious safety issue to do otherwise. If the company is short on workers, not my fucking problem if the management is so trash and short sighted they cant fathom a bottleneck appearing. Its also the disgusting thing that usually they will go out of their way to fight former employees legaly, banking on the fact that they give up. I was so happy when companies and right wingers where whining that buisness couldnt find workers to hire, its called labor market for a reason bitches, if the conditions are trash why should someone work at your company? Also its a crying shame that workers got no solidarity, if i saw a coworker treated like that, would walk out of there, if everybody realized that they can do that and really grab the management by the balls, it would be a game changer. But in "i dont wanna pay for sick people america" everyone is on his own.

[@justadad6677]

@@saltking2715 It is illegal. At least according to our labor laws. However, enforcing those laws is almost impossible as people desperately need work to pay bills and survive.

[@saltking2715]

@@justadad6677 i amnot that knowledgeable about labor laws, but when my girlfriend told me that on of her employers factory plants was notorius for for working 24/7 cause the management said people are too slow there. She also said that its in your contract to do overtime if needed, which seems like a blank check for any amount of work you want your workers to do.

[@adamkalb1]

@@justadad6677 Then why pass a law you can not enforce? It is like making a promise you can't keep, because keeping that promise would encourage lots of people to get out of work, whether they are quitting, get laid off, or do something bad because they want to get fired for it. If only there was some way we could encourage people to NOT work around the clock all days of the week so they can protest better hourly wages from their bosses.

[@justadad6677]

@@adamkalb1 Oh they can enforce it. If they wanted to. But this is just one of the many reasons we say the system is broken. It works for the rich, it punish the poor.

[@PaulGuy]

I love the "dues" argument. I make 75% more _after dues_ than I did before I got into a union.

[@SystemzOverload]

tell me about it, had someone who was bitching once even AFTER the union helped him to not be treated like shit, after i told him "you know medical benefits and dental? yea get off it then since you bitch about it... enjoy working while pissing in bottles bud. no breaks for you." he for some reason didnt want to know me no more, along with got more miserable in his job lol

[@pvtjhon]

Ive been trying for years to get people to talk about ukraine. You dont care Mr.Oliver you wait for shit to get bad. Ishould kill myself. NONE OF YOU CARE

[@darylovaltine]

@@pvtjhon What the hell are you talking about?

[@googiegress7459]

@@darylovaltine I suspect it is a type of drug he is eating.

[@petervanschepen8809]

Yeah, and? Going from $20/hour to $35/hour /after dues/ is still a big fucking upgrade.

[@wayneigoe6722]

I work for a Dollar General store, and in our employee orientation/training we get on the first day, they HAMMER anti-union propoganda into us. In fact, I'm sure the regional branch I work at actually employed the one of the companies from this piece. Because the videos we have to watch about it are almost word for word copies of the videos... The best part is this piece came out the day before I started working there... So I found the timing of this piece's release just hilarious.

[@Xyz123Etc..]

“The pot calling the kettle a pot” is ingenious 😂😂😂😂😂 love theses websodes

[@thatone_dude]

I've worked at two companies that do the same thing. (I repair sewers for a living) the nonunion paid me 40k less a year, made me pay for my own insurance, also had no pension. My union job pays me 80k a year, pays my insurance for myself and my kids. I also have a pension. Laborers local 42 has has changed my life.

[@MrMephisto187]

LIUNA strong!!! 955 here.

[@geodez2959]

Congratulations on landing with a GOOD union.

[@jaycrabs420]

It also pushes costs higher for everyone else dummy! When your electric and gas costs go skyrocketing.... thank your unions that you love! And when you cant get a job because you will only work union jobs .... enjoy unemployment like all the other losers milking the system

[@nicolethorson8186]

Thank you for what you do!

[@MrBrown-wh7iy]

@@jaycrabs420 don't blame the union workers ,,blame the corporation that pushes the cost onto consumers .

[@masamune2984]

As a game designer/developer, working in an industry that could massively use more unionizing, telling workers in other industries to buy games instead of joining a union gives me all ends of the bizarre feelings spectrum.

[@pallascarter3109]

Yeah, I was kind of surprised they missed an opportunity to talk about the horrific working hours in the video game industry, actually. (Specifically thinking of the articles that came out about Rockstar and Red Dead Redemption, but I'm sure it isn't limited to Rockstar...)

[@artboymoy]

I was laid off after 10 years of helping make games and building up a studio. A lot of older workers who were with the company since the start went as well. With trade schools and their game programs churning out fresh kids to flood the work market, a one trick pony like me was easy to shed and fill with someone new and cheaper. Maybe with a union I'd still have a job and would have been trained for where they needed me. But nope.

