93 Million Man Service Industry Strike, DO IT

To not be totally contrary to the OP and many of the posters, I will lay out a way to accomplish some of these goals without the use of violence (coercion by ruling body, state).

Consumers have rights. The consumer is not some faceless sheep that does what 'they' say to do. They make a decision. They voluntarily buy products and services. The consumer has the economic power.

People like Henry Ford knew this. This is why he brought us the first affordable automobile that his own employee's could afford.

If, instead of through legislation(violence), the 'union' you propose would boycott goods and services until changes are made.

The market would essentially get an overhaul and an equilibrium of prices, wages, and costs in order to maximize consumption, production, and efficiency.

edit: Again to go back to Ford, he managed all three

[edit on 1-10-2009 by DINSTAAR]

I was in IT during the boom in the 90's in the midwest and in Cali. I recall a conversation over lunch one day that really got me thinking about class based mass mind control...

its an IT setting, we are in a HUGE complex owned by an investment firm. the company cafeteria is a multi-storied open air affair with original art. its lunchtime. im at the table with other IT consultants and with "real" employees as well. we've all been working like crazy on the latest project, pretend it was called "Project1"

software engineers were joking like "divorce is not an option with Project1, its a built in feature!"

people were putting in 70 and 80 hour weeks, AND THEY WERE ON SALARY. I was new with my consuting company at that point and was hourly, so i was not the first choice for OT but i still put in 50-60.

one guy at the table had been pulled out of bed in the middle of the night to go back to the lab and work more.

one guy pulled a 34 hour shift for no other reason than his bosses didnt think he was done yet.

i told the table that we needed an IT union. YOU COULD HEAR A PIN DROP.

i dont know how it happened, but the american worker has been conditioned (at least in my generation) to hate, fear, and misunderstand the only tool that allowed them to advance as a class without owning a farm or business.

oh wait a minute thats it exactly!

workers are not suppossed to escape. class mobility is an illusion.

no one came to america to join an oppressed and undereducated propertyless working class. WHAT HAPPENED?

i dont know how it happened, but the american worker has been conditioned (at least in my generation) to hate, fear, and misunderstand the only tool that allowed them to advance as a class without owning a farm or business.

Saying only tool (being ones labor) is omitting that we have rights as consumers.

We have control over demand.

I am not anti-union. I am for free choice and freedom of association (a union). The problem with the unions in the US (not all of them, some are very successful) is that the unions themselves are anti-union with driving up costs and sending jobs overseas.

Also, profit is not a bad thing. A corporation needs profit to grow (they invest it, not hoard it) and growth creates jobs.

a question for the OP also open to others...

what type of organization can help us?

a website that is the hub a growing social movement?
promotion of allied unions in a new wave of classic union action?
promotion of a new (or existing) open union that ALL could join?

one problem i see is that americans with jobs and mortgages dont self identify as poor. people who put in 50plus hour weeks will honestly try to tell you over beers that they arent "working class".

we need to come together as a unit through organized means. what means? perhaps the IWW could be the means.

what we really need is a celebrity colored wristband, or a ribbon pin or something. without a hypnotic social force to counter the fact that poor people are icky, then they (WE US YOU) will remain exploitable.

we have some power as consumers i suppose. of course it is limited, one can only buy what is for sale, and that is never up to the consumer. greedy sellers have also been wise to that small power for years now and play into it.
like you can buy a ford OR a mercury. i make em both. or you can vote dem or rep, i make large contributions to both. the illusion of freedom is maintained, the power you mention is dangled and looks tempting.

i guess in an ideal world, we would all stop eating at Evilburger, and the chain would die, and only Goodburger would remain.

The OP is pointing out that nobody sells Goodburger anymore. The few companies that Evilburger didnt buyout, or open from behind, were forced to copy Evilburger business practices to stay afloat.

so now I can eat an Evilburger, OR i can eat an Evilburger in a box that reads "GOODBURGER!"

What the OP is pointing out really is that the change on OUR side is huge. we all have evil burgers now.

but the change on THEIR side is hard to notice. they started stinking rich, they're STILL stinking rich, and they ruined my burger for a few 'Effin cents.

reply to post by uwascallywabbit

The OP is pointing out that nobody sells Goodburger anymore. The few companies that Evilburger didnt buyout, or open from behind, were forced to copy Evilburger business practices to stay afloat.

Are they evil because they make money? Is that the problem. I am sure if you go to a McDonald's and get crappy service, your complaints will be heard and dealt with. I am sure they would also address any food quality concerns you have as well.

The whining is about money, not quality of goods or service.

'Big Business' is evil because it only seeks to make profit. That's BS. We sit here and judge the individuals that own companies (shareholders) but live our lives with the same motivation.
Would you go to work if they stopped paying you?



Here is a great example of how innovation and creative business practices can make someone wealthy, pay employees very well, and keep prices low.

ALDI

Aldi has, for a grocery store, a very competitive starting wage. Not only that, they give raises often. Starting wage at my local Aldi is $11.65!! There is room for promotion as well.

Aldi is also crazy cheap. They cut costs by palletizing all merchandise, and providing no frills.

The founder of Aldi is Karl Hans Albrecht, the 6th riches man in the world. Karl Hans Albrecht was the son of a miner, and started in his Mom's little corner store.

Recently, they have been able to expand due to the recession. They have even stepped on Walmartss toes from time to time.