Abolish the Senate???

"Whereas the Senate in particular has become an obstructive and useless body, a menace to the liberties of the people, and an obstacle to social growth; a body, many of the Members of which are representatives neither of a State nor of its people, but solely of certain predatory combinations, and a body which, by reason of the corruption often attending the election of its Members, has furnished the gravest public scandals in the history of the nation. . . ."

Preamble to a constitutional amendment introduced in the House of Representatives on April 27, 1911, by Victor Berger of Wisconsin

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bijouxbroussard · F

Now that it has a majority of Dems and might pass some things a majority of people need (affordable healthcare, education) ? Not now !

MethDozer · M

@bijouxbroussard Doubt it will happen in any meaningful way.
Look at the railroad worker issue. The House passes a resolution to allow the workers their 7 days sick time and some other demands. Blocked in the Senate.

dancingtongue · 80-89, M

@MethDozer Blocked in the Senate at the request of the President to avoid a crippling national rail-strike, and at the same time the President pledges to go after paid sick leave for ALL workers, not just rail workers in one labor negotiations.

MethDozer · M

@dancingtongue https://www.google.com/amp/s/thehill.com/homenews/senate/3758436-senate-rejects-proposal-to-give-rail-workers-seven-days-of-paid-sick-leave/amp/

MethDozer · M

@dancingtongue https://www.npr.org/2022/12/02/1140265413/rail-workers-biden-unions-freight-railroads-averted-strike

dancingtongue · 80-89, M

@MethDozer https://www.politico.com/news/2022/11/29/bidens-congress-halt-rail-strike-00071251

dancingtongue · 80-89, M

@MethDozer

Biden urged Congress to pass legislation without any modifications or delay
Four of the 12 freight rail unions, collectively representing more than half of the 115,000 freight rail workers covered by the deal, had voted down the agreement, citing the lack of paid sick days as a primary reason.

https://www.npr.org/2022/12/02/1140265413/rail-workers-biden-unions-freight-railroads-averted-strike

MethDozer · M

@dancingtongue I didn't know workers went in strike when they get the deal they actually want now. Things must have changed.

dancingtongue · 80-89, M

@MethDozer Labor negotiations are a series of trade-offs between labor leaders and management. Sometimes labor leaders -- including their rank & file negotiation committees -- misread what they can get approved by rank and file workers. There were 12 unions involved in the negotiations. Eight of them ratified the contract so apparently the wages and bonuses they got outweighed their desire for sick leave, as management negotiators hoped. In four unions, they did not -- sick days were more important to them.

It happens. You saw the reverse in the baseball contract negotiations. The Player's Union leaders and the negotiating committee made up of elected player representatives unanimously voted to reject the owners' "last and final offer", but the rank and file players over-ruled them and voted to accept it.

dancingtongue · 80-89, M

@dancingtongue You will notice that although it was a significant minority of the unions that voted down the rail contract, they did represent a majority of the workforce. I think it safe to say that management was trying to cut a deal with 8 smaller unions in hope it would snowball into approval by the rank-and-file of all 12 unions without the sick leave provisions they did not want to give up. In the long run it is a strategy that probably will back fire on them now that there is national pressure building in support of 7 days minimum sick leave for all workers, rather than the 1 or 2 days that were being requested in negotiations.

MethDozer · M

@dancingtongue exactly. Most workers got screwed.

Either way we have gotten of topic. The thread wasn't meant to be about any current goings on. Just that even back in 1911 we had people who realized giving to the same number of representatives to each state reguardless of population size is undemocratic.

Elessar · 31-35, M

@dancingtongue You're seriously convinced that the #1 economy on this world would be "crippled" if workers had 7 days A YEAR of sick leave?

We have 180 here, for comparison. And no, we don't get crippled by people calling in sick.

MethDozer · M

@Elessar No, he means the economy would cripple if there was a railroad strike.

MethDozer · M

@Elessar admittedly 180 days of paid sick leave seems a bit excessive.

MethDozer · M

@Elessar seriously tou get 6 months?

Elessar · 31-35, M

@MethDozer No one takes 180, unless at most if you go through something traumatic/severe that requires a long term hospitalization / therapy. Also, you need a doctor to issue you a certificate to take sick days, it's not that you can take them arbitrarily.

Elessar · 31-35, M

@MethDozer Yeah well if the days were granted there would be no strike, no?

Elessar · 31-35, M

@MethDozer Yep yep

MethDozer · M

@Elessar It's a bit more complicated than that, read through the reply chain and you'll see.

Basically Biden and the Senate went and appeased the most number of unions instead of the most number of workers. But it is still up in the air if there will be a strike. The kicker is they could have hust giving them the full demands and forced the employers to accept it.