[@hendrikdependrik1891]

I'm not convinced game designing needs an union. Just become a entrepreneur yourself and say to the boss your own business has to run as well. If enough people are going to do this, wages have to go up. Indeed, I can imagine bosses are abusing the fact the majority of people in IT are autists (and generally speaking, autists have scheduling issues), but the wages are high enough to hire a secretary to assist you with time scheduling. ;)

[@DeadlockDrago]

@@pallascarter3109 Oh you haven't heard the Sexism in Blizzard and Ubisoft....

[@WillSams]

@@hendrikdependrik1891 Wow. You haven't a clue.

[@--6487]

My union dues in CA as a teacher were $20/month. Unions are completely necessary. I have watched teachers get intimidated by school boards, get suspended for "antagonizing" schoolboard members' kids by giving them discipline or bad grades, and I, myself, was pushed out of my job because of the ways school boards and administration are run. If I had been stronger healthwise, I would have been able to put up a really good fight and chosen to stay, but only because of my union. They helped me have a voice, have representatives and colleagues who would always have my back, and communicate with my superiors when they were being unjust or discriminatory. I can't imagine being a non-tenured teacher without a union, I can imagine it's utter hell

[@abel1955]

Unions really do work, my brother has a part time job where he gets 16$ and after he joined the union he got 28

[@caleightilson8030]

When I was finishing orientation training after being hired at Ross Dress for Less, one of the videos I had to watch was all about how Union's are terrible and why you shouldn't support one. I'd never given much thought to unions before but the fact that my job went out of its way to to convince me that they are bad immediately raised suspicions.

[@AxelXionSora]

I guess humans aren't the only ones who can display red flags

[@Craxin01]

I had to pay union dues for a job I wasn't allowed to be part of a union (needed to be 18 and have worked a year in that job to benefit from the union). I hated it then, but I never worked there long enough to benefit. If I did, I'd be much happier with the dues. Only problem is, I live in a right-to-work state, and that union got murdered hard.

[@TheForeverRanger]

Most companies have similar things in their training. Target was the same way. As someone who grew up in a union household (stepdad was a Teamster) I could smell the bullshit.

[@excitedbox5705]

@@Craxin01 you were lied to. You were probably not required to pay union fees unless you wanted the union benefits to cover you once you were 18 in the case that it was less than a year away.

[@Athenral]

Yeah, I got the exact same thing at Macy's.

[@ZenGaijin]

As a former Target employee "The guest may not be able find help" EVERY TARGET EMPLOYEE: GOOD!

[@KairoStark]

I think I would be able to win an election by single-handedly promising retail workers they could tell 3 customers per year to fuck off or choose a particular customer per year and staple their hand to the table. It would unironically fix retail jobs.

[@ZenGaijin]

@@KairoStark Easily win, cuz mannn everyone has wanted to tell a Karen to "fuck off".

[@amberallen7809]

Me, as a target employee: But have you heard about the target redcard? I know you're in here all the time. I know I asked you last week. Look, I need 3 more sign-ups so I don't get chewed out or have hours cut. So... help me out a bit? Great! To answer your question, no, it isn't in the back. The truck comes on Thursday, check back Friday! See you again!

[@WintersArcticFox]

I worked for Target back in 2006 and had to watch that awful video. Unfortunately, it worked on some people.

[@lowlife1368]

As someone who shops at target. Why do I need help to buy toys or food at your store? Everything is labeled already.

[@helixisverygay7831]

My dad works at an anti-union company called “National Right To Work” and I actually used to believe in that BS. I mean, yeah of course sometimes unions can be corrupt, but usually they do genuinely try to and do help workers. Unions shouldn’t even have to be this necessary, workers should’ve just already been treated fairly in the first place! Ah, capitalism….

[@crabby_abby]

if no one’s said it to you already: i’m proud of you for not having your father’s takes 👏 from having experience with a capitalistic family member it can be tough to not only convey the error of their ways to them, but also avoid getting lost in their ideology especially being a parent. props to you my friend 🙌

[@helixisverygay7831]

@@crabby_abby agh, thanks a lot for that. I really needed to hear it right now, we literally just had a whole argument about how he “has the right” to use slurs like the n-word, the r-word, tr**ny, fa***t, etc. It’s just so fucking frustrating!

[@marylyn3081]

I don't know what the R word is lol! But I am now in my sixties and realize everything my father said was racist and backwards. Except when it came to WWII. He watched every Hitler show on history channel. I now find myself watching WWII documentaries slot as so much pertains today. Other than that, I find myself thinking back to his statements and think WOW! And my parents were subtle, never using those words but was outraged when a black family moved in a neighborhood that was on our way to church. My sister who is gay but never announced it had a time of it but they eventually accepted it.

[@NoHomerS]

So why does daddy hate unions?

