Why didn't Biden invoke Taft-Hartley to delay the strike?

That would have delayed the strike until Christmas, and best served consumers, retailers and rank and file Longshoremen.

A prolonged strike can destroy some retail businesses by disrupting their supply chain during what should be their busiest days. Also no paychecks for workers affected, including longshoremen, in the run-up to Christmas.

Apparently the $millions that labor unions pump into the Democrat party buys union leaders special consideration.

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SatyrService · M

Most unions provide strike income.
To delay this until after Christmas? That would rob the action, of much potency.
That corruption has unfiltered many unions is a given. However that does not negate the value that has come to America to the changes that came from the labor movement. More than ever, we need there to be living wages for people who are working. The degradation of our workforce Into food delivery and the service industries, does our country no value. More than anything else we need to start making things here, and buying them here. Those hurt the most by this strike? might just be. Our adversary The so-called peoples Republic of China
There certainly aren’t any unions there

carpediem · M

@SatyrService Service industry jobs are what's left after so many other jobs are exported overseas or to Mexico. I have a friend who was in technical sales making around $180K. He was laid off as were many peers due to outsourcing. He wound up driving an Uber to keep from drawing down savings too soon. So is he unemployed? Practically yes even though he isn't counted as such.

Many low skill jobs are second sources of income, not primary. The living wage argument is invalid. If you're flipping burgers at 40, you damned well better get one or two more jobs to live. That's just a fact.

The west coast ports are still open for now, so China won't be affected too much. Expect things to take another price jump due to supply side weakness. And we thought things were already expensive. Watch what happens if this thing goes longer than a couple weeks.

SatyrService · M

@carpediem The living wage argument is valid. Sorry you think a person is 40 years old and flipping burgers is some kind of a loser who deserves what he gets. Many of the people in those jobs? We’re serviceman as recently as the last few years many other jobs that I’ve been eliminated like your friend you mentioned? They’ve got to do something and you said yours is driving for Uber right, ask him if he’s getting enough
Or just Google average wage in name your state. And then do the same thing for average rent in that state.

We were actually doing pretty good in the early 70s. One person could earn enough money to pay for food rent housing kids for the shoes etc. there was also an 80% tax rate, for people who made millions and millions of dollars. Did not stop them from buying all the yachts and mansions they wanted.

carpediem · M

@SatyrService Name me one person flipping burgers in the 70's who could earn enough money to pay for food rent housing kids for the shoes etc. Know who flipped burgers in the 70's? High school kids.

And the high tax rate killed the boating industry. Maybe some huge wage earners could still had enough expendable income for luxury purchases, but not the average worker. Raising the taxes will severely hurt entertainment related businesses. Not everyone who owns a boat, or wants to own a boat is wealthy. The same goes for RV's, golf, movies, etc. The more taxes you pay, the less expendable income you have. It's quite simple.

I agree wages and rents are way out of line. But paying someone high wages for low skilled jobs will only serve to continue to increase inflation. You flip burgers, make sure you have 2 jobs. It's all about work ethic. My kids work hard and supplement with secondary income. They do better than average in the basic wage department, but they want to get ahead so they work hard. Work ethic.

I was in Ireland over this past summer. Love the country. They have some beautiful lakes. Know what they don't have? Late model boats. Very little expendable income. You look at lakes in the US and you see people enjoying themselves on the water. Low taxes means more industry and actually more revenue to the Feds.

SatyrService · M

@carpediem Yes in the 70s those were kid jobs. Now their jobs for people who are desperate to pay their rent.
The main point here is that we used to manufacture things in this country shoes clothes furniture tools, many of the names that we know like Dewalt or Coleman? Or just items relabeled manufactured in China. During the early 70s, the nature of the jobs available for an adult person was much more diverse in terms of income possibilities than it is now.
In the 70s there were many well-paid industrial jobs. Go look at Detroit now, it’s a ghost town.

We have not cared enough for the working people. We care too much for the tech Brose and other billionaires.
Uber and DoorDash, and such things are no decent replacement for industrial manufacturing,

Heartlander ·

@SatyrService The reference to "flipping hamburgers" is so arrogant. And so often used by people justifying their own high wage. I remember an ALPA spokesperson using it to justify Delta's demand for $300K wages for its pilots.

Heartlander ·

@SatyrService If I remember right, strike income is a fraction of their regular income, and gets paid in part by other affiliated unions. I belonged to ALPA for about 15 years, and strike income mostly phissed off those who had no say-so in having to pay it. Add to the phissed off groups were lower seniority striking members who received less than senior union members.