LiebeAlsHobby
George Takei 
🏳️🌈🖖🏽Stop blaming strikes for economic damage. Strikes are a logical response to overreach and greed from corporations and the wealthy. If there is resulting economic damage, look to those who drove the workers to strike in the first instance.
Fr. Marty@georgetakei isn't economic damage the whole point of a strike?
Judy Olo 🚫⚠️kakistocracy🌊@frmarty @georgetakei
No, it is to show your value to the company. I was/am a union member. We had a strike in the 80s. The last thing on our minds was damaging the company. We just wanted them to pay decent wages and have health care.
No, it is to show your value to the company. I was/am a union member. We had a strike in the 80s. The last thing on our minds was damaging the company. We just wanted them to pay decent wages and have health care.
Jeramee@JudyOlo @frmarty @georgetakei
I come from a union family. We don't want to damage the company - that's how we make our living too.
@Jeramee @JudyOlo @georgetakei Strikes are all about economic damage - not destruction, but certainly it has to cause pain to the company to be effective, and pain is the result of economic damage. Strikes stop production, which is economic damage. When the damage exceeds the tolerable level, demands are met and the strike ends. That's why in other industries scabs are brought in - to minimize economic damage of the strike. And my father in law was union construction pipefitter for 40+ years.
@frmarty @JudyOlo @georgetakei
No. Strikes are about fairness. To call the lost profits of overly exploited people damages suffered by the owners is the inherently unfair propaganda we've been fed all our lives.
When the CEO's of these companies make hundreds of millions per year while the actual creative talent can barely survive, to call those lost profits damages is nothing short of gaslighting that we all must reject.
@Jeramee @JudyOlo @georgetakei I think we are saying the same thing but understanding the words differently. It isn't gaslighting to say that "inflicting damage on the ones doing the exploiting is completely the point". You are right, strikes are about fairness, where the exploiting org/company does not want to be fair, and must suffer pain before recognizing fairness. No pain for the company? Then no fairness for the exploited worker. I support the exploited worker, and the striking worker.
M-Democrats-BLM@Jeramee @frmarty @JudyOlo @georgetakei We have way more CEO’s now than in the beginning of my work life. And profits are WAY up. My pay and benefits are down. Every when time to sign up for insurance we get the same talking about how much they pay and how much we pay. It’s almost we pay more every year and profits go up every year. We look at like lied to again nothing new. Pay raises don’t even = insurance costs for the year.
@DemMimiBLM @Jeramee @JudyOlo @georgetakei Same for me - my day job is at a state university in the midwest.
@frmarty @DemMimiBLM @JudyOlo @georgetakei
I was in that boat back home too.
Our system is designed to cheat us.
@Jeramee @JudyOlo @frmarty @georgetakei I agree but they don’t care about us doing the work. I have been in my job 38 years and lost so many benefits and wages cut & wage theft. Company looks the other way and doesn’t care about the employees when they do this with profits WAY WAY UP. I want them to see what they did to my home budget every time they do this. My family suffers also
@DemMimiBLM @JudyOlo @frmarty @georgetakei
I understand.
Those in positions of privilege don't care.
I alternate between wanting to change the system and wanting to walk away and watch it burn.
@JudyOlo @georgetakei Decent wages and health care are damaging to the company economically, by definition. Sadly, that is our system - companies want to pay as little as possible for the means of production. Workers want a fair portion of that production (and in my opinion, are entitled to it). But when negotiations fail, economic damage in the form of a strike occurs. Without economic damage in the form of lost production (sales), what leverage does a strike hold?
@frmarty @georgetakei
Well, sure, eventually everything boils down to money. How else do we live? The idea is that greed should not be the goal. During the strike I was in, the manager of our office brought us donuts every morning on the line. The local management, supervisors, etc were on our side. Obviously, they didn't want to do our jobs-- you know, actual work. Most of them didn't know how. It was the corporate elites who were against us. Greed. The company didn't lose any real money while we were on strike. In fact, they didn't have to pay thousands of salaries. It did cause inconvenience for the customers. A major telecommunications company. Customers continued paying their bills. They finally got tired of the inconvenience. Of course, every situation can be different.
Well, sure, eventually everything boils down to money. How else do we live? The idea is that greed should not be the goal. During the strike I was in, the manager of our office brought us donuts every morning on the line. The local management, supervisors, etc were on our side. Obviously, they didn't want to do our jobs-- you know, actual work. Most of them didn't know how. It was the corporate elites who were against us. Greed. The company didn't lose any real money while we were on strike. In fact, they didn't have to pay thousands of salaries. It did cause inconvenience for the customers. A major telecommunications company. Customers continued paying their bills. They finally got tired of the inconvenience. Of course, every situation can be different.