[@helixisverygay7831]

@@NoHomerS he’s a capitalist

[@user-xs4kj7ou6h]

Unions having a Renaissance. Bravo screenwriters and UAW; solidarity forever. Death to unbridled capitalism!

[@DialgaMarine3]

Much of this anti-union sentiment began in the 80’s under the Reagan administration. Curiously, average worker wages have since stagnated, despite massive increases in inflation and costs of living.

[@frankcollier5674]

And Ronnie reagan thought trickle down economics would work

[@eriklakeland3857]

@@frankcollier5674 of course he didn’t think that, it was just a clever spin to trick the middle class and working poor to support the ultra rich’s agenda

[@thagodwecreate5179]

"4 words...i'm glad Reagan dead" - Killer Mike

[@kevinmauricio4747]

Most of today's problems can literally be traced back to Reagan. Wow 🙄

[@thisisaname5589]

If it bothers communists, I'm willing to get paid less just to watch you writhe in discontent. Whatever makes commie wretches like you sad, makes me happy. Money well spent.

[@Meaneradicator]

In Germany, every company with 12 employees or more, by law must have a supervising committee to watch over the fair treatment of the employees and their well being. This is besides the Unions.

[@zarakikon6352]

Damn, I didn't know that Germany had it together like that. Nice 1 😊👍.

[@Stolens87]

At least if the employees want that. If just a single person says: "I think I want that and I am going to start the election process" that person is basically not able to get fired. There are plenty of companies without such a committee (mine included) and we are often joking that the employer will fire everybody who thinks about founding one. But these jokes are on such an absurd level, it is like saying: "I am not going to visit Australia, since I will get dizzy from being upside down the whole time." But yeah, that being a thing in the USA isn't surprising at all.

[@teresathayn5170]

Can I relocate to Germany? I'm not kidding. America just gets worse and worse. Heavy sigh. ;(

[@Stolens87]

@@teresathayn5170 sure, most of us are fine with economic refugees...

[@FzudemB]

@@teresathayn5170 Sure, although there's still much going wrong here i think it's better that the state of the US right mow

[@mandibonnette1004]

I don't know if Mr. Oliver ever reads these comments. But just in case he does. I would like to say thank you for posting your videos here on youtube. You are one of my all time favorite people to watch and listen to as I am at work. Please keep up the great work that you do. Please also say thank you to all those who work with you to make your videos possably.

[@anu.]

Good News!!! Amazon Labour Union has now been established in Staten Island! The first Amazon Labour Union in the US!

[@pamelanichols804]

The money they spend on union busting could go to the employees paychecks.

[@anthonyfuscellaro233]

Ha, feeding the peasants. Imagine that.

[@flewkisdead]

It could, but wages tend to be the highest cost of most businesses, so the cost of union busting is usually a tiny fraction of long term "losses" from unions.

[@CreatorCade]

In an ideal world that would happen but not in our world.

[@DaDunge]

Yeah that's the thing in most of these cases it probably not that more expensive just to let the workers unionize and then you also get better employee employer relations as a consequence.

[@DaDunge]

@@flewkisdead And yet companies in countries where 90% of people are unionized don't have any problems competing.

[@christophermills9289]

My father was a union man. I remember as a kids my mother, grandma, and aunts took me to deliver lunches to the strikers. Even as a child I felt part of something.

[@aaronleverton4221]

My father was briefly shop-steward, the position is elected every year, the union was mandatory as the workplace was Commonwealth gov't. He didn't have a lot to do as at the time said C'wealth gov't was ALP and led by the former Secretary of the ACTU. Said gov't recognised that as they massively reformed the economy they would need the support of the union movement, so regularly negotiated national Accords with the ACTU. My first summer job after school was mandatory union membership. None of us cared because it meant we got award rates (meaning time-and-a-half or double time-and-a-half depending on whether we were working overtime or public holidays), and award conditions. The company mandated it because they didn't have to do the hard work about ensuring safety, that was the union's job. No-one got hurt and I never met anyone from Trade's Hall. But, boy, was I well paid for working 8 hours on a public holiday! Almost the very first thing the new government did upon taking office was begin trying to dismantle the union movement. Because the unspoken mantra is Privatise the Profits, Socialise the Losses, Blame the Workers, Punish the Unemployed.

[@kenpanderz672]

we need things like this again, the community working for its own interest instead of caving into their 'masters' because of the corporate manipulation working against them.

[@LordArikado]

I think a good followup to this topic would be a segment on so-called "right to work" states. There's a pretty sizeable chunk of the country where unions have literally zero power because of these kinds of laws that effectively ban unionization efforts on a statewide level and allow employers to fire employees for no justified reason.

[@Samantha_yyz]

Oh man right to work laws are so f-ed up

[@scifirealism5943]

I'll make that video.

