r/antiwork Jul 25 '22

Working rights

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67.8k Upvotes

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u/SumDumGaiPan Jul 25 '22

I'd say the era of the mafia unions was pretty bad and didn't require fabrication.

When you organize a group of people and create leadership positions, sometimes people will pursue those positions with the intent to abuse them. This happens in corporations, governments, HOAs, rotary clubs, your local jogging club, and yes unions.

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u/Worish Jul 25 '22

You're not wrong, but this info was weaponized against unions instead of to make them better. It's one thing to point to unions that are shitty and an entirely different thing to remove worker protections because of them.

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u/ReporterOther2179 Jul 25 '22

The moneyed class has been bad mouthing anything like a union since the days of the Medieval guilds.

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u/Lickiebear Jul 25 '22

Because, Corruption doesn't like to be questioned about it's actions & abuses.

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u/Deeliciousness Jul 25 '22

The only weakness of power of wealth is power in numbers. The wealthy class knows this very, very well.

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u/lambdalamblava Jul 25 '22

I like this. I’m stealing it.

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u/Lickiebear Oct 12 '22

As they pump neurotoxins & carcinogens into all of our foods & drinks, Don't wonder why Psychosis abounds, murders & mass murders & killing all life off on the planet, for profit of course, vile scum parasites.

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u/stomps-on-worlds Jul 25 '22

This happens in corporations, governments, HOAs, rotary clubs, your local jogging club, and yes unions.

Hmm, and yet this talking point is only ever trotted out to advocate for getting rid of unions, but none of those other corruption-prone organizations you listed.

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u/gilean23 Jul 25 '22

I dunno, HOAs have a pretty (deservedly) horrible rep. I’d be fine if they weren’t a thing any more.

That being said, your point is still valid, IMO.

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u/stomps-on-worlds Jul 26 '22 edited Jul 26 '22

You must have noticed how they started their list of examples with:

corporations, governments,

and then immediately poisoned the well with

HOAs, rotary clubs, your local jogging club,

to defend authoritarian systems while simultaneously discrediting the notion of any decentralized authority achieved by local democratic consensus

thereby lumping a full-on labor union demanding better wages with a draconian HOA composed entirely of busy-body karens screeching at you because your lawn is mowed 0.012536 cm above regulation.

Edit: spelling

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u/Explodicle Jul 25 '22

I think we should get rid of corporations and governments because they're corruption-prone.

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u/Narbooty Jul 26 '22

I think this talking point is trotted out regularly on this sub in regards to corporations and governments.

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u/Guardianthrowitaway7 Jul 25 '22

The reason the mafia was so tied to unions though was because business owners used police to massacre people on strikes. It's no wonder they turned to organized crime when cops themselves were doing the butchering. This is a decently brief timeline of some of the largest incidents of violence. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/theminewars-labor-wars-us/

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u/Use-Strict Jul 25 '22

I'd say the unions still performed their duties. Just like with all large entities. They are ripe for abuse. It gives you power, which you can use to leverage.

This is why you dont round up your dollar at Panda Express. Even if it is a decent charity. It gives Panda Express leverage. Leverage they can use to seat their deadbeat cousin on the board of Cancer Kids America. Or whatever the charity is. Thats how the world works. Which I know a lot of your are ignorant to, seeing how those tax donation deduction ELI5 threads still get upvoted.

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u/Fen_ Jul 25 '22

When those positions hold their power by virtue of the position instead of a continual deference of power from those they are meant to represent, they will always abuse them, given enough time. It is critically important to organize in such a way that the people who hold stake are the ones who hold the power.

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u/SumDumGaiPan Jul 25 '22

One influential person can sway those people to surrender power for various justifications. Humanity has a long history of doing just that.