@JudyOlo @georgetakei Middle management is typically caught in the "middle" (pun intended). They generally understand the discontentment of the workers, and they don't get the "perks" that the senior management gets. It is that customer inconvenience that is the economic damage in this instance. In telcom, though, most companies have a monopoly or near monopoly in a territory, making any real negotiating difficult, since customers don't really have much choice.
@frmarty @georgetakei
Exactly. The company doesn't take a loss. Sorry, call it economic damage. They didn't lose a dime. Customer inconvenience didn't cost a dime. As I said, they saved paying thousands of salaries. The workers, lower management, customers were the ones who suffered. All because top level greed.
Exactly. The company doesn't take a loss. Sorry, call it economic damage. They didn't lose a dime. Customer inconvenience didn't cost a dime. As I said, they saved paying thousands of salaries. The workers, lower management, customers were the ones who suffered. All because top level greed.
Pamela Ehn@frmarty @JudyOlo @georgetakei absolutely not! When companies pay adequately, they actually make more money, from higher productivity of employees, goodwill of their brand and lower hiring costs. I do think it’s unfair that benefits are paid by companies rather than universally offered by the government. Everyone needs those benefits and that’s an unfair burden to companies. But companies like that because they can treat you like shit and you’re locked in because benefits. But companies who don’t have to use economic coercion to keep employees do make more money.
@cadenza @JudyOlo @georgetakei Unfortunately, only the most progressive companies operate that way. Having been a former CFO, the discussion in the CEO suite isn't about fairness and equity for employees - otherwise CEO pay would not be hundreds of times worker pay, and the increased productivity of the past 30 years would be reflected in worker's pay increases. I agree with you wholeheartedly, which is why I left corporate America, except that isn't reality. Walmart is prime example.
@frmarty @JudyOlo @georgetakei I’m not saying that corporations who use an exploitative model don’t make money. They definitely do. Just that in the long run, corporations that treat their employees fairly tend to do better. Mostly because they don’t have to treat fines and judgments as the cost of doing business.
@cadenza @JudyOlo @georgetakei You are absolutely correct in everything you are saying, and studies support that conclusion. Except companies still don't buy it, and still won't implement it. example: WalMart. If that concept were adopted globally, there would be no need for employees to strike. But very, very few companies adopt that strategy.
@frmarty @JudyOlo @georgetakei well, you can’t account for greed and stupidity, and it seems that the wealthier people are, the more greedy and stupid they are. The big downside of CEO pay being 351x the lowest paid worker is that it puts them grievously out of touch not only with their workers, but their consumers as well. I mean, studio heads were surprised that the post they released about starving workers out of their homes backfired. They have no clue.
leandrofelgueiras
Tasthesose@frmarty @georgetakei yes but not to “blame” but to congratulate them :)
MugsysRapSheet Blog ☑️@georgetakei
If you're wondering:
The difference between the income of the highest paid studio exec ($498.9M) and #10 ($143.5M) is > than the annual salary of the #2 highest paid exec ($355M vs $346M).
Total annual income of the Top 10 studio executives: $2,255,720,390.
6 of the Top 10 highest paid studio execs work for the same studio as another exec on the list.)
180,000 WGA & SAG members. The salaries of Top 10 execs would = giving every striker a $12K/yr raise.
Hazzardous@MugsysRapSheet @georgetakei never is not enough for them.
They rob everyone blind while telling them they are expendable.
If it was up to them they would be dictators..
They rob everyone blind while telling them they are expendable.
If it was up to them they would be dictators..
Cate@MugsysRapSheet @georgetakei
That’s insane!! All of that money going to executives that plot the demise of Democracy. Just think what all of that money could be used for…support those in need, prop up our public schools, provide fair pay, and universal healthcare.
BurritoSommelier@MugsysRapSheet @georgetakei I don’t think that’s their salary, which are often very low for tax reasons, but change year over year in net wealth? Likely attributed to stock grants / value change?
@MugsysRapSheet @georgetakei maybe the hair I’m trying to split is “compensation”. They’re not (unless I’m way off here) receiving cash checks over the course of the year that total those amounts. Compensation through stock grants and such isn’t taxed until sold but can certainly be used as collateral to take out loans.
@BurritoSommelier @georgetakei
The amounts listed is how much they make. Be it via "stock options", etc is irrelevant. It's money better spent on the talent that earns the company money.