[@yawnthedinosaur9566]

I have had 2 experiences with the union in my life. One as an employee and one as a manager (running a union shop but working for a corporation) When I worked as an employee and was part of a union I found it to be very helpful to most employees, many people that were treated unfairly or fired without cause were able to return to work due to union backing. On the other hand, I recently managed a union-run shop. I left the company within 6 months due to a very bad experience with the union. I pride myself on being a very employee-oriented boss and tend to reward and promote my people based on merit and effort put in. I found it extremely difficult to do my job because the employees that were putting in the most work were "newer" to the company and had to constantly be overlooked due to "Seniority" rules. Offering overtime to someone who would give their 100% was impossible because there were 20 other employees in the pecking order that would give 60%. It was the same when it came to promotion, there was simply no way to reward hard work. I guess what this long post is trying to say is, I have seen both sides of this issue, and both have positives and negatives.

[@itisred100]

I was in a union and it was fantastic. My employer told me to take on a second position in the company, but that I would not be paid for it. So I would be working two jobs and be paid for one. Saying no to them would have put my first job in jeopardy. I went to my union to file a grievance and they helped resolve the whole thing. Besides that, the union also ensured that we had a living wage, fantastic health insurance, and other benefits. Our dues were very affordable too. I think they came out to a bit less than $20 a month. That was well worth it since the union gave us so much back in return.

[@Nathan-dt2tu]

if you weren't in a union, you could have said "ok, give me a 50% raise to take on the second job's responsibility." Instead, you had to settle for your existing wage and no increase in responsibility. I'm guessing 6 months later, you're still in the same shitty position right? BIG WIN!!! Unions take away from individual bargaining power, and defer instead only to the masses. Which tells me you're full of shit, cause if you were actually a good performer, you would have seen the handicaps the unions impose on you. Edit: It legit sounds like you missed out on a 50% raise because you don't know how to negotiate, and instead hid behind a union who just made you feel better for a monthly fee. Really big win... and now you're off the table for real promotions to the upper ranks, because you are inherently against working hard.

[@catshadowdragon]

*knife-sharpening sound* "Hey. I want to talk to you about your attendance." hilarious yet terrifying. Nailed it.

[@Lyander25]

Not gonna lie that actually made me jump in my seat a bit

[@longarmsgiraffe0955]

"Hey, i want to talk to you about your attendance. Look I know your dog got sick and you had to take him to the vet and I really hope he's ok but because you were late for work I have to fire you. I wish I didn't have to, but the Union says I do. If I made an exception for you I'd have to make an exception for everyone..." That is literally a conversation I had to have with one of my workers at a union plant. Unions protect the lazy workers at the expense of the best workers

[@daciefusjones8128]

@@longarmsgiraffe0955 that's a f---ing lie. and you know it.

[@longarmsgiraffe0955]

@@daciefusjones8128 haha yup the evil Union Busters paid me to post this

[@DMO-DMO-DMO]

@@longarmsgiraffe0955 no, you're just stretching the truth and embellishing an actual situation to provide a biased, contrarian comment, all so you can feel special for five minutes

[@iloveplasticbottles]

"Unions cost $700 a year, but video game consoles!" Aight boss, pay me enough and I will. In the meantime, union.

[@thegpshowtheshow]

Australian viewer here- I have never been so grateful for the encouragement of joining a union and in some industries it's expected

[@milkteamachine]

The thing is, it's not like any of these companies would actually suffer if their workers unionized, they'd just make slightly less profit. If your workers having leverage and being able to negotiate for better conditions is a threat to you then maybe your business model is the problem lol

[@Gustav_Kuriga]

Look up Studebaker.

[@MiketheNerdRanger]

They want to control people as much as possible. America loves a slave.

[@Elitezalba]

Something something Big Macs cost ~$0.30 more in Denmark.

[@jakemoeller7850]

The companies would not make slightly less as increases would generally be passed on to consumers.

[@lanapowell]

"... they'd... make...less profit." Cue the corporate wailing and gnashing of teeth

[@richarddelconnor]

I’ve been a member of the musicians union, laborers union, carpenters union, and the newspaper guild. Thanks to the unions I had medical coverage for 20 years of my life. I was also a delegate to the AFLCIO in the mid-80s when Ronald Reagan was closing down all the mental hospitals and throwing them out on the street to create a homeless problem that he promised would not happen. In the monthly meetings the nurses union representative would be in tears talking about the mentally deficient people they were having to throw out on the streets thanks to Reagan’s union busting. When I worked at the LAX airport as a Carpenter a corrupt contractor shut us down and didn’t pay us our wages. The union supplied attorneys for all of us so that we got our paychecks. I’ve always spoke well of the unions, but I’ve noticed that the common people have been misled by the newspapers which only tell stories of supposed corruption and never about the benefits of being in a union.

