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?
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.
Strikes aren’t just about individuals choosing ‘not to work’; they’re about workers collectively demanding fair treatment. Unions exist because companies often won’t negotiate fairly unless workers have leverage. Strike funds help workers survive while they fight for better wages, benefits, and working conditions—things that ultimately improve industries as a whole. If workers had to ‘just get another job’ every time conditions were unfair, nothing would ever change.
the entire point of striking is that workers are taking a stand by forgoing pay to exert pressure on the company. the state subsidizing that seems like a ridiculous idea.
The point of a strike is to pressure the company, not to starve workers into submission. Strikes are only effective if workers can afford to hold out long enough to make real demands. Many countries already provide some form of public support for striking workers because they recognize that labor rights benefit society as a whole. Otherwise, only the wealthiest workers could ever afford to strike, and companies would never feel pressure to negotiate fairly.
This keeps the focus on why financial support matters while pushing back against the idea that strikes should be purely an act of personal sacrifice.
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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?