Lincoln famously said: "Labor is superior to Capital b/c labor PROCEEDS capital."
David 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️NB they/them@MugsysRapSheet @georgetakei Their compensation is disruptive and unrealistic.
Xucaen ☮️💚🌿@georgetakei corporate greed is the root cause of all of our problems today. 💚✌️
AGTMADCAT 🇬🇧🇺🇸🇺🇦🇹🇼🇵🇸@Xucaen @georgetakei No no some of our problems are still caused by bigotry. If we can fix/replace/whatever capitalism then we're only halfway there!
@AGTMADCAT
Bigotry is a problem. I still see a link between bigotry and greed - people who want the world to themselves and will crush others to get it. ✌️
Bigotry is a problem. I still see a link between bigotry and greed - people who want the world to themselves and will crush others to get it. ✌️
@Xucaen Absolutely, the non-bigots who rile up and exploit the bigotry of the true bigots usually do so seeking power or money.
Chris Thomas@georgetakei "economic damage" is such a weasel-word anyway. Skilled, valuable workers aren't able to make an honest living. That damages the economy too.... but we only talk about "economic damage" when we can point to a dipping stock price or something else that hits a billionaire's balance sheet.
Darwin Woodka@killfile @georgetakei what if the real economic damage is the wages that weren't paid so people can't afford to buy food, housing, education and other consumer goods? Or be able to save and maybe open even more businesses of their own?
Kat the Leopardess@georgetakei Even Leslie Jones has something to say, as she fights for fellow actors and speaks up on the misconception that all Union members are "rich":
Walter Dunham Ll.B.@Catwoman69y2k @georgetakei
"If you comment fuck shit on my post I’m gonna block you no questions ask! I’m tired of insensitive pieces of shit with fucked up opinions ..."
Yes Leslie, we're all sick and tired of ignorant twerps who think they know everything, especially those who engage in stupid hasty generalizations! Yes, let's block the f^in' shit out of them, we don't want their "follow" & we definitely do not like to be friends with them anyway!
You go girl, you said it loud and clear!
@walterdunham @Catwoman69y2k @georgetakei I want her as host of The Daily Show. I think she won the audition.
@Catwoman69y2k @georgetakei I love her so much.
@georgetakei
Please say this louder for the people in the back!! 😊
Please say this louder for the people in the back!! 😊
neo_D
ferricoxide@georgetakei
People love to blame the injured for fighting back (see: Ukraine and many, many others).
People love to blame the injured for fighting back (see: Ukraine and many, many others).
Perhaps the most important thing my labor law prof said: "The best advocate for a union is a bad boss."
OpenDNA⚙️@georgetakei If this is about Anchor Brewing, "blame the union" and "blame COVID" are pretty transparently plays by management and the board to protect themselves from Sapporo's shareholders.
Years before the union showed up, Anchor struggled with distribution and sales. For at least a decade, customers and distributors nationwide complained that they couldn't get orders filled.
Sierra Nevada has distribution in Europe, Anchor couldn't even satisfy demand in California.
Pete Alex Harris🦡🕸️🌲/∞🪐∫@georgetakei
Wage theft and dangerous working conditions are also economic damage, which strikes aim to prevent.
Wage theft and dangerous working conditions are also economic damage, which strikes aim to prevent.
Lazarou Monkey Terror 🚀💙🌈
Drunk Eskimo@georgetakei don’t use the language that they frame it in. People working for less than they’re worth, less than a living wage, working a second job just to make it by, that’s a “healthy economy with low unemployment.”
The “economic damage” just means “profits didn’t grow as much this quarter as they should have”
Anybody who ever had a union happen to them deserved it
Big Head Tales@drunkeskimo @georgetakei
Hollywood CEOs work only for Wall Street billionaires, as far as they’re concerned, that’s the only value that matters.
The movies and shows are just a sideline to funneling value to the filthy rich while they enrich themselves with exorbitant salaries and stock benefits.
KikoKate@georgetakei Hai, Sensei! Ous!
"Those who produce should have, but we know that those who produce the most - that is, those who work hardest, and at the most difficult and most menial tasks, have the least." ~ Eugene V. Debs
@georgetakei I never started.
:animated_verified:防空識別區ᴏᴜᴛᴇʀɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ:adm1::adm2:@georgetakei Usually hate this absolute goofy clown person but he got a good point today.
Keith W Dickinson 🎩@georgetakei The economic damage done to writers and actors caused the strikes, not the other way around.
ZZ Bottom
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