[@AlexBermann]

I didn't know that the homelessness problem was so directly connected with Reagans union busting. It makes me wonder how things would have been if Reagan didn't come to power.

[@JS-tl7jp]

@@AlexBermann Reagan’s administration was so much worse than you realise. So many severely mentally unwell or handicapped people were kicked out of their care facilities without being able to provide for themselves, leading to much of the modern homelessness crisis. Unions stood up to that bullshit

[@mtn1793]

@Vasil Rafti Times haven’t changed at all punk. Corporate owners without unions and regulations will abuse that freedom to the point of collapsing.

[@salemdesigns65]

@Vasil Rafti Geez. Youre so wrong. So wrong. Stop assuming.

[@AlexBermann]

@@JS-tl7jp Do you know about a documentary or something about it? I got the feeling that it it could help me understand better how some things re the way they are in the US

[@internet_introvert]

I worked at Home Depot for a while and their emphasis on anti-union was particularly intense. Like specifically particular denial kind of intense. But then I've also heard stories of stores that tried to unionize and everyone involved got fired and the whole thing got swept under the rug. At-will employment has got to go.

[@VitoDRF]

"Buy and eat drugs" is the best line in this episode!

[@laalaa99stl]

You know you've reached terminal capitalism when a billionaire who went to space, doesn't pay taxes, and whose yacht has a smaller support yacht thinks the phrase "living wage" is threatening.

[@jonasdatlas4668]

“I’d rather spend a fortune on law firms and consultants than give even a penny more to my employees.”

[@charlieputzel7735]

@@jonasdatlas4668 And they wonder why the younger generations are radicalizing.

[@jo-vf8jx]

And yet, people keep buying from his company.

[@charlieputzel7735]

@@jo-vf8jx convenience. Where else are you going to get thing X or Y? Busting up the company (which is effectively a monopoly) is probably the best option, and legislative solutions are far more effective than voting with your dollar.

[@TheWeaponshold]

The man could have literally started paying EVERY SINGLE ONE of his employee's $90 an hour more at the beginning of the pandemic and would still have made several billion dollars.

[@44jimcordell31]

I'm over 60 now and I've worked all my life in Union and non-union shops. With Union employers my wages were always higher, the medical benefits were always better, I was treated with respect, and my job was Secure from unfounded elimination. In all my years with the Union I never once initiated a grievance because I didn't have to, the protections were already in place.

[@MartinMartin-bh4ke]

Guess you should have kept the immigrants out then lol 60% white country from the 88% you grew up in. No wonder Unions dont exist. Dont want to work? Here is Juan to take over for half the price and no benefits.

[@KamKing19]

@@MartinMartin-bh4ke Blaming immigration is pretty close to racist and wrong. They should be in unions also. Collective bargaining can help everyone. Demographics change. It how you grow.

[@MartinMartin-bh4ke]

@@KamKing19 "blaming immigration is racist" haha it is racist cause ya know you are keeping an ethnic group from doing something Are you just a woman or lack any sense of logic?

[@MartinMartin-bh4ke]

@@KamKing19 "demographics change" No lol the Arabs nullified (literally) their black slaves and prevented this from happening. Any Empire that diversified was destroyed because of it You are allowing yourself to be divided and conquered and you are too selfish to care.

[@KamKing19]

@@MartinMartin-bh4ke They are typically destroyed by those in power or catastrophic events. Excess tends to do it.

[@kismetcaffet9862]

As a small business owner, if anyone who worked for me started talking about starting or wanting a union, I would feel that I haven't done my job properly as their employer. The only way that I would (inadvertantly) discourage unionization of my business would be by listening to staff and working out mutually beneficial employment agreements. An owner can make the choice to give up their life to build their business, but employees are giving up their time and skills to support and facilitate their own lives and families. Employees aren't going to (and shouldn't be expected to) act as though they are personally invested in a company they have no ownership of.

[@Taeerom]

Having a union at your job is actually beneficial for you as well. Having workers with deep social ties to your company (as union members often have, especially active union members) and that are happy at their job means you will have less turnover of staff. It is also beneficial that you can talk to the union rep and get concerns raised anonomously, stuff a person won't be confident saying iwht their own ass on the line. You should know about those concerns, and you should be happy that the workers care enough about their workplace to improve it. The real cost isn't that oyu'll have to pay your workers more. They too know that they shouldn't ask for a wage that will break the company, they want to keep their jobs. The real cost is that you will have to give up some amount of power in the workplace. You will no longer be an absolute dictator, but will have to listen to what the workers have to say. This will likely hurt your pride a bit. But you can rest assured that it is still the best for the company as a whole.

