Strike, too
More could join picket lines
If you look at the graphics the Bureau of Labor Statistics puts out, you’ll find that union membership in this country has been trending downward over the decades. Like a company in free-fall.
In 1983, nearly 25 percent of working men were in a union (for women it was about 15 percent); those rates have dropped nearly every year since. These days, barely 10 percent of men and women belong to unions.
A lot of that is politics at work. Teacher unions do themselves no favors by protecting the bad teachers along with the good. Unions have the reputation of backing mostly Democrats, thus turning off half the country. Still, those in unions benefit mightily by being in one. Especially autoworkers. You may have heard that the United Auto Workers has gone on strike, sorta. They call it a Stand Up Strike, which means the UAW has targeted the Big Three automakers at three plants. They are picketing at locations in Missouri, Michigan and Ohio. As much money as the companies are losing at these three plants, this isn’t a full-scale walkout. Yet.
“As time goes on, more locals may be called on to ‘Stand Up’ and join the strike,” the union told members. “This gives us maximum leverage and maximum flexibility in our fight to win a fair contract at each of the Big Three automakers.”
A fair contract, it says.
CBS News (not exactly Fox) reported last week that the average autoworker in the United States makes about $28 an hour. That’s up a dollar from last year. The longer you work on the line, the higher your pay. Some of the top-tier workers—hired before 2007—make about $33 an hour on average. Which means there are lots of workers who earn more.
The union says it wants those hired after 2007 to get the same benefits as older workers (defined pensions, not just 401(k)s, better health care, etc.), and they complain that a two-tiered system creates “second-class citizens.” But isn’t that the contract the union negotiated?
Union leadership complains that the average wage for autoworkers has declined “adjusted for inflation.” Well, join the American club. Name a group of people, in any occupation, that hasn’t been affected by inflation.
There are many items on the union’s want list. It wants raises all around—36 percent over four years. But it also wants those putting together EVs to make as much as traditional auto workers, although EVs are easier to put together and the competition from Asia and Europe is fierce.
But there was another demand that caught our eye. Like a fishhook:
The union wants a 32hour work week.
But 40 hours of pay. We caught that in the AP story in our paper, but had to look it up online to see if other news agencies included it. The “ask” was so unbelievable that we started doubting the Associated Press!
The line is included in reports from Fortune magazine to NPR. It’s really a thing. And apparently a worker would start getting overtime after 32 hours on the job each week. If this never-never request is actually granted, the auto companies would have to hire a lot more workers, and pay each one a lot more money.
If you think that will just come out of profits to the bottom line at Ford, GM and Stellantis, and not be included in your next truck purchase, you haven’t been paying attention.
A five-day paycheck for four days’ work? We think it was Samuel Gompers, one of the architects of the labor movement in this country, who, when asked what unions wanted, responded: “More.”
That’s certainly what unions are after in the auto industry. The question is whether the companies, and the country, can afford it.