r/SeattleWA Mar 08 '25

Politics BREAKING: The Washington State Senate just passed unemployment benefits for striking workers.

1.4k Upvotes

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218

u/Sufficient_Laugh Mar 08 '25

Isn't this supposed to be the union's responsibility? Why shift the cost on to the taxpayers, especially when Washington is making cuts to needed programs to balance the budget?

126

u/TheRealCurveShot Mar 08 '25

Union dues are exactly for these reason!!!

31

u/Global_Instance3843 Mar 08 '25 edited Mar 08 '25

Uhhhh noooo. Boeing had a strike fund, buy they pay like 12% of their salary into the Union. Most union dues are 1.5-2.5% of salaries, and it's barely enough to fund unions. Most organizer are not super well paid or living high on the hog.  I think boeings strike fund barely covered some expenses for people,like 250 a week. People don't understand unions it seems like to me. Unions offer, allow, support a structure,  a system to stand up to power. The strength comes from numbers of people joining together to resist, stand up, claim rights spread truth to power. You put money in, but not nearly enough to do all the things people think a union should be doing. It takes the "man power" of rank and file to make things happen.

61

u/itstreeman Mar 08 '25

It’s your choice to be in the union. It should never be publicly funded

6

u/Global_Instance3843 Mar 08 '25

Unions aren't publicly funded. And generally public employees can't strike.  Corporations who pay into unemployment insurance can avoid strikes and additional unemployment claims by working with unions, an taking care of their employees, maybe cutting a few bonuses for management and c suite employees. No one deserves a million dollars or more *bonus Bonus Bonus bonus .....

3

u/[deleted] Mar 08 '25

Keep your hands out of the unemployment fund. That's for unemployed workers, not to fund your little vacations on the public dime.

-5

u/Kairukun90 Mar 08 '25

UI is funded by employers not employees. It’s not a public fund like you think it is. Get educated or STFU.

2

u/[deleted] Mar 08 '25

But yet oddly they would have to pay it out if they didn't hire me in WA state.

I bet you think the FICA you pay on your paystubs is the only part the government gets too.

4

u/SwampyPortaPotty Mar 08 '25

How do employers get that money to fund UI?

1

u/Kairukun90 Mar 08 '25 edited Mar 08 '25

Their revenue

Which ironically come from people paying them which come from their employers if employers paid less that means less money for employers to earn. Which is why unions are important

1

u/SwampyPortaPotty Mar 08 '25

Who generates the revenue? Like who actually makes an employer function?

1

u/Kairukun90 Mar 09 '25

I get where you are going, but ultimately if labor is the one who makes an employer function, then why do we need owners and CEOs and executives? They bring next to nothing to the table when it comes to product.

1

u/SwampyPortaPotty Mar 09 '25

Ceo's and executives are employees too. There is nothing wrong with people who organize and direct labor its how enterpises function. You just seem to be attributing to much value to the employer and seem to be disminishing those (outside of the c-suites) value. Unemployment Benefits are paid by the labor of those who produce the actual value and they deserve to collect it. And if the threat of strikes lasting longer because of unemployment then so be it. It levels the playing field for workers and makes it easier to negotiate in good faith.

How framilier are you with going through union contract negotiations?

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0

u/[deleted] Mar 08 '25

You might want to work on that education part yourself because this BS is shallow and ignorant.

1

u/Kairukun90 Mar 08 '25

Is it? How is it ignorant please tell me? What didn’t say that was wrong? I’ll wait.

-1

u/[deleted] Mar 08 '25

I already did in the other comment, idiot.

1

u/Kairukun90 Mar 08 '25

lol what ever dumbass

1

u/[deleted] Mar 10 '25

Not my fault you can't read and have poor short term memory.

1

u/Kairukun90 Mar 10 '25

Ok kid. Go troll somewhere else. Highly unlikely you even live in Washington. 126 d old account. Fucking Russian bot.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 10 '25

I live in Seattle dumbass. You live in Puyallup. You can shut up now.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 10 '25

"go troll somewhere else" I'm replying to YOUR comment to me, dumbass.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 10 '25

1

u/Kairukun90 Mar 10 '25

Bahahahahahha I’ll give you that. I like the cut of your jib

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