[@Taeerom]

@Veronica Rainone Especially in small businesses, you want to make sure your voice is heard through a small union rather than relying on the good heart of the owner. In a small business, you are very vulnerable to emotional manipulation from your boss, and having one voice from a workers rep rather than having to put your own ass on the line every time something is wrong is very nice. If your small local union is memeber of a larger confederation of unions, you can access support that you wouldn't otherwise, such as lawyers or other help. It's nearly impossible to actually do anything alone if the owner withholds wage for example. Even if everything is nice, it is important to get a union going. It's much easier to create a good working relationship between the boss and union if you are friends when you start the union. And then it is easier to resolve conflicts later as well.

[@Taeerom]

@Veronica Rainone If you can't afford proper working conditions, pay, and benefits, then you can't afford to have employees. Bring them on as partners/co-owners, or not at all. The workers get screwed if they accept working for scraps. Better to be working two part time jobs paying proper, than full time getting shafted. How is this even a question?

[@kenabbott8585]

And if a customer decides to rob the store, does that mean your customer service sucks?

[@kenabbott8585]

@@Taeerom "Having a union at your job is actually beneficial for you as well." Pfffft. Are we supposed to pretend that groups that extort money out of the company will be loyal to it? How loyal is any parasite to its host?

[@johncameron4172]

My great grandfather, grandfather and father were coal miners and members of the UMWA. I am now 50 years old but when I was 12 my father came out on strike because Pitston Coal had spent, I mean, stopped paying retirees pensions. I went with my father to march around the entrance to the coal mines he worked at in southwest Va.The Va State Troopers arrived and beat the hell out of several people holding signs and then arrested them for trespassing. Almost everyone was arrested including my father for a peaceful rally. A year later Pitston Coal sued the Union and get this the judge was the brother of the owner of Pitston Coal. The Union was ordered to pay $3,000,000 in damages. This was back in the 1980’s when Ronald Reagan was president and fired union air traffic controllers on day 1 of his presidency.

[@kenabbott8585]

I'll take "Thingsh that nevah happened" for shiksh hundred, Aleksh. Jusht like I took your mothah lasht night. Obviously you read someone else's article about it, and just as obviously you read some union website's highly fictionalized account. In the real strike, the price of coal nosedived, and (thanks mostly to the unions bleeding it dry) Pittston was suffering even in comparison to other coal mines, dropping from the 7th biggest to the 15th. In 1987 they established a health and retirement contract with the UMWA, and as they continued losing money they doubled health deductibles and lowered coverage. They didn't quit paying anybody's pension. In April of 1989, UMWA's president Richard Trumka, who was already famous for his violence, declared a strike. Pittston hired non-extortionist workers, and the union members attacked them. Absolutely zero people were arrested for protesting peacefully--the claim that they were is a flat lie and you should be ashamed of yourself. However, about 4,000 people were arrested for destroying property--including puncturing tires and smashing windows of trucks while people were driving them, planting carbombs, and eventually just shooting at people. The court case in which fines were levied against UMWA--partly for blocking roads and other acts, but mostly for the violence--was overseen by Russel County Circuit Court judge Donald A. McGlothlin, Jr. Pittston, on the other hand, was a corporation with several holdings in multiple states. In short, your entire diatribe is a steaming pile from start to finish. And, of course, the unions eventually killed Pittston Coal. They ended up selling all their plants to a non-extorted company. (Later, in the Peabody Coal strike, one of those non-extortionist workers was murdered. The union president, Trumka, declared "I'm saying if you strike a match and you put your finger in it, you're likely to get burned.")

[@AbonZel3]

When I started this job, most of the company was unionized, but the department I joined wasn't. Not too long after, though, our department was forced to join the union. I have no idea what specifically happened, I just know that my coworkers were super mad about it, especially my manager and supervisor. They complained about all sorts of things, including how we were supposed to get a 50 cent raise every year while the union guys were getting 30 cents, so we wouldn't get as big of raises as we would get if we stayed non union. Then the day came and we got an immediate $1/hour raise, and I've received the same every year since. My healthcare costs have also been cut down to about 1/3 what it was before, and my insurance covers far more than the insurance I had non union. So yeah, my coworkers were full of shit. I'm glad we were forced to unionize, because seeing this and how my coworkers and management reacted makes me sure that we wouldn't have unionized otherwise.

[@sirenthomas4595]

I never understand people who would fall for this BS i mean a simple search will show unions are a good thing

[@beaublight]

My dad overheard me watching this video and accused me of being anti-employer - I find it funny, not once did John say “all employers are bad”. This just shows that poor treatment is the standard.

[@thekaxmax]

Most employers are anti-worker, this is just fighting back.

[@AnimeReference]

@@thekaxmax All. You want a higher wage, your employer wants you to have a lower wage. This is always the case. For that matter, the only alternative I know to gaining enough bargaining power to have a meaningful pay negotiation is to have the pay negotiation with multiple employers.

[@ptanyuh]

I would have told my dad FUCK EMPLOYERS. Good lord. I hate capitalism so, so, so much.

[@theeccentric7263]

@@AnimeReference I agree. So being pro-employee necessitates being anti-employer basically? Because they are diametrically opposed ...

[@richardgalbavy7103]

@@ptanyuh and what do you prefer?

[@Nimoodles]

I worked at Home Depot, which is not a unionized company. They explicitly tell you not to help customers in departments you're not trained for, and Target is trying to fearmonger against unions because unions would stop you from doing... what.. other companies already do? What?

[@ninakrishnamurthy6674]

“Sandy soft boy space Jesus” is the PERFECT description of Paul Atreides, I must say. 😂

[@_annoyed4692]

Little mistake there, John: If someone pays to be briefly flown to space in a remote controlled rocket _just_ so he can say he was to space he is _not_ an astronaut. He is _payload._

[@icannotchoose]

Thank you for this. I will forever refer to him as payload Jeff Bezos

[@widdershins5383]

Wasn’t it just suborbital as well? He didn’t actually go into true space? Yea, he just hit the line, he didn’t even go into actual space. Purely suborbital.

[@LukeSumIpsePatremTe]

@@widdershins5383 Space is often thought to begin from 100km above the ground. It's arbitrary though. Some don't think even ISS is 'truly' in space at it's 400km height. And that's where most of the astronauts visit. If Earth's gravity is used to define space, I don't think even Moon is in the space. Since, you know, Moon goes around the Earth. Similar aguments could be made about our Solar system (Sun's gravity well). I would vote for space and payload in this case.

[@widdershins5383]

@@LukeSumIpsePatremTe it is generally agreed that 100km is the beginning of actual space and is what is used for aerospace accords. And the moon is definitely in space because it takes us 3-4 days to get there. It’s also 380,000 km from us. That definitely counts as true space no matter who your talking to. So the little bald wanna be lex Luther barely hit the acceptable line for space. Kinda like how he only hits the minimum wage for his employees.

[@1Kapuchu100]

The word "Pay" and "Jeff Bezos" do not belong in the same sentence. The guy doesn't pay anything.

[@TheJapanChannelDcom]

Target calls customers "guests"? Big companies are so full of crp.

[@gordogunso]

If thats how you feel about their customers, the experience their workers have is a whole different hell!

[@annaewilliams1523]

Oh My Goddess, I work for Target, and trust me, this is not the only crp they sell you as a "guest", here's two more, they don't sell ciggarrets even push employees to quite smoking cause they are bad for your health and everyone else around you, but, alcohol, well that drugs never caused any harm to anyone, right? and, our "fresh baked" and "bakery" products are not made in store, but in a factory, and then our "bakers" put it in an oven to re-heat if for you. Essentially at that standard, then anyone whom puts a microwavable meal in a microwave is a "chef" cause they cooked it and served it. Oh, and one more bonus one, the majority of items you buy in Target, guess, what those new brands, aren't "new" at all, its the same crappy thing you bought under a new name. Since i started working their due to needing a job after loosing a job that was 10 hundred times better do to covid, but, people complained that they didn't think that quality of archer farms was that great anymore, so, the company changed it to favorite day, but its the same product, and now i've heard some guest go yah know your new brand isn't that much better then your old brand. No shit, it's the same brand, just with a new name, but you rebuy it, i mean come on, just look at it, ignore the rebranding, and look at it, if it looks the same, then its the same bad product. Keep in mind guest we have to tell you have a good day or we will be fired, and you sign a paper electronically that says we have to even if your a wrong-rude and totally horrible guest, that if you were a guest in my home i'd ask you to leave. And, my brother works for a local shop, a record store, which is at risk cause of a none union company like amazon, cause as he has told me, F your store i can get it cheaper on amazon; unlike me whom has to wish a nazi a good day, if a nazi came into the store he works at they can tell that hateful person to leave and not have to worry about getting fired, but i have treat nazis and homophobic people like their good kind wonderful people at Target.

[@TheGreatAtario]

ATTENTION ALL WALMART ASSOCIATES AND SUBWAY SANDWICH ARTISTS

[@InservioLetum]

That's murica for you

[@toddphillips9005]

@@TheGreatAtario HAHAHAH!

[@StanfordMommaerts-Brown]

Kroger's made us watch a video that taught that if unionized, our pay would go entirely to the union; then the union would decide how much of our pay would come back to us. Their applications start with the question: 'Are you able to do the job for which you are applying without reasonable accommodation?'. They also time our 15-minute breaks with an egg-timer.

[@phil-o-phobic8608]

That beat drop in the "scary" part of that Target union busting video slapped

[@jamielondon6436]

If unions weren't good for employees, companies wouldn't be so utterly terrified of them that they felt they needed to pull shit like that.

[@lagrange777able]

Lets get real: Unions are a compromise. The other end of that compromise not existing was when rich fat fuck factory owners got dragged out of their homes and beaten to death by the wageslaves they called employees. Americans seem to have forgotten that.

[@zockheem]

@Erwin Lii you have to realize who is saying it. Remember this is the land of the free capitalism, everyone has an agenda. This country was made with slavery and taking advantage of poor immigrants. Remember that when you here ppl advocating against unions.

[@lyokianhitchhiker]

@Erwin Lii Protecting employees from companies? Communism.

[@MichaelScott-es5gy]

@Erwin Lii I never hear Americans calling Europeans Communists, honestly. I'm very proactive on contemporary politics, policies, and economics too

[@vladimirseven777]

And yet I can't remember even one movie where unions portrayed as something good. There they all corrupt and work for mafia.

[@uberchops]

That 25% pay increase figure is an understatement because the existence of unions raises the industry standard pay even for non-union workers. And the more places unionize, the fewer places employers can go for scabs and the scabs they do find now cost more.

[@ladywaffle2210]

"Don't scab for their bosses, don't listen to their lies, "Us poor folk haven't got a chance unless we organize!" -'Which Side Are You On'

[@kenpanderz672]

its almost like unions are vaccines against an illness, working like heard immunity even for those without the vaccine.

[@brucenadeau2172]

join the union or get beaten up

[@theruoc147]

Used to be an Amazon manager, can remember them trying to explain how to “sort of” spy on associates in their break room if they may be discussing unions, without breaking the rules of regarding the break room.

[@Madfattdeeb]

I used to work for Target. The HR person flat out said we could lose our job for talking about unions.

[@denitrifi.gaming]

"Hey, have you seen the movie UP?" Me: "But it could go down."

[@Snailman3516]

Unions do a lot more than just secure higher wages. They also improve job security, prevent workplace harassment, and improve workplace safety.

[@brandonejem8620]

I think the union I worked under wasnt very good then. I think higher wages was all I saw out of them. I had a boss who cursed me out on a daily basis and multiple attempts to reach out to HR and the union bared no fruit. He ultimately managed to get me fired for being a minute late to clocking in. Not to long after, he got fired also.

[@DaDunge]

Yeah seriously a union does a lot of good for the employer too. it's a channel between them and their employees which can reveal problems before they become real problems. Also a happy worker is a productive worker.

[@kellyfelly6645]

That s exactly why they Don t want workers to unionized.

[@Evey94Marti]

Yes but the under intelligent capitalsits are in love with being poor and feeling bad for it

[@Japanlover79]

Mine offers dental and eye witch are both really good. I have dental work coming up in a few days that would be 3 grand without the insurance

[@Poppythedog463]

I helped form my union at the charter school I used to work out. Almost everything stated in this video happened to us at that school. The ceo of the charter tried everything possible she could to shut the union down, but I’m proud to say the union is alive and reached its first contract! However, every time the charter messed up and were found guilty in court, the harm was already done. That’s the hardest thing I had to learn-there was only so much the union could do and the charter held so much more power. But I’m still so proud of everything that union had achieved

[@klausschroiff4405]

The lack of worker rights in the US continues to amaze me. Hire & fire, just 2 weeks of vacation, intrusive work surveillance, shaky health insurance, low minimum wages, etc. pp. Makes you wonder how it came to this.

[@sashacurcic1719]

Arrogance and propaganda.

[@TheAgamidaex]

"We're a family and you are chidren" is just perfect

[@limbo576]

I know 😂 I'm loving Brian's energy, great acting! "You already went to the bathroom Ted"

[@barbgruber]

That is what my higher ed institution calls us. Family. Apparently "family" doesn't get medical care or vacation or sick time or a living wage. Doesn't that make it dysfunctional?.

[@ericalampley480]

I unionized my state's DMV. And helped negotiate our contract over Zoom through the pandemic. You can do this!

[@SanguineThor]

Thank you for your effort! 🚩

[@jps101574]

Unfortunately, the DMV can't go out of business. It just passes it's costs on to the the taxpayers. Does it occur to you that the money for your wages comes from other people? DO you even care? Hey, as long as you get yours. Screw everyone else.

[@ghtbl]

As if the DMV wasn’t terrible enough…

[@OccasionalNASCARRaces]

@@jps101574 You're the absolute worst buddy. Boohoo the DMV goes up a few bucks because now the employees are getting better than piss poor healthcare. I'll gladly pay that.

[@123four...]

🏴🚩

[@renzaluski1385]

A few of my classmates in school have parents that own construction companies, and they are all staunchly anti-union. And let me tell you, the way they treat others absolutely reflects that.

[@RBlue118]

My dad's union helped him change his entire workplace guidelines to allow him to keep working his job with his medical condition. Unions are invaluable to people